Rating the Books Sawyer Reads on LOST

Aside from the title, which is a whole Island mood, this book does not offer much thematically to Lost.  What I want to know, is who was traveling with this in their suitcase? I feel like an out-of-touch grandma bought this to give to her grandchild who was about to go through puberty, but definitely already knows what’s up because it’s 2004, Grandma, I have AOL. Either way, reading about bras, scoliosis braces, and periods is at least a form of mindless escapism from Island drama. 3/5 Stars 

This book is focuses on sets of Jewish fathers and sons and the differences between Orthodox and Hasidic Jews, in a historical context.  Since this book is neither read on screen, nor explored thematically, I’ll give it a 3/5 stars. 

I don’t even know where to begin with this one because it freaks me out.  Watership Down is the dark fable of a community of rabbits in search of a utopia, with themes of survival, leadership, responsibility. Watership Down also features a mythos that is startling similar to Lost.  Rabbits appear throughout all six seasons of Lost. Not so fun fact, the copy of Watership Down that Sawyer reads originally belonged to Boone. 4/5 stars.

The Depression-era novel deals with themes of isolation, trauma, and the futility of dreams.  References to this novel are frequent, but the most famous reference to Steinbeck’s novel is a scene in season 6. Sawyer and the Man in Black take a walk into the jungle and Sawyer describes the plot, effectively recreating the ending. 5/5 stars for references. 

The Fountainhead is about a conman in love with a woman named Katie. In the featured episode, Kate is on one of many jungle treks. Yawn. 1/5 stars.

This is a classic Poirot novel, in which the detective is trying in vain to go on holiday at a beach resort. One of the resort guests is strangled to death, with a different guest posing as the body to solve the case. Sawyer is seen reading Evil Under the Sun in episode 3.14 when Nikki approaches him for help. Nikki is later buried alive in the same episode. 4/5 stars for foreshadowing. 

A Wrinkle in Time is the perfect way to describe all the flashbacks, flash forwards, flash sideways in Lost. Just wrinkles. This book also features an evil entity known as “The Black Thing,” multiple dimensions, and references to theology. Sawyer reads it in episode 1.18, “Numbers.” This is one of my personal favorite books, so I give it 5/5 stars.

Sawyer reads a manuscript of this in season 2. It’s not a real book. 0/5 stars.

Lancelot is the story of a man who discovers he is not the father of his daughter, and reacts by blowing up his home, killing his wife. He is then confined to a hospital, where his reality blends with nightmares and memories. In parallel, Kate was shown to have murdered Wayne in a similar manner. Hurley’s time in the mental hospital was plagued with guilt that eventually became hallucinations that he was unable to separate from reality. Sawyer reads Lancelot in season 2, then it goes to his book stack on his dresser. 2/5 stars.

This surrealist novel is about a fugitive who lives on a deserted island and keeps a diary of his bizarre experiences. When “tourists” arrive, he notices that things are not quite right. According to some sources, Lost was partially based on this book. Sawyer reads The Invention of Morel in season 4 while in The Other’s barracks. 2.5/5 stars for irony.