Bogged Down

I finally finished English August, An Indian Story. I've commented on this book in a previous post on a positive note. That was written after 1/3 of the book was read. After trudging through the middle section, my impression of the novel changed. I felt bogged down by the main character's passivity. I got tired of watching his masturbation practices and his marijuana hazed days. His nonsensical lies and petty tricks weren't funny anymore. His whining did not induce empathy or simpathy but exasperation on his inability to find meaning in anything. And in the end, he goes home to daddy.

It's not that I don't understand depression or loneliness. I've been there. Maybe I wanted the hero to rise above it. Perhaps I needed a happier ending or at least a few things resolved. A thread of hope would have been nice.