The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The story and the four main characters in this book are tools for the author to expand on his philosophy about life, in particular the concepts of lightness (the insignificance of our actions, our life has no inherent meaning) and heaviness (life is full of meaningful connections and our actions have weight and lasting impact).

The narrator speaks directly to the reader and at times refers to the characters as such (not treating them as real people as a conventional narrator would). He often “pauses” the story to explain the motivations and perspectives of the characters, and to expand on his questions and ideas on love, existence, freedom and meaning. That's where the charm of the book is for me, and I enjoyed those more than the story itself, although it's hard to separate the two.