This novel flows to-and-fro the tangible and the intangible, the real and the imaginary. Kundera weaves banal words to create texts that touches your most elusive thoughts.

Perhaps not its primary reason for commendation by most, but a book whose narratives of femininity and womanhood are crucial to contemporary feminism. Chantal’s grappling with her identity is inherently a challenge to the patriarchal status quo.

Its depiction of identity was however rather meta textual, and even tangential, if I might assert that, which makes me wonder whether the title was appropriate in the first place. But what is appropriate anyway?

Nonetheless, this book will leave you lingering, longing for more.