Near to the Wild Heart

A wild ride in the mind of young Joana who's intense introspection brandishes her to a life somewhere between a metaphysics philosopher and a mentally tormented. She feels intensely and then not enough, she questions everything and delights and despairs in acknowledging her ignorance, while her mind detaches herself from the people around her.

I liked the first half of the book a lot more than the second. Discovering Joana's wondrous way of thinking while she navigates coming-of-age, was intriguing to read. It had these beautiful moments of pause, of intense mindfulness, of intense sensations. But in the second half, which was more of the same with grown-up Joana, reading her mind's ruminations got a bit more tedious, and I kept wanting the book to end.

I find it hard to read/judge the book without the context of its age and place within the literary world in mind. I very much appreciate the book, but maybe one has to read all revolutionary, introspective, stream-of-consciousness novels at a certain point in one's life :)