When a Book Attacks You Emotionally
Some Stories Don’t Let You Walk Away (And Caroline Would Pretend She Didn’t Care) By C.J. Cauldin — Senior Fellow in Applied Shenanigans, Harvard Dept. of Literature & Mild Chaos Let’s take a moment to appreciate this photograph. A girl, a book, a carved heart, and an expression that says: “I did not emotionally prepare for Chapter Four.” She’s reading like someone who just discovered her favorite character is about to make a terrible decision — or worse — fall in love with the wrong man, the right man, or a morally ambiguous assassin trained from childhood. (Who among us hasn’t?) In the world of Project Heartless , this would be Caroline Cauldin at twelve — openly pretending she doesn’t enjoy fiction, secretly devouring every page like it contains state secrets, and absolutely refusing to admit either. Her face here is perfect: the exact blend of “I’m fine.” and “This plot twist is personally attacking me.” An experienced literary critic m...