Right off the bat, this book was very confusing to read. Wether it be the almost kafkaesque prose or the quick switch from flashback to present narration, Jospeh Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a fascinating tale with an experimental take on narration.
Like many of the books I read, my Father recommended this book to me. While I thought I was very unfamiliar with this novel, this was not the case. I realized that this book was extremely related to the movie Apocalypse Now, and then I found out that Apocalypse Now is directly based off Heart of Darkness. And after finishing both, I honestly prefer Apocalypse Now over the book. Nonetheless, I found this novel to be very refreshing. While I was initially bewildered at Conrad’s storytelling, I started to appreciate it for its uniqueness. It’s very abstract and long, yet very thoughtful and vivid. This really allows for him to bring out the struggle and confusion the protagonist faces. But it’s the story itself that is really interesting. Conrad does a really good job of exploiting the unknown fears humans think while in a new, dark place and under mysterious authority. Its suspenseful in a sense, but honestly more of a tale psychology through how the protagonist deals with the “heart of darkness.” I recommend this book if you want something different to read-for it can be hard to read. Yet, I think its worth it.
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