Sophie's Choice, re-reading it 40 years on
Sophie's Choice is a novel that will stay with me forever. If you've read it you'll know what I mean. It's an intense, harrowing story about a woman who spent time in a concentration camp, doing what she needed to do to survive. It's written by William Styron. I first read the book in 1981 when I was 17 years old. I can't remember now how I discovered the book, but assume it must have been because the film of the same name was about to be released. When I found out the film was based on a novel, I wanted to read the book before I went to the cinema (more on that later). And so I read the book. Curled up on my single bed under a blue, new-fangled continental quilt duvet in the box-bedroom, I devoured every word. I was horrified, upset, and yet couldn't take my eyes from the page. I lived through Sophie's life, I was there in the Pink Palace at Yetta Zimmerman's with Nathan and Stingo, I was drawn into her life at the camp. I hated every minute of the...