Something Bad Which is Actually Good
Have you ever had that sensation which makes you think something is really good, but in fact you realize and there is nothing extraordinary about it?
Well, that’s my case.
About 2 weeks ago, I bought this Spanish book called “La Verdad Sobre El Caso de Harry Quebert” written by the Swiss novelist Joël Dicker. This book seemed pretty normal, nothing exceptional, to my point of view. I wasn’t fully convinced I wanted to read that book. But I still bought it. I had committed myself to 661 pages which I didn’t know what they had to offer me.
But still, I didn’t quit.
One afternoon, I decided it was time to give this book an opportunity. I sat down on a couch and opened the book. I passed the first pages and noticed they were just like parchment paper. I started reading this book and suddenly got really engaged with it. The plot was nothing extraordinary, just about a girl who disappeared in 1975 and was never found. No one was found guilty and the case was closed. But 33 years later, the body was found buried in the backyard of Harry Quebert, a famous writer. Marcus Goldman, also a famous writer, is Harry’s best friend and ex-university student. He is intrigued about what happened that summer of 1975 with that girl. So with a police officer, Marcus tries to decipher the murderer who killed that girl and luckily proves that his friend is not guilty.
You may think that this book sounds pretty interesting. As I continue reading, some new clues reveal information about the case but none of them connect nor say anything that will lead to finding who the assassin is. There are various suspects but there is no strong evidence for either of them. The book continues to be pretty uncertain not coming to any conclusions. I’m now at page 409 and there is not a clear murder yet. I just hope that at the end the book does an unexpected shift that will leave me speechless. I really love these types of books where the course of the book changes over and over until the end.
But until the moment, this is just a normal story with a little bit of mystery, but nothing else.
Then I start to think, why am I continuing reading this if it’s just ordinary and the book isn’t coming to clear conclusions!? So I came to realize that maybe it’s not just the story the book tells, what makes a good book, but the way it’s told. This is what makes a book good.
It is essential the way things are told. A really boring story can be transformed into a piece of art or vise versa.
Now I’m surprised about how I am continuing reading a nonsense story which I actually find interesting and extraordinary. I really congratulate Joël Dicker for writing this amazing book because it is incredible and the number of details is perfect. Not too much but not too little. I will definitely continue reading this book. I have been hooked by this book ever since the beginning.
The moral of this story is to never underestimate something because it can turn into something really good. You should always be opened to new things and see the bright side of them. I understand that this can’t be possible in all situations, but try the best you can to enjoy everything no matter how bad the circumstances are.
