Identity

This novel flows to-and-fro the tangible and the intangible, the real and the imaginary. Kundera weaves banal words to create texts that touches your most elusive thoughts.

Perhaps not its primary reason for commendation by most, but a book whose narratives of femininity and womanhood are crucial to contemporary feminism. Chantal's grappling with her identity is inherently a challenge to the patriarchal status quo.

Its depiction of identity was however rather meta textual, and even tangential, if I might assert that, which makes me wonder whether the title was appropriate in the first place. But what is appropriate anyway?

Nonetheless, this book will leave you lingering, longing for more.

It started out okay, but once I got to the part about shared saliva among all humans and masturbating fetuses, I was quite disturbed. Maybe some people like that sort of thing but this seemed far too strange for me to come close to enjoying.

3.5

i finished this book a couple days ago, and have been postponing a review until I can properly compose my thoughts. I've still not been able to do so but i'm going to attempt to review it anyway.

Identity is an exploration of individuality and identity within a relationship. How much of your identity is yours and how much of it is defined by your partner's (or even strangers') perception of you? The transience of beauty, attraction, desire is a recurring theme in kundera's work and this novel also explores that.

spoilers ahead

this idea of a fleeting reality is perpetuated by the “and then she woke up and it was all a dream” ending. While an ending like this might get you a B- in english class, it kind of works in this novel, because it was definitely premeditated and thought out. Kundera even inserts himself into the story at the end, having us question the entire novel. Who's dreaming? Was it always a dream or did it start during? If so, when did it start being a dream?

This whole notion intrigued me but also frustrated me to a certain extent. It was missing something. It needed a little more depth perhaps.
Definitely not Kundera's best work but it sure holds its own as a literary work.

De lo mas flojito que he leído de Milán Kundera. Francamente decepcionante.

I really do not enjoy Kundera's writing style. I couldn't finish reading it. Boredom to the max.