The Sun Also Rises

click for book here.

Review

5/5 Stars - One of my favourites, unfortunately

I feel if left to, I would be able to write thousands of words on the book; no joke, both of my essays in AP English class over different aspects went over the 1k mark. While The Great Gatsby encapsulates the faux glamour and struggles to upkeep it of the Roaring Twenties, The Sun Also Rises shines a harsh light on the ebbing side effects of the war on the Lost Generation and the effects of the Jazz Age itself.

The book is tragically realistic of mental health issues in my opinion; each of the characters cope in different ways over the fact that their final years of growing up, meant to transition them into adulthood, were robbed by a war that eventually ended and left them suddenly as war-traumatized adults. However, a reoccuring theme is the fact that nothing changes. They're not suicidal to the extent they're jumping off buildings, but the cast also isn't doing anything that screams self preservation. Everything is stagnant, any attempt at change (whether for better or worse) fails and people return to their coping mechanisms of drinking, pining over lost lovers, sex, etc. For me personally, mental health issues are too often only shown in their most extreme forms and not enough in this limbo state of managing enough that it feels wrong to ask for help, but by just barely. At any moment the tower can topple.

I care about the book deeply, partially for the plotline, partially for the point in my life I read it in, partially for my love the Roaring Twenties, but also at the end of the day because of the characters and writing style. Its what makes a book, afteer all. Brett is wonderfully done in my opinion, and I hate how Robert was done in the book because he really would have been great if his character wasn't tained by antisemitism. Hemingway's writing style is controversial (at least from what I've seen) but I like it, I think there's a beauty in it.