girl in greenwood

How I Became Stupid
by Martin Page

I can't remember where I saw this book and got inspired to put it on my reading list. I thought it was going to be much fluffier than it actually was. I read it on the treadmill at the gym, but I kept having to take breaks and read some trashy women's magazines to keep my spirits up.

The premise of the book is that the main characters, Antoine, is so very intelligent that it's a detriment to his happiness. He goes on a quest to become stupid, thinking that it will make him happier. After various madcap adventures, his (smart) friends kidnap him and perform an exorcism to bring him back to his intelligent senses. At the end of the book, he meets a quirky girl with whom he feels happiness, even while he feels intelligent.

I understand the point the author was trying to make - thinking too hard about everything can make you unhappy, but the solution is to relax and enjoy life rather than making yourself stupid. But reading the book wasn't very enjoyable for me - I felt like I was reading "The Little Prince" for grownups. Maybe it was better in the original French - or maybe it is better if the reader is an actual French person. I personally found it too pedagogic.

Labels: book reports