If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

by Italo Calvino

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In a word: meta

In a sentence: author, reader, and narrator blend until indiscernible.

Synopsis: The Reader unwittingly embarks on a search for his reading material when he picks up If on a Winter's Night a Traveler. This quest is layered with tantalizing snippets of all the stories The Reader seeks, creating a unique lens through which to appreciate literature.

Reactions: This is a comfortable read. The first time I read If on a Winter's Night a Traveler was for a class, and I read it more quickly than it deserves. This book should be savored, enjoyed.

Italo Calvino clearly loves books. He loves to read them, write them, talk about them, and think about them. If on a Winter's Night a Traveler is a celebration of books, what they provide to their readers, and the numerous satiations they can provide.

This novel plays with perspective in unique ways. Immediately the reader is thrown into the character You, blurring the lines between main character and reader. The reader follows You, or The Reader, along their reading journey in a very meta, relatable way. Even when reading a snippet of another novel, the narration gently removes the reader to acknowledge how that narrative voice is behaving, whether it be foggy, ominous, or concrete. Then various other readers interlace what they read for throughout the novel. The overall effect provokes the reader to think about what they read for, how they read, and what they love about it. If on a Winter's Night a Traveler is a complete ode to literature and its devourers.

Read if: you want to celebrate reading.