dark academia Archives - Pretty Little Bibliophile

Hex, by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight, was an astonishingly original and sensual book, with bountiful imagery.

I received an arc of this book from Bloomsbury. All opinions expressed are my own.

A contemporary stream of consciousness

I admit towards the first like 50pages of the book I was rather scatterbrained and it took me some time to get into this quirky, yet what I now consider a contemporary form of an academic stream of consciousness, writing style. That is to say, it grew on me. The fourth wall felt like it was being broken down, but then the reader realizes that it is Joan who is being addressed by Nell. However, as one reads and delves into this terrific narrative, one cannot wonder but think if some of the words are directed at our own cores.

A reflection of our selves?

I was not comfortable with how it started with a seemingly compulsive obsession of a Ph.D. student towards her dissertation tutor, but this book was not aimed at making you feel comfortable. It was a restless read and it made me thoughtful and ponder over the various aspects of the life we live – be it within our own minds and hearts as apart from the life others perceive us to live.

Of balance, equilibrium and a letter to oneself

I felt that the idea of the binary or the dichotomy was very prominent here – how one thing balances the other is portrayed again and yet, subtly most, if not all of the time.
The narrator Nell is also the protagonist and the whole story is rather her compendium, a collection of notebooks where she pours out her thoughts and honestly, lives, and ponders over most of her actual living. In the beginning, when I was still getting into the narrative, I found her obsession bordering on psychotic, but as we went on, I found that it moved towards self-acceptance, so much so that in the end, we could see that the characters were finally on the right path to correct themselves or to straighten out their lives for a start.

The idea of poison and how humans can be poisonous to each other is also explored. In the beginning, I wondered and this is what I wrote in my notes, “Is Nell a poison to herself and to Joan?” I found it comforting when this idea was brought up towards the last few pages – between Joan and Nell, of how in a marriage, the person marries oneself but poisons the other. It again brings to the fore, the idea of balance and of equanimity between the two parties in the relationship (of whatever kind).

The end

While the book felt very unsettling towards the beginning I have to admit that it ended on a note of hope, with the characters finally turning over a new leaf(except maybe Barry) and at peace with themselves. I wouldn’t say I was pleased reading this book but my grey cells were thoroughly intrigued throughout, more so post the first 50 pages of the book. On that note, this is a stunningly original work. Definitely recommend as I ended up rating it 4/5 stars!