Identity by Milan KunderaMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Kundera is from the Czech Republic but he wrote this book in French, and I read an English translation. The main character, an aging woman, Chantal is starting menopause, getting hot flashes and realizes that "men don't turn to look at me anymore." Chantal asks herself is she still a sex object to men? She wants to be desired and seems to not be able to accept aging and not being desired by someone she doesn’t know. She likes the “male gaze”.
Jean-Marc wonders, well what about him, he looks at her? But he is someone she knows, they live together. The book is mostly about Jean-Marc trying to get Chantal to notice how he still looks at her, loves her, and doesn't that mean something?
Unsigned letters appear for Chantal that she finds strange, someone says he is watching her. She tries to figure out who. The POV switches between Chantal and Jean-Marc, with a bit of Chantal’s past mentioned, such as her ex-husband and their child who died. But the past is not lingered upon, only mentioned briefly. The book is not very long, and there is a bit of oddness to the book overall, felt a little surreal.
Book rating: 3.25 stars
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