Well now, where do I even start? Lolita is a very disturbing book and from the very beginning, throws the sane and perhaps moderate reader into a chaotic mind — the mind of Humbert Humbert, our narrator of the day! Reading his narration is like listening to a madman who thinks he is perfectly sane. Which is not too far fetched in the case of Mr. Humbert. He is an unreliable narrator as unreliable narrators go. His relationship with Lolita was so one sided that at times I had to close the book, sit back and ponder what must really have been happening with this story. At times he made me mad, other times I did not know if I should feel sorry for him. Well, don’t judge me. I do not mean to lessen his crimes by saying I feel sorry for him. What he’d done is unforgivable, a criminal act or acts if you will, yes, and at the same time, may be the unstable and sick side of him made me somewhat sympathetic towards him.
Humbert Humbert starts writing this manuscript while in captivity, charged with murder. Not charged for keeping an underage in captivity, albeit psychological more so than physical, nor for being engaged with sexual activities with a minor. This manuscript is a detailed recollection of the time since he’d met our little seductress (or so according to Humbert), Lolita, to a time much after Lolita’s escape and the events leading up to the murder in question.
The reader may wonder how truthful Humbert has been in his recollection; seeing how he is not the kind of person you could trust. And the reader would be right to have their doubts. Humbert is, after all, a crook, a player, a mastermind at manipulation. In his memoir, he writes that Lolita is the one who seduced him first. Was he being truthful? Let’s assume he was, but does that make his crime any less? After all, Lolita at this point, seductress or not, is a 12 year old child! And Humbert himself has been pretty clear about his pedophilia, long before, and long after Lolita made an appearance.
I mentioned that Humbert is good at games and a manipulative person. Now, why did I say so? Because you see, in the two years following Humbert’s acquisition of Lolita, she had not made an attempt at escape. She only tried that once, after two years, and did so successfully. But why not before then? I might remind the reader that Lolita was only 12, and Humbert played his cards right. Humbert did not have to put Lolita behind bars or walls to keep her confined, no! Her confines were purely psychological.
Humbert instilled a fear of the legal system and of the consequences of their relationship coming to light, however embellished and untrue, within Lolita from early on. And Lolita, twelve years old, naive (or was she? Does that even matter?) and having no-one to turn to, had only Humbert to rely upon. She was manipulated alright! Whether or not Lolita actually supported or even enjoyed their… state of cohabitation… is another matter altogether. Also, the story is being told by Humbert, and we only have access to his personal interpretation of the situation.
Lolita is a book that perplexes the reader. I could sit down and think about each and every character and find layers upon layers to uncover and try and see what lies underneath. And while all that is true, Lolita was also a very easy read. It did not take long to finish and for the most part, it was hard to put down. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a book this much! I recommend this book, of course, but will also like to remind the reader that this book tests a reader’s boundaries. It is most definitely not for everyone, and full of plot twists and developments that are unethical and immoral by anybody’s standards.
Title: Lolita
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
Publisher: Unknown for this edition.
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Literary Fiction, Psychological, Classics
Source/Disclaimer: University of Denver Library. The image above is different from the particular edition I read.