Reading Pachinko before and after my night shift rotation changed my whole take on it

I first read it on a sunny afternoon and thought it was just okay, but then I picked it up again during a string of 12 hour night shifts last month and the themes of endurance and hidden struggle hit completely different. Has anyone else had a book hit way harder just because of when or where you read it?

3 comments

3 Comments

rileyp4912d ago

Did you also suddenly find traffic jams deep and meaningful?

lewis.troy11d ago

Traffic jams got deep when I started noticing the same people every morning. Same blue Ford Focus three cars ahead, same guy in the pickup truck eating a breakfast burrito with one hand. You start wondering about their lives, their problems, what they're rushing to or from. One morning that Focus didn't show up and I actually felt worried something happened to them. Never met them, don't know their name, but that empty spot in the lane felt like a missing piece of my day.

the_holly11d ago

Honestly, I used to roll my eyes at people saying a book hit different just because of when they read it. But ngl, going through a rough breakup and then picking up a novel about loneliness changed my whole mind on that. Sitting there at 3am feeling like crap, suddenly every sad line felt like it was written just for me. Tbh, your night shift thing makes total sense now - there's something about being in the thick of it that unlocks stuff you'd miss otherwise. It's wild how context can flip your whole take on something.