A Metaphor for Life (J. Wilde)

My life is a novel. Chapters come and go, some are quicker to read than others while some take a second read to truly see what's there. Some of the chapters are long winded with tales of epic intrigue, while some short chapters seem boring as hell. Each chapter comes and goes. Sometimes there's a definitive ending to the chapter, and some it just peters off. There seems to be no rhyme or rhythm to the novel as a whole, but it continues to follow a character who seems to have a few interesting things happen.

The secondary characters seem to come and go. One can never be sure which of them will spring up again or win. There are dramas, and sex scenes, and even a little bit of violence. Some of the characters seem like they're going to stay around for a bit, mostly family members of the main character. A select few seem to stay with him a little bit longer. They become the stories within the novel.

The antagonist of this novel is mostly the narrator. He makes stupid decisions. He makes some smart decisions that eventually lead to stupid decisions. He is not stupid, the narrator, but he does make mistakes. Sometimes he learns from them, and sometimes he forgets what he's learned.

The plot also seems a bit convoluted. The reader never knows where the narrator is going. Sometimes, his motives seem to make sense, while other times he seems to be flying off the handle. It does come down to earlier chapters in some respects, and it makes things interesting, but there seems to be very little foreshadowing towards the end.

The ending also seems to be a bit far off. There are pages left, although one is never sure how long. They read a little bit more and expect the end to come. If it comes too soon various plots will not mingle and finish.

In the end, the reader turns the page to see if the character based on them will make an appearance again. Maybe they do? Maybe they will become a pivotal character, or may end up just being someone who makes a cameo appearance. The story will keep going with or without most of them, although it does change the chapter layout a bit.

The story is biased and incomplete. The narrator sometimes doesn't realize what he's saying. Sometimes, he doesn't realize what he's doing. Some chapters, the narrator realizes something that may change things forever, and the idea gets re-enforced by other characters throwing off the equilibrium he thought he had. Overall, the story is interesting enough. The characters remain fun. The story remains solid.

The title does matter, and the author changes depending on the person who reads it. Maybe someday it will all make sense. Maybe the Narrator will have a happily ever after, or perhaps a dramatic end. Probably, it'll just end like all stories do. Where the opening chapter began with the first memory, the end stands as the final unknown.

-J. Wilde