From the book-swap shelf at the local library. Paperback, 1963. TBR

Oh, this is a weird and nightmarish book, on a similar vein to Pale Fire; a rather Kafka-esque Nabokov at work here, even if he denies any knowledge of Kafka in the preface. (Not sure how the preface actually ought to be interpreted, though... I'll never get to the bottom of Nabokov's prefaces, that's for sure!) Anyway, imprisonment is a psychological theme I've never been particularly fond of, but this story delves into it in a way that's strangely palatable and intriguing; dystopian and sombre and scary, yes, but still readable and very skillful writing. And it's science fiction, first and foremost science fiction. I do prefer the lighter and more down-to-earth side of Nabokov, though, as in Ada or Lolita.