over my head? or just not my book?

Lauren Elkin: Scaffolding.2024

I have read this book, under 400 pages all January and the beginning of February, too. Okey, almost all of the February, too.

I am dissapointed on two things, - first of all, it has taken me sooo long to finish this book, that the reading itself has taken up too much of my time from pleaseurable reading since, I have to admit, reading this book wasn ´t. This, Scaffolding, was not as good a book I expected. And why on earth did I just not let it be, just to put it back to the shelf and let it be, maybe give it to somenone, who might enjoy this more than I did? I don ´t know, sometimes way too difficult to understand my own actions.
I think there should have been a disclaimer on the cover of the book saying that in case you have not studied Lacan, like master´s thesis level, do not read this book. At least for me, the whole of Lacan came out as an intellectual boasting not implemented in the story to the fullest. Or I just did not get it as the author meant it. Maybe - if I would say - this was not my cup of a tea, in this case it would mean I am not intellect enough to be a good reader for this book. 

Perhaps so. 

Well, anyway. 

There are two timelines, one apartment and there were one couple in 1972 and now, at 2019 another couple, Anna here in Paris, her husband in London, Clementine as Anna´s sudden friend in the same building and her boyfirend who also becomes Anna´s secret lover. All that is very bourgeois and then there is this feminist level, the street voice, notes glued in the walls of the building, there is manifestation, protests, Jews, the horrids of WW2 which no one wanted to talk about, intellectual debates and sex and above all lust. I think this whole book might be about lust but as I did not get these people in this book, not one of them (I found them quite boring) so, blaah, very bland (and that is why it was difficult to undestand their lust?)

This book could have done without the middle part, the year 1972-part at all I think the Lacan would have pushed though nevertheless. Did not make that much sense to it all. The kitchen renovation could have been done without that 150 pages. 

This, unfortunately, was a good English reading experience,not much else (but a longing to visit London and Paris)