Starting a new book is like moving to a new neighborhood. The people, the surroundings, the local happenings are all unfamiliar. It takes some effort to get acquainted and be in-the-know.

When I start a new book, I don’t feel comfortable until about one-fifth of the way in. So for an 800-page book like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, I couldn’t get into it until after 150 pages.

By then, I knew most of the main characters and their idiosyncracies. I cared about what happens to them and how they’re going to solve the dilemmas confronting them. And I’d finally become accustomed to the way the author was telling the story with all those funky footnotes (in a novel!).

When I finish the book (probably around the time we leave Vietnam), I’ll undoubtedly feel the same regret as when we move away. Just because we’re gone doesn’t mean that I no longer care what happens to the people and the city. At least with books there’s always the possibility of a sequel, but learning about our old home and acquaintances secondhand won’t be the same as being there to observe it all in person.

Who knows. Maybe there’s a sequel featuring Taiwan, Japan, or Vietnam in our future.

Update, January 8: There’s no way I can finish Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell in time for the move and I don’t want to take this doorstopper with me. Marv suggested tearing out the pages I haven’t read, but that seems sacrilegious not to mention that I wouldn’t be able to turn back when needed to refresh my memory. I’ll give it to the movers to pack and finish reading it next month.