Bibliophobia
This was deep and heavy. It took a significant amount of brain power to follow and I think I would have absorbed it better in print than on audio, but this was the only format my library had available. The narration was also a bit monotone, so that did not help.
All that being said, I bookmarked so many passages as I listened to Chihaya’s experiences as a reader and writer. Her love of books, her fear of books, her desire to find the perfect book that might heal her or save her from herself, from suicidal ideation, from the traumas of her past; I found the entire topic fascinating and wanted to know more. As she relays her time spent with particular books, I felt that I was entering her mind. I also found myself wondering which books have shaped me in particular ways, similar to the author. Her concept of the life-ruiner, the book that changes a person unalterably hit home, and at the same time, I’m also not sure I could name mine.
Overall, this was a memoir that I read fairly quickly on audio, but I wish I’d spent more time with it in print. Maybe a revisit is due for the future.
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This contains explicit depictions of suicidal ideation and mentions of attempted suicide.
