Touched at the heart ( the Soloist)

My reading of the novel The Soloist has now come to an end leaving me with many emotions an opinions about the book .I hate to be a critic and analyze books because I think that every book has something unique about it and even if it seems good there is always room for improvement .This is because every reader will have a different opinion of the book. My idea is that a good book can always be better and therefore better can always be upgraded to best.
In the last set of chapters ( 23-31) my opinion of the book pretty much stayed the same as it as before .This ending of the book seemed to move at a faster passé for me though because in almost every chapter something stood out for me that made me think outside of the books pages . You know a book has really hooked your attention when your thoughts go further than just the plot.
First, one thing I really like about this book is that it really shows that there is always room for improvement and that a calibrate effort is better than one individuals thoughts. In chapter 23 when Lopez was going to give in to Nathanial’s weakness of taking his cart everywhere Casey Horan pointed out that it is time to help Nathanial get over his fear that he needs the cart for security. This little conversation in my opinion shows a life lesson. If you take things one step at a time and little by little get out of a bad habit you can attack it and win , but if keep giving in or trying to get it all at once , you will never be successful.
Next, in these set of chapters it wasn’t all fairy tale rainbows and butterflies which made me appreciate them a lot more. Lopez actually showed the reality and the dark side of Nathanial with his weaknesses that he still had to work on. For example the couple of times where Nathanial snapped out at Lopez really highlighted what his disease was like and what he had to live with. It reminded the readers that although there is all that improvement, everything is not better. Also, in these chapters Lopez admits and points out to us how Nathanial still writes on his walls and how he puts talcum powder on his face and calls himself Mr. White. This along with the shared opinions of a social worker at Lamp about Nathanial’s racial expressions and words he still publicly expresses, was enough to make Lopez second guess is positive feelings again .I felt pity for Lopez when he said “Is it possible that I bleary know Nathanial, that my perspective is blurred by both my own selfish desires and the fact that he is usually on his best behavior in my presence? The more I visit, the more I catch glimpse of this darker Nathanial.” This one quote shows a lot. It shows how peoples feelings can be easily let down but can be picked up just as fast as they are let down. It also finally states that Lopez is doing all this for Nathanial, but somewhere in this reasoning’s there is something there for himself also, whether it be satisfaction or just pride.
Also, I find the effort and time that Lopez puts into Nathanial amazing. Going back to Nathanial’s old life and walking in his actual footsteps takes a lot of dedication. The fact that Lopez was so dedicated really made him shine as a character in the book. Seeing the good in a character and really feelings like I met a truly kind hearted person, makes me want to read the book even more. Being the person I am and always inferring things made me see a sign of Nathanial’s disease when Lopez was looking at his records and grades. The way his grades plummeted in the spring semester but how he still managed to pass his end of the year solo performance with no problem, right away stood out as a sign of hardship in his life to me. A quote that really touched me on page 245 was when Lopez said “It’s like looking at a photograph taken moments before someone’s unexpected death. “ This definitely played on my emotions. It shows how tragic what happened to Nathanial was and how quickly even the thought of it can affect the others around him.
Last, I would like to make a general statement that although the end of the book wasn’t how most books end where everything works out perfectly, I think this way had more meaning. It was realistic and at the same time still put a smile on my face .I am proud of both Nathanial and Lopez .It seemed as if they both got something beneficial out of their experiences together. The book leaves me to think that Nathanial will live a happy life especially now that he has a place of his very own to live with his passion: His music studio.

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