Libby's Reviews > What We See When We Read

Peter Mendelsund is the author of this delightful little book, ‘What We See When We Read.’ He has designed many book covers and he’s an avid reader. He delves into the mysteries of how our imaginations create the world of the book we are reading. I’ve mostly thought of a book as a movie unwinding before me visually but of course it’s so much more than that. Because in the movie we don’t often have access to the characters thoughts like we do in books. And of course most movies last only a couple of hours and a book depending on how quick a reader you are can take much longer. But Mendelsund puts forward the thought that our minds assimilate pictures from our memories that accommodate the book we’re reading. Food for thought. I don’t know if I completely agree. There are some books I read that I have nothing in my memory banks to draw upon for some descriptions. Like Borne by Jeff VanderMeer. Where in my memories would I have anything upon which to establish a visual image of the amorphous blob of Borne? I personally think the mind is capable of grand leaps of imagination provoked by reading. But I could be wrong!

Mendelsund is very persuasive and I love much of what he has written. For example, “In music, notes and chords define ideas, but so do rests...... Chatacters are ciphers. And narratives are made richer by omission.” This feels just right. With extreme ease, we, as readers, can slip into the skins of many characters. The more we imagine them to be like us, the easier it is. How many times have I had to put a book down just to draw in a breathe of awe at the sparseness of wording that elucidates a vivid picture?

Mendelsund also writes, “When we read, we take in whole eyefuls of words. We gulp them like water.” This is my favorite metaphor because I frequently feel thirsty for a book and when I’ve enjoyed some good reading time, I’m sated.

There is so much to explore in ‘What We See When We Read.’ Reading it feels like the start of an exploration. It also feels like the turning of a key.