Re-reading a book 10 years later hits completely different

Back in 2014 I picked up The Goldfinch for a book club and I hated it. I thought it dragged and the main character whined too much. I even told my friend it was overrated. Then last month I found my old copy at my mom's place in Columbus and decided to give it another shot because I've been through some stuff since then. I'm halfway through and I can't put it down. The grief parts that annoyed me before now feel real, and I catch myself thinking about the characters during the day. Weird how age changes what you take from a story. Did this happen to anyone else with a book you used to dislike? Which one flipped for you?

2 comments

2 Comments

sageadams2d ago

Honestly, same thing happened with The Road for me. Hated it in college, then reread it after my dad got sick and it wrecked me in the best way.

umar592d ago

Took me a decade to flip on Fight Club. Read it in high school and thought it was just edgy dude-bro nonsense. Picked it up again during a rough patch in my 30s and finally got what it was saying about feeling stuck and chasing meaning in all the wrong places. The anger parts still felt over the top, but the loneliness underneath hit way harder. Your mileage may vary, but sometimes you just need some life experience to unlock a book. Glad The Goldfinch is working for you now, grief is one of those things you don't get until you get it.