Laughter in the Dark

"Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster." This is the first paragraph of Laughter in the Dark. Nabokov gives us the synopsis, even the end of the book, right at the beginning. Then starts the simple, yet beautiful narration of a lethal obsession. The sad story of a man who can be very reasonable about every aspect of life unless it has got anything to do with his youthful mistress. When it comes to the 18-year-old femme fatale, he is void of all logic and sense, and cruel to those whom he once loved. It is impossible to give a summary of the book without giving away its twists and turns, and there are quite a few of them. Here is how one of the main characters react to a divergence in the story: "A certain man once lost a diamond cuff-link in the wide blue sea, and twenty years later, on the exact day, a Friday apparently, he was eating a large fish - but there was no diamond inside. That's what I like about coincidence." Nabokov's writing is uncomplicated, sincere and very engrossing. Once started, I couldn't put it down. When I finished the book late last night, I was so shaken that I couldn't go to sleep. I was at once entranced and disturbed by the book. Entranced by Nabokov's ability to sustain the suspense of a story he so shrewdly summarizes at the very beginning. Disturbed by the fact that such obsessions are real and in existence.

This is one of my all-time favorite books, and favorite Nabokov novel (though nothing comes close to his memoir, "Conclusive Evidence" -- now sold under the inferior title, "Speak, Memory; I loved that one so much I named my blog after it.)This book includes the usual Nabokov wit in every sentence, but it's also a deliciously fun read. Nearly all the characters are kind of bad, but not blood-curdling Humbert Humbert sort of way. These are people who fail despite themselves.And it won my heart with the first sentence. Try it out:Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster.Gutsy opening, huh? But it's all in the telling.

That is, if you define "perfect" as follows: A work in which nothing can be subtracted without lessoning the work, and a work that seems to lack nothing in the way of addition. A work that is exciting to read, meticulously written, and satisfies in every aspect from beginning to the memorable climax. And it's just plain fun, in a dark sort of way.Witty, satirical, and intelligent, Laughter in the Dark would be a masterpiece by almost any other writer, hence the 5 star review. I must say, however, that it is not Nabokov's best work. Although less perfect in execution, Pale Fire (my vote for most original novel in the English language) and Lolita are more important and thought provoking. They are Nabokov's real masterpieces. But I decided to rate the book against the masses, not against Nabokov's own work. Many times I have told friends that they should own and read this book. I even gave them a money-back guarantee: if they didn't enjoy the book, I would buy it from them. While this offer is, of necessity, not available to the throngs of ...buyers, I still have never felt more secure in recommending a book.