Whenever I read a book that I do not resonate with, I do not post about it on the internet.
Because no publicity is better than bad publicity. I am an author too, and I know how much of invisible effort an author puts into their book.
That said, sometimes some books by a famous author do not show the right path to their readers. And because they are a famous author, their books are likely to be picked more often.
So, here is me taking a stab at why I did not like some of the things in the book “November 9” by Colleen Hoover. It is especially important for me to write it, because female readers draw a lot of inspiration from female authors, and being on either side of the equation, here are my views.
Firstly, here is what I liked about the book:
- No forever commitment on Day 1. The main characters (MCs) meet just once a year (on November 9th), and are not connected via phone or social media. It is good too, since it gives them the permission to explore each other.
- I also loved how the female MC said an outright no to the male MC when he asked for her phone number. Girls usually melt, she didn’t. I loved it.
- The female MC is not a meek shy girl (nothing wrong with it though). She has been through her own stuff in life but nothing has been able to take her spark away. That’s commendable.
- The girl did not come in between the guy’s responsibilities and his commitment to her. He let him (rather forced) choose the responsibility. Requires courage.
- When she knew she was now an option for him and he had already started dating someone else, she moved out immediately. And outrightly broke the commitment to meet him the next year. To not beg someone to stay is the greatest amount of self-love we all must possess.
Now comes the part which I did not resonate with:
- When he asks her to take him back because he was not in love with the girl he had started dating, she did take him back! Like really? I think it would have been okay to some extent if the second girl was not in the guy’s life anymore. But the second girl was the wife of his dead brother, and they both were raising her kid (and his nephew) together as a son. So the girl was very much an active part of his life still. Even if not as a partner, but as a mother to a kid whom he was raising as a son and not as a nephew.
At this point, when the female MC took him back, she did so because they both loved each other acutely. But the other girl was very much an active part of his life still. There is going to be so much pain awaiting for this female MC each time the mention of the other girl comes up. Not to miss, the male MC is still going to see the other girl he once dated a lot often, because they are raising a kid together.
I wish she would have chosen a life of dignity (even if it came with enormous pain) instead of a life of feeling weird around this second girl (even if it came with enormous love).
Dignity >>> - The male MC is too impulsive. Does something impulsive because he finds his his mother dead. To feel bad (terrible, broken, shattered) is understandable. Going to seek revenge from someone who was (perhaps) responsible for his mother’s demise was not at all acceptable. Spoiler: The one whom he sought revenge from was not responsible for his mother’s demise in the first place! There are other instances too, where the author goes on to justify the impulsiveness of the male MC, and imo it makes us believe exponential foolishness that messes the life of others is allowed multiple times. It isn’t.
Conclusion:
Full marks to the plot twists throughout the book. CoHo has a way of engaging the readers, and never fails at that.
I would suggest all readers to read not only this book, but also all other books with their wisdom, then to decide which parts to take into their lives. And which parts to leave behind.