Lois answers “I have been struggling with reading this...”

A Goodreads user asked this question about Little, Big:

I have been struggling with reading this book for two years now. I just don't get it. It has been rated as one of the best 'fantasy' book ever and even one of the best 'sci-fi' books ever (according to the Guardian). But 100 pages in and all you get is a fish that 'might' be able to talk out in a pond somewhere. What is the appeal? I finally gave up reading it. Why the rage?

Lois Matelan This book was beautifully and very carefully written, but after awhile, it just didn't involve me in its characters and their stories. I was disappoin…moreThis book was beautifully and very carefully written, but after awhile, it just didn't involve me in its characters and their stories. I was disappointed, frustrated, and actually a little confused by its ending (which I deliberately do not call "resolution.") I think the author's conception was well-realized, but too bleak to be satisfying for me. The comments below about "altered state of consciousness" are apropos. At times, you contend with unreliable narrators. (Who can rely on the memories of a heavy drug user?) At times, you aren't sure yourself what is being described.(less)

flag

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more