A Passage to Zzzzs

I can't remember the last time it took me THREE DAYS to finish the last 20 pages of a book, but I literally fell asleep every single time I sat down and tried to finish A Passage to India. Lying on my nightstand or my coffee table, it started watching me like the Money I Could Save with Geico, and yet, I still just could not keep my eyes open through those final passages.

Friends, this book is boring.

And there are quite a few boring books that have great and edifying messages to make them worth the reading. This was not one of those books. Well...I take that back. I do think that Forster was promoting racial tolerance and encouraging people to develop empathy and compassion for their fellow man. Yes, good. Why he had to deliver that message via mostly unlikable dull goobers, I don't really know (the Unlikeable Dull Goober also seems to be a popular character type for novels on this list). Maybe he's trying to test how compassionate I can really be by forcing me to read about these people.

Further beef - you don't actually get to find out whether anyone assaulted Adela in the cave or not. She decides that Aziz definitely was not her man, then in later conversations wonders if anyone even attacked her at all. What. How can you not know this, woman?

And Aziz, oooooh, Aziz. He's offended that anyone would even think he would try to rape Adela because she's ugly. Of all the blows to his honor, that's the one he gets really bent out of shape about?

A Google image search result of "ugly British lady." Apparently a famous painting?

I can only recommend this book to those suffering from lack of sleep; it will quickly send you into sweet, sweet slumber. Or maybe creepy dreams about caves.

How do you feel about books or movies with ambiguous events? Love'em? Hate'em?

Massys' Old Lady painting found here.