I might have mentioned before that I’m something of a traditionalist in my reading. Print suits me better than ebooks and, while I’ve enjoyed novels narrated on the radio, I don’t think I’ve ever chosen an audiobook in preference to text. Regarding the content, while I relish originality, novelty for its own sake can be a turnoff. Post-modernism gives me the shivers. So I was surprised to read three novels in as many months with footnotes. Is this a new trend?
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While I enjoyed The People in the Trees, Disoriental, and Immigrant, Montana well enough, I found the extra text at the bottom of some pages somewhat distracting. To my mind, this wasn’t bonus material, but words left over from earlier drafts that should’ve been edited out if they weren’t needed, and incorporated into the main text if they were. You might argue that I was at liberty to ignore them, but I was afraid of missing something important. Even if they were meant to be fun they induced in me a “this is work” frame of mind I get from a lot of non-fiction, which is partly why I prefer novels.
But maybe I’m just too uptight. While devoid of footnotes, I didn’t relish the addition of photographs to Josephine Wilson’s Extinctions either, because it evoked a non-fiction style. So what about you? Have you come across any footnotes in fiction? Would it detract from your reading experience if you did?
But maybe I’m just too uptight. While devoid of footnotes, I didn’t relish the addition of photographs to Josephine Wilson’s Extinctions either, because it evoked a non-fiction style. So what about you? Have you come across any footnotes in fiction? Would it detract from your reading experience if you did?
Follow this link for my other posts on reading habits and preferences. Tap or click the image for the ten reviews I’ve posted this month, featuring dreamscapes; two more women in translation; dads distancing their daughters from modernity; Italy translated, urban and rural; and boy slaves.
How do these 10 books measure up against the reading targets I set myself earlier this year? I’ve exceeded my targets regarding independent publishers (8 out of 10 books – against a 50% target), translations (6 books, against a 20% target) and BME authors (3 books – compared with a target of 25%) but, 5 books, only just met my 50% target for female authors.
I’ve also picked out two potential favourites of 2018 (The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti, translated by Simon Carnell and Erica Segre and Washington Black by Esi Edugyan).
I’ve also picked out two potential favourites of 2018 (The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti, translated by Simon Carnell and Erica Segre and Washington Black by Esi Edugyan).
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