" 'Why does that obstinate little voice in our heads torment us so?' he said, looking round the table. 'Could it be because it reminds us that we are alive, of our mortality, of our individual souls--which, after all, we are too afraid to surrender yet make us feel more miserable than any other thing? But isn't it also pain that often makes us most aware of self?...Remember the Erinyes?Indeed, this book is about that very idea. People who are so deeply inside their own heads that they lose perspective, lose the ability to make smart decisions. Whose understanding of the world is based on philosophy and not reality.
'The Furies,' said Bunny, his eyes dazzled and lost beneath the bang of hair.
'Exactly. And how did they drive people mad? They turned up the volume of their inner monologue, magnified qualities already present to great excess, made people so much themselves that they couldn't stand it.' "
There are times when the inner monologue must be stifled.
This is one of my favourite "adult" books. Amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteI've heard about it for years, Jen, but only recently picked it up. A completely absorbing read. Have you read Tartt's other book? The Little Friend?
ReplyDeleteI have. I liked it as well, though not as much as this one...
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