While the brain is not a muscle, it functions similarly, as regular use is necessary for maintaining high performance. After a summer that may have involved relaxation and light work, it is important for students to prepare their brains to handle the deluge of readings, exams and projects in the fall semester. These three books — imbued with tangled narratives, experimental structures and uncomfortable subjects — make for a challenge to even seasoned readers, rebuilding the cognitive strength that may have waned over time off. While fully digesting the trio may seem like a chore, finishing them is likely to bring renewed critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as thought-provoking and meaningful messages to mull over long after the last page is turned.
“Gravity’s Rainbow” by Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon’s 1973 epic has accrued many superlatives over the years — a postmodern masterpiece, a contender for the title of Great American Novel and among the most difficult reads in history. Set in Europe at the tail-end of World War II, “Gravity’s Rainbow” primarily follows American lieutenant Tyrone Slothrop, who has a strange ability to predict V-2 rocket launches through his sexual arousal. Paranoid and promiscuous, Slothrop eventually embarks on a surreal mission across Europe to discover the secret behind a mysterious device called the “Schwarzgerät,” embedded in a modified rocket. Along the way, he encounters several nefarious parties, and uncovers more information about the development of the V-2 rocket and his past.
Nearly unmatched in scale, “Gravity’s Rainbow” features over 400 named characters and impossibly dense prose filled to the brim with scientific and pop culture references. As such, the novel covers an encyclopedia’s worth of subjects and themes, from Cold War-era paranoia to the complex workings of the global technocratic elite. While it is certainly a daunting read, it is also a novel littered with powerful insights and brilliantly written lines, somewhat of a literary treasure mine. “Gravity’s Rainbow” is a novel that rewards patience and thoughtful analysis, and remains a prescient and monumental work of 20th century literature.
“House of Leaves” by Mark Z. Danielewski
Longtime fans of the “Backrooms” franchise may be familiar with this liminal and unsettling novel, a seminal work in ergodic literature. The central narrative involves the “Navidson Record,” a documentary by photographer Will Navidson. After purchasing a new home with his family, Navidson discovers the peculiar fact that the interior of the house is larger than the exterior. Further investigation reveals a mysterious entrance to an impossibly vast, labyrinthine space that seems to have a mind of its own. Navidson’s story is told through an academic paper by a researcher called Zampanò. This paper is then discovered and annotated by another character Johnny Truant, who narrates his findings and life story in the footnotes of the novel. Finally, unnamed editors footnote Truant’s edit.
If the nesting-doll-like narrative of “House of Leaves” wasn’t enough, the story is additionally obfuscated by the physical arrangement of the words — paragraphs are flipped in different directions, certain words change color and some pages contain cascading words as if to mirror the characters’ descent into a physical or mental abyss. At many points, “House of Leaves” becomes less of a novel and more of a puzzle box. With its twists and turns, the novel is an endlessly analyzable book that demands a reread to investigate all of its nooks and crannies. Its unique structure forces readers to engage with it in a way completely different from traditional novels, acclimating the brain to thinking outside of the box. Mind-bending and disorienting, “House of Leaves” is a testament to the unique forms that literature can take.
“The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion
Unlike the previous examples, Joan Didion’s 2005 memoir is not hard to read in the conventional sense. On the contrary, the prose has extreme clarity, and its narrative structure is relatively straightforward. Instead, its difficulty comes from its approach to grief, perhaps the most mystifying and incomprehensible human emotion. In “The Year of Magical Thinking,” Didion recounts the sudden passing of her husband John from a heart attack. In the wake of his death, Didion must process her grief from his passing and care for their daughter Quintana who was hospitalized with pneumonia. The memoir’s titular “magical thinking” refers to the often illogical thoughts that Didion had, such as the belief that she must keep his old clothes and shoes in order to bring him back.
Didion’s writing mostly eschews emotion, instead employing the cold, precise tone that is signature of her journalistic work. Still, the extent of her grief is apparent through the meticulous documentation of her thoughts and behaviors. Didion’s memories of their marriage are interspersed throughout the memoir, effectively portraying the enormity of her loss. She also analyzes self-help books and academic studies related to bereavement, but none of them seem to truly help her condition. With “The Year of Magical Thinking,” Joan Didion evinces the way grief and loss can upend life in an instant, causing even the most intelligent people to think in irrational ways.
In an era of declining literacy, active reading is as important as ever. While these three books are intimidating, experiencing them works the brain in different ways, which can develop a keener mind. With a semester’s worth of work underway, engaging with these books can lead to greater productivity and a renewed outlook on the world.
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