Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it will in turn look sourly upon you; laugh at it and with it, and it is a jolly, kind companion; and so let all young persons take their choice.
I read Vanity Fair while I was out in Cambodia a few weeks ago. It is a heavy read, both mentally and physically - lugging it about for three weeks was a challenge in itself. The covers are tatty now; creased and smeared, and the pages are crinkled... but, rather than ruining the book, I think this is a sign of how much I loved it. For 21 days, I struggled to put this down. I read it in every spare moment I had - there were few - even when I was exhausted at the end of a busy day. I read it on boats, on the plane, in a hammock, in a tuk tuk, and on the beach. I was obsessed.
The story of Vanity Fair follows primarily two individuals, both opposite in almost every way. One is kind, the other sharp in name and nature; one is of good family, the other born into poverty and disgrace. Yet both individuals, women, are beautiful, vain and shallow. Amelia Sedley, the name fitting the former description, is the victim of the novel, a hopeless romantic and human embodiment of blind trust and absolute naiveté.
The heroine - despite this being a novel without a hero - is Becky Sharp. Desperate to break into the upper crust of society, she is cunning, despicable and one of the most intriguing characters I have ever encountered. Thackeray deserves any status he upholds for creating this particular witch.
I have read many books over my life which incorporate dual narratives, and most have had one preferred character, and one whom I don't care for. Vanity Fair is different. I was addicted to the prose depicting both of these lives; their ascendency into womanhood, their downfall, their reprise - in some cases. I could never forgive them their faults, and the story worked me up into a state of venemous furore, however each page was turned with a curious anticipation that I have never before experienced. Without question this is one of the greatest novels I have ever had the honour of reading.
I cannot quite put into words the character of Becky Sharp. One can only say how vicious she is, and note how selfishly she churns up the innocent happiness of those who surround her. But she cannot be surmised. It isn't surprising that Thackeray took 784 pages to give us merely a glimpse of her. That glimpse, though, is worth every word you read.
Vanity Fair can be bought from Amazon for £5.99. Don't approach that link with trepidation.