In Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel, the main character Tessa Gray told another character, Will Herondale, that “One must always be careful of books … and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” I believe that words can change us more than once. I have read Clockwork Angel over 20 times in my life, and each time it changes me. While many people wish they could read their favorite book again for the first time, I encourage you all to reread that book instead.
I know rereading can be a controversial topic in the literary world. Some people love to reread books, some feel that it ruins the book for them, and some struggle to stay interested in a story they already know. These are all valid opinions, and I strongly believe you should read what you want. However, I hope you consider my reasons for rereading my favorite books countless times. I have found it to be an experience unlike any other.
All books eventually slip through our fingers. No matter how much we love one in the moment, we forget the details over time. First we forget a small scene between side characters. Then, we forget the quotes we loved or the color of our favorite character’s hair. Before we know it, all we remember about the book is the feeling of loving it. There might be a few key parts we hold onto, but so much is forgotten. When you reread a book, especially years after reading it for the first time, it is like stepping back into a city you thought you’d never see again. All of your memories come rushing back, and you can’t remember why you never came back to visit.
I often revisit my favorite books. I am what you could call an avid rereader. I’ve read my favorite books so many times that I’m like a character in a period piece, quoting novels from memory. I fall more in love with a book and feel more connected to the characters the more times I read it. Sometimes, I feel like I can’t fully appreciate a series unless I’ve read it twice. There’s something to be said about knowing every nook and cranny, every period and em dash, of your favorite book. It’s the image of a worn out paperback that shows visible signs of the person who loved it within its pages and on its cracked cover.
People I’ve talked to about my love of rereading have explained that they worry rereading a book will ruin their initial experience or taint their love for it. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that I have only ever loved a book more. As you read a book again, you start to notice small things you missed the first time around. Tiny details that might initially seem insignificant when you’re dying to know what happens next become significant when you read it again. You understand the characters on a deeper level because you’ve had time to realize their motives and true emotions. The characters stop becoming words on a page and start to become people in your mind. Their experiences shape you as if they were your own.
In Clockwork Prince, the sequel to Clockwork Angel, Will tells Tessa, “It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them.” We call books and the characters within our friends, yet we only visit them once. Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices is my favorite book series of all time. I’ve read each book dozens of times, and I know Tessa, Will, and Jem as well as I know myself. I think it’s important to understand a book the way it understands you. Great books shape you and help you discover who you are. I see no reason why we should limit ourselves by avoiding the books that built us. Returning to your favorite book is like returning to an old friend. Like Will said, it will always be there for you when you need it most.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer