Weight

Book Title: Weight

Author: Jeanette Winterson

Date Started: August 15th 2017

Date Completed: August 19th 2017

Genres: Historical, Fantasy
Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Three Star

Final Rating: Three stars

Review:

This book left me feeling a bit eh. There were parts of it that I liked and parts of it that I didn't, but overall I think it wasn't for me. I've struggled with Winterson's writing in the past and I think it's maybe just a clash in what I like to read and how she likes to write.

Weight is a self-aware book. Not necessarily for the whole thing, but the sections where Winterson brought her own life into play between the story pulled me out so far that I struggled to get into it. It didn't help that this book is very short and relies on an understanding of the classical world to begin with (I don't know how accessible this would be if you weren't aware of the style of Greek mythology). I appreciate that the simple writing wants you to look three layers beneath the surface and draw meanings when it's contrasted against modern existence but honestly, it was a bit much for me when I just wanted to know the story.

I really enjoyed the mythological parts of Weight. Where we were being told the story, even if it was in simple straightforward terms. But, like I found with The Stone Gods, I didn't get along with being continually pulled away from what was happening with these symbolic comparisons that were unrelated to the action itself. Being unaware of this myth, I really wanted to get into the heart of the plot, but I kept being pulled out of it. I'm used to following a story and maybe seeing things in the subtext along the way, but I hate being interrupted in the middle. I wanted to see where Atlas and Heracles' story was going, not be suddenly shunted to Winterson's persona writing the book. To be fair, I don't think there's anything wrong with this creative choice, I just personally didn't enjoy it.

I appreciate that Weight is a good addition to the Canongate Myth Series, but it just really was not for me. I think Winterson's writing is simultaneously a bit too much and not enough for my tastes. This might be an interesting book to try her out in since it's very short and shows off the range of her imagination, but I think for me it's shown that I'm not really into her style.