622. Ada

Ada
Vladimir Nabokov
1969
Around 610 pages

Nabokov is never afraid to make us uncomfortable, and unfortunately, this is the last time he will ever squick me out with his characters' sexuality. I going to miss that man, although I will keep that to myself, because people seem creeped out that I like him. Without further ado, here's my official Nabokov ranking:

1. Lolita

2. Ada

3. Pnin

4. Pale Fire

Just to be extra, Nabokov's story takes place in an alternate universe, where Earth is called Antiterra. To put it simply, Antiterra, or Demonia, is a complicated blend of Russia and the United States in the nineteenth and twentieth century. The novel tells the story of Van Veen and his lifelong affair with his sister Ada, which begins when he is 14 and she is 11. 

Historically, I have not always enjoyed works that are so disjointed and fantastical. But I found this much more readable than anything Joyce or Rushdie ever came out with. Nabokov has such a unique perspective, being a citizen of the world, and I thought it was brilliant he created his own universe, which was more much of a melting pot than the real America is. His reflections on the nature of time rival Proust (sorry Marcel). Van was highly reminiscent of Humbert Humbert, with more of his layers unpeeled.. Nabokov is clearly a genius, but I don't feel like he has the smugness of other writers. He trusts his readers enough to leave many things unsaid, knowing we will be able to deduce what happened based on the emotions of his characters.

Unlike some of the other shock jocks on this List, Nabokov's novels were always incredibly complex and meaningful. This is one of those works that you could visit again and again, and gain something new from every reread. It's so satisfying when an author's masterpiece is their last entry on the List. Talk about going out with a bang.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Nabokov was a self-described synesthete.

UP NEXT: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

564. Pale Fire

Pale Fire
Vladimir Nabokov
1962
Around 315 pages

Nabokov is so strange with his plots that it was only a matter of time before things got weird with his structure too. This was definitely not my cup of tea, but it didn't shake my belief that Nabokov is a genius, so that's something.

Pale Fire is presented as a 999 line poem penned by John Slade, with a foreword, commentary, and index written by Slade's neighbor and colleague Charles Kinbote. Charles Kinbote clearly isn't playing with a full deck, and thinks he is the exiled King Charles.

So we have two very unreliable narrators, and a kind of choose your own adventure style for reading. You can follow the annotations as you go along, or save them for after an initial read through of the poem. I can't ignore a footnote, so I kept halting the flow to follow Charles' part. And while I recognize this disjointedness is intentional, I think it does take a toll on the rhythm, which I think is crucial for enjoying poetry. 

An interesting experiment, but I didn't really connect with the text or the characters. 

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

In Blade Runner 2049, the device performing a "Post-Trauma Baseline Test" on Ryan Gosling's character, "K", quotes lines 703–707 of the poem. The other List made me watch that movie, which I didn't like either.

UP NEXT: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

518. Pnin

Pnin
Vladimir Nabokov
1957
Around 185 pages

The beginning of this novel closely follows the usual plot of my nightmares. Pnin is a Russian professor on his way to a guest lecture, only to discover that he is on the wrong train. When he tries to board a bus, he realizes he doesn't have his papers, and then he has a seizure. If he was suddenly forced to sing karaoke, it would literally be straight from my sleeping brain.

The rest of the story follows our hapless protagonist, who is constantly getting manipulated into spending money on his ex wife. I think we can all relate to Pnin, somebody who has good intentions, but consistently falls flat on his face. At least I can. Nabokov has compassion for Pnin, probably because he had Pnin-like tendencies himself, so we never feel like we are laughing at the main's character expense. We are more shaking our fists at the world for treating our poor Pnin baby this way.

It's very impressive that Nabokov was able to create someone as repulsive as Humbert Humbert and as likable as Pnin. That man had range.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Pnin is Nabokov's response to Don Quixote, which he had read a year earlier.

UP NEXT: On the Road by Jack Kerouac

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.

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