Perhaps most of all, short novels free you from the idea of reading as a form of productivity, and of books as something to get through. And it is this preciousness that makes short novels so tempting to reread. But making the case for shorter novels is not straightforward. Long books cost the same to buy as short books, so there is the consumer to think of, especially with hardbacks. As a reader I can only observe from my enjoyment of Candide, The Count of Monte Cristo, Botchan, Ulysses and Brokeback Mountain that each era has produced its own memorable long and short novels, and that many great writers can write both.

Source: The Irish Times February 17, 2019 08:48 UTC