"Who are you?"
A 3 worded question that seems so simple at first glance but is far more complex than its appearance. When Sophie (the titular character of the novel Sophie's choice) receives a letter with this question on it she embarks into an extraordinary journey into exploring the wondrous world of philosophy, and she makes sure to take us readers along for the ride.
Sophie's world is the first novel I read of the genre philosophical fiction.
Jostein Gaarder, the writer behind this spectacular managed to captured my attention the entire book (throughout all 518 pages) and I cannot wait to read more of her works.
Sophie's world combines playful and complex characters along with an engaging premise- A young 15 year old Sophie embarking on a journey learning about philosophy with the help of an anonymous person via letter exchanges.
Although marketed as a children's book (the element of magical fantasy makes it perfect for young readers) the philosophical elements act as real hard hitters and manage to capture even older readers (such as a 19 year old me) as it made me reflect on various aspects of my life and the world around me
The characters (without giving much away) are all complex and well written as they are far more than the roles they play. For example- Sophie's mother is more than just an adult figure of Sophie's life, something which Gaarder has made extremely clear.
The book was published in 1999 which was a surprise to me because the writing of the book is timeless. Many of the concepts introduced in the book- such as the concept of mental slavery, can still be applied today (in fact it is even more relevant in today's world)
I would really love to see an updated version on the book. Perhaps in the perspective of an older Sophie who reflects on the current state of the world along with examining the role of social issues and presence of social media
To end my review, I would highly recommend the book towards people who are looking for a book which takes them on an engaging journey (a much needed break from the chaos of the world) while also presenting a mirror to reality at times.
Image credits: https://i.grassets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391118333l/25406.jpg
Comments