I finally got around to reading the "Good Morning, Midnight" by Jean Rhys, which was recommended to me by a good friend some years ago. He knew my tastes from other favorites of mine and was quite correct in believing this book would resonate well with me. It is hauntingly beautiful. I grabbed a copy from Amazon after realizing it wasn't available on Kindle, though another book of the same name was.
It tells the tale written in the first person of a middle-aged English woman, Sasha Jansen, who goes back to Paris after a lengthy absence. She is seeking, I believe, a catalyst to spring up a love of life or, at the very least, a complacent happiness that has eluded her. The world is a brutal place, and this book's tone is rationally depressing and down-to-earth.
The narrative flows back and forth between the present and the past, providing more depth to Sasha's character and background. She has had a rough life and is struggling with providing for her own livelihood while simultaneously seeking emotional comfort...a place where she can feel whole. At peace.
"What the devil (translating it politely) is she doing here, that old woman?" the protagonist asks herself at one point in the book. "What is she doing here, the stranger, the alien, the old one? ...I quite agree, too, quite. I have seen that in people's eyes all my life. I am asking myself all the time what the devil I am doing here. All the time."
Later, she notes: "And, after all, the agitation is only on the surface. Underneath I'm indifferent. Underneath there is always stagnant water, calm, indifferent - the bitter peace that is very near to death, to hate...."
The prose in this book is beautiful. I'd like to share one more poignant quote while I am here: "How on earth can you say why you love people? You might as well say you know where the lightning is going to strike. At least, that's how it has always seemed to me."
I understand this book wasn't well-received upon its initial release. I'm not sure. There is a lot of things about the book that make it difficult to read if only on an emotional level. It hurts just a little bit. But I like books that can do that - books that can make one feel something. I think art, literature included, shines brightest when it incites emotion.
I'm very glad to have read this book and will likely explore more of Ms. Rhys' works in the future.