The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera

Kundera’s novel presents a treasure trove of ideas from the applications of kitsch to betrayal as a form of bravery to questions of true love. A good portion of the book is devoted to the workings of communist Czechoslovakia where contradictions fuel Kundera’s unique ideas on humanity. Kundera alternates between an essay or lecture format and relaying the experience of four characters across Europe. A fellow reader aptly described the reading experience as akin to peering into a Petri dish. Kundera boldly uses the omniscient narrative voice in this story. I was always aware of Kundera’s shadow looming over the Petri dish, but he never attempts to hide his presence. The author even mentions his writing process in conjunction with examining his characters. The characters became examples in his essays, although they were interesting examples. Kundera’s lecture like honesty was useful at many points but became tiring at others with a number of overused examples. The pure number of ideas present made for a worthwhile read, but I felt that some of the more original ideas could have warranted novels of their own.