The Enchanter

As a lover of Lolita and Nabokov's prose I can enjoy The Enchanter but I'm very aware it is only the bones of a much greater creature. If I had read this first or without having enjoyed the subterfuge of Lolita I believe I would have thrown it away without finishing the short 58 pages.

The narration is omnipotent, meaning we see much less deviant attempts to convince the reader of his innocence, there is less of the seductive and unreliable narration we find with Humber Humbert which is interesting to see how Nabokov transformed him from a predator into a predator with a knack for grooming the audience too.

I'm very sorry to say this, because I really loved Lolita (5 stars for me), but this one is simply not good.

Maybe my expectations were too high going in, but The Enchanter is missing all the elements that made his other work a classic.

But, it's a short read and not particularly difficult, so you could still try this one out and decide for yourself. If you do, let me know in the comments. I may have missed something that would change my mind.