The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

This book weaves a story of choices, romance, betrayal and how in the end "being" does not mean much at all, how it can be affected by the slightest thing. The central characters are Tomas and Tereza, a couple in love yet affected by so much. It takes place in the communist occupation of Czechoslovakia where betrayal is common place and where words and opinions lead to dismissal and resentment. In the book, Tomas's continuing betrayals cause Tereza to leave from their new homeland of Zurich in Switzerland and return to the continually occupied and repressed Prague. Tomas follows her back and they soon find themselves entangled in despair; Tomas loses his job as a doctor after a newspaper publishes an anti-communist article he writes. Despite this he finds the lack of responsibility and mission welcome and the perks of his new jobs keep his passions for a constant mistress alive. While Tomas experiences the lightness of his being, Tereza is plagued by heaviness: a cheating husband, a need to understand Tomas and a guilt that she kept from what she perceived to be his destiny in Zurich, Switzerland.

It also tells the story of one of his "main" mistresses Sabina, she represents an extreme lightness of being; a temptation to not be weighed down by love or commitment, she describes betrayals as magnificent. One of her affairs, Franz is the exact opposite he is weighed down by the heaviness of his relationship and his affair. He is a kind-hearted man who makes the wrong choices and only realises this towards the end of his life.

This book reminded me of my teenage years reading Nietzsche. At the same time as exploring what simple words mean in contrasting worlds, it also introduces you to the idea that life can be light but only if you make it so. In Tereza and Tomas' relationship, it is only towards the end when Tereza gives up the heaviness of her thoughts and subscribes to what she perceives to be ideal. Throughout the book Tomas questions his lightness and Tereza questions her heaviness.

This book is truly a story of contrasts, of innocence, of betrayal and repression. I highly recommend it to all. It weaves a beautiful story and makes you think about what "being" really constitutes and how much can change with a simple door slam.