2017 comes with a brand new edict for me. Do more things, create more, explore every opportunity given. So, as I sit down to write my first book review I feel the need to give a quick introduction.
I run a modest bookclub and I do this for fun. It is a small group of people, 8-10, who love to read as much as I do and enjoy the self-indulgence of sitting down and debating the ambiguities of another artists work without being graded on it. We mainly focus on comtemporary fiction and modern literature. These are usually the books we all want to read but never get the motivation to by ourselves. I encourage you to read along with us. We always pick short novels and try to alternate between male and female authors from month to month.
Welcome to our 2017 bookclub. Our first book of the year is Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. Wilde’s first and only published novel revolves around the life and sins of a beautiful man in Victorian England. The epitome of youth and opportunity, he is revered on the basis of his undeniable and addictive beauty. Drawing in everyone around him, we open on two characters who both become mesmerised with him. The first, a painter who uses Dorian as a muse and the second, a classic dandy who becomes the young boys biggest external corrupting influence.
From this point we follow the characters and the story through the riches and splendour of the era and the characters upper class position in society. We are taken through the ups and downs and moral struggles of what is essentially one man’s self-inflicted ethical downfall.
It is an alluring tale filled with what is sometimes eye-roll inducing pontification and moral stances. A novel that was at the time criticized for its moral corruptness, it is filled with what was then threatening ideas that people thought posed a danger to the way society worked and things were done. The story is still quite apt and relatable. It is surprisingly translatable and filled with characters that one loves to hate.
If you are looking for a short, intoxicating read and a story whose message transcends time and societal change I strongly suggest picking up. It is especially satisfying for those who do not mind what could be called a self-indulgent amount of grand ideas and heady set ups. If you can’t bring yourself to get through the book, I still recommend the story and suggest at the very least watching the movie remake. What day isn’t improved by Colin Firth.
