Ulysses

First, a disclaimer, I went into this book almost completely blind and knowing nothing except it was set on a particular day and one of the main characters is called Leopold Bloom. Now on the other side, I can see why it gets the acclaim it does. It's a masterful book that makes almost every other book look like cheap pulp fiction.

I quickly realised that this was not going to be an easy book to read and yet I had no difficulty reading it. Comprehending it was hard for sure. So much so that I had to read a synopsis afterward to be sure I hadn't missed something along the way. Letting the words just wash over me as I read was a method that worked for me though.

As for the story, it's amazing how Joyce was able to take an otherwise ordinary day and wring 800-odd pages out of it. What an amazing (if lamentable) cast of characters he infuses the book with not least of which is Dublin city itself. Drifting into that world from 1904 felt effortless every time I picked up the book.

The characters were also unlike any I'd encountered in fiction. It helps that Joyce makes liberal use of the 'stream of consciousness' form to allow us to act as voyeurs in their minds. The last chapter in particular can be contrasted with that character's silence throughout the rest of the book.

Overall, I liked 'Ulysses' far more than I ever thought I would. It was completely different from my expectations and yet it exceeded them anyway. It has made more more aware of early 20th century Irish literature so I'm sure this is far from the last Joyce book I read.