Honestly, I don’t even know what to think or how to feel right now. I just finished reading A Separate Peace by John Knowles a few minutes ago, and I am all OVER the place. As I was reading, I had so many thoughts about this book, so many realisations, observations, and feelings. I came into this book feeling very prepared to dislike it or struggle with it, yet I was determined to finish it, regardless of what I felt, since it’s a short read of 196 pages and another classic to tick off of my list. I wasn’t READY to actually enjoy it and enjoy it in the way I did. Hmmmm, where to begin?! This is a bit of a long one, so settle in—if you fancy.
Quick note: there are actually *no spoilers* in this particular edition of Musings!!
My initial approach to this read…
I guess I should first address why I felt qualms about this novel. My sister read A Separate Peace a couple of years ago, and she disliked it. (Speaking of which, she and I had another raving & fantastic discussion about early 20th century literature & the use of narrators as literary devices before I settled into read the last 30 pages of this book. Truly top-notch conversation; at this point, we should just start a lit-themed podcast lol.)
As my sister & I have the same taste in books, I trust her opinion, and we have the same dis/likes. When she explained how this book made her feel, I instantly understood and felt that I would have the same sentiments. Here is her reasoning of dislike, in short: early 20th century works are customarily not her favourite in the first place, and content that has a muggy & oppressive feeling—through its themes, story, or both—is not desirable.
To briefly continue her thought-process: pieces by the likes of Fitzgerald or Hemingway are not her general cup of tea. Though she has great appreciation for the intricacies of their prose, and she follows the story for the love of its development and plot, generally speaking, the thematic content and mood of their writings is not attractive to her. (THIS WAS NOT A VERY CONCISE SUMMARY OF HER THOUGHTS WAS IT?!?! sorry >.<)
why am i struggling so hard with this wth
I can typically concur with her statements. It’s probably safe to say that I enjoy Fitzgerald & Hemingway more than she does, but I TOTALLY GET the “muggy & oppressive feeling” thing. Whooo boy, am I doing a terrible job of explaining myself (& this feeling).
Perhaps it is fair to say that early 20th century works were more depressing in their moods, tones, and themes because of what was happening in the world at large. The World Wars and Great Depression had a bracing effect on all of civilization; faith was shaken, and the authors & artists of the time coped with the hurt, pain, and senseless suffering through their works.
Their pieces, then, are more oppressive and low-spirited—this is harder for my sister & I to enjoy. We are very much Austen-Montgomery-Alcott happy dappy readers. (Not to say that those writers don’t deal with pain, death, and hurt, nor that they do it in a sub-par manner; that would be false.) ANYWAY. What a mind-dump. But eh, that’s what “musings” are huh?
Plot
I am obsessed with the way this story unfolded. Basic knowledge of this book told me that two friends would undergo a deeply serious and emotional event that would shake them, undo them, and alter them forever. It took FOUR CHAPTERS, for us to get to the first big blow, and I was hooked. Knowles expertly created tension right from the start, and he built upon it so cleverly and steadily.
There is an ongoing self-to-self conflict throughout the entire novel. Gene is constantly wrestling with himself, and even when he feels antagonistic towards others or the circumstances, it seems to be an extension of his own inner battles—especially where there is friction with Phineas.
Characters
The moral ambiguity in Gene & Finny (& the whole heckin’ novel) just screams at me the whole time. At first, I was like Gene, why are u so easily manipulated, can’t you see that Finny is not really ur friend & that he’s TOXIC?!??! Then, after that whole tree KERFUFFLE (v big understatement there), I had so much compassion for Finny, and far less for Gene, though I did still retain pity for him. This is a roller coaster that constantly flip-flopped for me throughout the entire read.
I really enjoyed Leper’s character, and as his significance grew in the novel, I feel like he weirdly acted as a foil to E V E R Y O N E at Devon. bUt, i still be confused about him.
Brinker surprised me, and I never really decided how much I liked him. I did grow to like him less, not because he wanted to out Gene at the end there (because doesn’t Gene deserve to be outed??? but he also should have guts to confess, but also he kinda already did???? AGHGSFDLROW), but because he didn’t stick to his guns. He changed from “absolute to relative virtue, [and] came up with plan after plan, each more insulated from the fighting than the last.”
Final thoughts
This book was so good. I couldn’t get over how much of a page-turner it was for me. Honestly, the last time a new read had me this hooked was the Six of Crows Duology back in Autumn. Even when I picked up my first Agatha Christie last month (Murder on the Orient Express), which was very enjoyable and interesting, I was nowhere near as caught up in the story as this. I would have 100000% read this whole book in a day if I hadn’t started it during my week of finals :’) So, read A Separate Peace if you haven’t already; it is going to be very much worth your time.
Have you read John Knowles’ A Separate Peace already?!?! I would absolutely LOVE to hear your thoughts about it if you had. Brb, I’m gonna go watch the film now :’)