“Chess isn’t always competitive. Chess can also be beautiful.”
Walter Tevis
The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis follows the story of a prodigious girl as she explores the world of chess and gradually loses herself to addiction. It is an analytical and fast-paced novel that wraps itself around Elizabeth Harmon’s competitive nature and the mesmerizing methods in how she approaches chess.
I found the fast-paced action gripping and superbly interesting. It was definitely an experience to peer into the mind of what you would call a young, lone prodigy. However, one thing about this book that irked me from the beginning was the unnecessary sexualization of girls, especially with Jolene, a 13-year-old orphan that Elizabeth befriended in the orphanage. There were times when the book mentioned her breasts and edged on topics such as masturbation and grooming. This did not contribute to the major plotline at all and only served as something that just happened.
Another thing about this book was that it was so supremely focused on chess that it felt like Elizabeth’s experiences came second to it. Whatever problems she had, it was overcome pretty quickly. This resulted in the narrative seeming somewhat detached from Elizabeth. Even after her mother died, it was just a bit of realization for a few pages and was not mentioned except for the house ownership. If anything, Elizabeth’s sexual desires trumped the rest of her emotions for the majority of the novel. Characters that Elizabeth once longed for and thought about, such as Harry Beltik and Townes, came and went very sparsely. I felt that this was also the case with Benny Watts–his timing of entering back into Elizabeth’s life felt far from coincidental and way too forced.
~ 3 Stars
