#17: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Reading this book was like getting clubbed at the knees. I would read a few chapters at a time thinking “that’s so true!” And sometimes the truth hurts right in the knees. 

The language Kundera uses to illustrate relationships, particularly those under extreme stress, conveys the deep seeded fear we all have when it comes to living up to the standards put forth to us by our partners and society. If we only have one life to live, as Kundera believes, then the weight of our loves and our losses become all the greater, leaving a trail of past decisions that have no other choice than to be lived as a daily reminder that the opportunity to live them again simply won’t happen. 

While I didn’t necessarily agree with all of Kundera’s philosophy, he makes it easy to do so by weaving is own thoughts in with his story. The words are seamless as he moves from the complicated nature of fidelity to his thoughts of the human condition, presented as whether or not we have the ability to defecate. (You read that right. Although it sounds strange, the chapters on defecation and religion are arguments worth reading.)  

So. Read the book. It feels heavy at times, but in the best possible way. Maybe you won’t get clubbed in the knees but suffer some other ailment caused simply by words on a page.