I feel an inherent sense of unease whenever I make the decision to rate a book with a dismal "1 Star." I am well aware that my opinionated "1" may not carry much weight in the grand scheme of things. After all, I am just one of the millions of readers out there. However, there is still a dread and a hollowness that comes over me when I click that "1" to measure the quality of a past reading experience.
I guess I feel this numbness because I know that a book is a unique creation. It is not something that is thrown together casually like an uninspired salad. A book holds the life-force of its author, who has poured in their sweat, toil, and trepidation. It is the result of months or even years of hard work, sacrifice, and the courage to put oneself out there.
When I read a book, I am aware that I am looking into the inner life of the author. I may not always understand or agree with what they have written, but I respect the fact that they have shared a part of themselves with me. Therefore, giving a book a "1" feels like I am spitting on someone's magnum opus.
In the case of "The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts," my decision to rate it a "1" was both difficult and necessary. There were just too many things that went wrong with this book. The farce outweighed the substance, the tone was too light, and the characters were flat and underdeveloped. It failed to meet my expectations and left me feeling disappointed and weary.
