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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is far from "mediocre." I read it, and would not only put it as #1 of the books I read last year, but maybe #1 of all of the books I've read the last several years.

And I have an MFA in creative writing with a fiction concentration that I got in a 3-yr program with a lit-heavy component. And my mentor was a relatively famous lit critic. So I feel like I know when a novel could fairly be described as "mediocre."

But to put Sonia and Sunny aside ...

In case you aren't trolling ... why are mediocre books often popular? Because people like an easy read. And brilliant literature is often not an easy read (although sometimes it is). [/quote]

[b]I'm a NYT bestselling author.[/b] I think "good fiction" frequently only shines a light on an experience, rather than taking the reader on a journey from start to finish. Good fiction that does really well not only shines a light, but grabs the reader and takes them on a journey that has some sort of payoff at the end -- be it good, bad or sad. Beyond that, in a social media world filled with constant dopamine hits, most readers don't have the patience anymore for good fiction if it isn't written with a driving narrative.

I'm not saying this is good or bad, just accepting what I have found to be true.[/quote]

Plenty of readers have "the patience" for books that aren't "written with a driving narrative." People still read Proust, FFS. But I can see where a "NYT bestselling author" might be confused about that. [/quote]

This made me smile. Plenty of us who are NYT bestselling authors come out of highly regarded MFA programs. I know all about people reading Proust, "FFS." But you are kidding yourself to think that "plenty" of people are reading Proust for enjoyment. That cohort is older and mostly no longer buying books. Some? Sure. Plenty? No. Beyond that, we are talking about popular books that are deemed literary in this thread. Not classics. Those are two very different categories of books. This is a discussion about why some people rave about Sonia and Sunny and others think it's boring. That has nothing to do with Proust.  [/quote]

So did you, a "NYT bestselling author" (along with the "plenty of you" that "came out of highly regarded MFA programs" lol), read The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny or not? Perhaps if you had you would understand why it was shortlisted for the Booker even without what I think you mean by a "driving narrative" (which in my experience most in "highly regarded MFA programs" aren't too concerned with, and I have more experience with MFA programs than you could guess at, but whatever). Oh, and it's a NYT bestseller as well. Kinda like Fifty Shades of Gray and everything written by Colleen Hoover (and you?).

Other people on this thread: If you like literary fiction, especially sweeping narratives that explore cultural inheritance and the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma, loneliness and the human drive toward connection, or the contemporary immigrant experience, you should read this beautifully crafted book. If you normally can't handle anything longer than 250 pages and need a "driving narrative" such as is found in a James Patterson novel, the Sonia and Sunny probably isn't for you (or the PP here). [/quote]

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