This post is being written whilst I exit stage left because I am unable to deal with the tension in a crime show. I am famously, a coward when it comes to implied threat or violence. This brings me to a struggle I have been engaged in with myself this week. I often put details of books I have read on my blog; reading is one of my great pleasures. In the past week I have finished two books. The first was an autobiography from Karen Armstrong – The Spiral Staircase – no problems there. Simply fascinating speculation on matters of Christianity and praxis. The second was a novel – Slumdog Millionaire. I had heard reviews saying that the film was one of those feel-good movies that was well done and commendable – hence the awards it won. Unfortunately the book turned out to be very graphic about some of the horrors of life in India, not just poverty (that is bad enough,) but horrible violence and evil. So I was left with a conundrum: whether to finish the book and take my chances or to give up and try not to imagine the rest of it.
I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone who is a more robust reader than I, but I should say that the happy ending consisted of a truncated one and a half pages. I never like giving up on a book, so I read on till the bitter end. Of course, I was hoping for something silly and easy to imagine like, It could happen to you – a movie about winners of a lottery and true love etc….. Instead, I had a harrowing experience. What I want to know now is should I watch the DVD of Slumdog?
This whole experience leads me to consider my current state of mind. Perhaps it is because I am retired and getting older, after all a birthday is due next month! Or maybe I am suffering from over-exposure to the evils of human beings in the media, over and against the lack of happy stories. But I do need to come to terms with being able to be more realistic about life. It is not all CSI-style cops and murderers!