I find it difficult to read a novel more than once. Usually, it feels like working the same crossword puzzle a second time. The first time is magical and full of discovery, but after that, you know all the secrets, all the rabbit trails. Not much new to discover in your average novel the second time around.
But there are a few . . . stories that beckon me away from new reading.
Just this week, I picked up The Thirteenth Tale for the third time. I resisted the call for several weeks—the writing must come first, I’d say. It’s a haunting story told by a woman obsessed with “story” to a woman obsessed with books. I’m only on chapter two this time around, but instead of knowing what’s coming, I find myself anxious to enter the world I remember which doesn’t come into play for another thirty pages or so. And I’ve already found new perspective on the characters.
One fascinating item about this book is the ambiguity of time and place. It seems like a gothic/romantic novel, but certain details suggest it could be modern. The story within the story takes place in a further distant past, which also could be gothic, or modern because the setting is pastoral. The author never tells the reader “when” the story takes place. This may sound like a definite mistake, but it works for this novel because the ambiguity serves as transport between my world and the world in the story.
And I want to go back . . .
What novels have you read more than once? Why did you? Click on “comment” below and let’s chat.
