507. Lolita

Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
1955
Around 330 pages

Here's a dating tip from me to you. Don't say that you like this book, or your date will think you are a pervert. However, in the safe and asexual sphere of this blog, I can admit freely that I thought this was brilliant, often misunderstood, novel.

Humbert Humbert is the immediate example that comes to mind when I think of the term "unreliable narrator." He is obsessed with girls ages 9 to 14, due to a childhood trauma. When searching for a new living situation in New England, he meets widow Charlotte and her 12 year old daughter Dolores. Humbert instantly becomes obsessed with Dolores and schemes his way into their lives. I can't believe this book was adapted into a Broadway musical before it's been adapted as a straight up horror film.

Humbert Humbert is a deceiver, and he deceives himself most of all. He is an immensely complicated character, and I'm deeply impressed with Nabokov's skill at portraying his mindset. I wouldn't go as far as to say he's a sympathetic character, but he's a deft enough manipulator that he still manages to influence our perception of events, even though we all know he is a sick rapist. 

Unlike many novels on this List that want us to repulse us for repulsions' sake, Nabokov manages to humanize Humbert, which is no small feat as a writer. Also, for a novel that could easily become mired in psychology, Nabokov keeps the plot moving along and makes this a very fast read.

One of my favorite openings of all time too, and it deserves to be quoted here:

“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth." You can tell Nabokov was a gifted poet as well.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Adapted several times for the stage, opera, ballet, and a Broadway musical.

Orville Prescott, the book reviewer of the New York Times, hated the book, describing it as "dull, dull, dull in a pretentious, florid and archly fatuous fashion."

Banned in France for two years.

UP NEXT: The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith