Spring 2011

Intro
Two of my friends managed to convince me to read Patrick Rothfuss' "Name of the Wind." That and its sequel, "Wise Man's Fear," each caused a week of work to disappear. Those two books and an unreleased sequel comprise Kvothe's story of his life. Kvothe is a famous wizard who grew up in a travelling troupe and, thus, has an appreciation for putting on a good show. In other words, it is a story about a storyteller, a story with an emphasis on stories. Needless to say, it is told well.

SLE was reading "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" instead of "Seasons of Migration to the North."  Since I enjoyed "Seasons of Migration" a lot when I read it over the summer in Cambodia, I thought I might enjoy the book that filled its slot.

It was interesting.  The book is an extended monologue, where the narrator and protagonist tells his life's story to a stranger.  It's similar to Camus' "The Fall" in that sense.  It was also similarly jarring.