what to read into/out of a book

(when writers push the limit, reading a novel is no longer a simple leisure activity. i didn't know about this until told recently but found a little piece i wrote awhile ago fit comfortably into this "new way" of reading. still, i am not so sure. what is so hard that can not be brought forth by simple description?)

Lolita
by Vladimir Nabokov

"Lolita" was a story about one of the most hideous desires, or, lusts of man - a middle-aged guy's infatuation with a twelve-year-old girl - a behavior moralistically hard to defend even if it could be understood from a biological point of view. Yet, the book was written in a rather scornful and hilarious way, which more or less lightened the seriousness and nastiness of what it was really babbling about. The narrator/offender (a Mr. Humbert Humbert, intersting name, isn't it?) came across as an extremely self-conscious, self-pity and self-deprecating soul, again lessening one's disgust for his criminal or stealthy activities. Thus, the book was a near beautification of a not-oh-so-glamous desire.

It probably revealed more about the writer, an obviously sophisticated person sensitive to and pondering on complex human emotions and inner cravings. He was also apparently keen on languages, constantly and joyfully playing with words, fun yet sometimes disengaging.

All in all, reading this book was an interesting and curious experience: the exotic story, the unfamiliar emotion, the unexpected development and the somewhat perceivable depth.