Siddartha by Herman Hesse

First line: In the shade of the house, in the sunshine near the boats on the riverbank, in the shade of the sal forest, in the shade of the fig tree, Siddartha grew up-- the beautiful son of the Brahmin, the young falcon, together with Govinda, his friend, the son of the Brahmin.

This is one of those books that really has a way of reminding you to keep things in perspective. Hesse uses language quite economically, but some phrases are an absolute joy to read. A piece rich in metaphors about what it truly means to find enlightenment and peace. Sure there are some parts about Buddhism (Buddha is fucking in this book, in case the name Siddartha didn't hint at it), but it's focus is on Siddartha, a young man of the Brahmin caste who decides to take his fate into his own hands in order to truly understand the meaning of life. The concepts of duality and forming one's identity play an integral part in building this novel. The immense amount of suffering he goes through in order to arrive at enlightenment is admirable, and while it contributes to him finally discovering his end goal, there is far more to the process than suffering. There is pleasure too.

Duality. Mind blowing stuff.

It's not all about spirituality, albeit a big part of it is. This novel is all about the journey one makes and how the end isn't one we'd always expect. One of Nietzsche's most famous quotes: "And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee" acutely reflects one of the sections in the novel where Siddartha, in his search to learn all knowledge, becomes what he truly abhors. The good thing however is that, when realisation hits, he is able to make the decision to move on, not that it comes easy anyway. Hesse tells a cautionary tale and provides optimistic solutions, all of which can be consumed over the course of a day. 

So while this book is philosophical in nature, it's also beautiful in its simplicity of delivery.

In its essence, it reminds us that there is much to learn from everyone and anyone, at any point in time, anywhere. Saint and sinner are student and teacher so long as they are willing to learn.

Sit your ass down and learn yourself some duality. No really. It's fascinating.

tl;dr
Are there animals in the novel?: Dream bird and real live bird. Other than that, none of import.
Are there sexy times in it?: Oh yes. Nothing graphic though. Romantised.
Are there dead people in it?: Yep. What's a good novel without some death?
Is it lengthy?: Nope. It'll take a day or two at most to finish.

Reread?: Absolutely. Any time you feel a little lost, pick this baby up.

Judge the book by its cover: My copy is kinda boring but there are nicer ones out there.
Rating: 4.4/5 meows

Pun: This book just gets buddha and buddha