Review of this book
In the labyrinthine depths beneath the Paries Opera,Gaston Leroux has crafted a magnificent yet eerie palace of art with his words. The story of The Phantom of the Opera unfolds slowly in the shadows of this palace.It is never merely a biazarre love tale,but a profound inquiry into "beauty and ugliness"and acceptance and alienation"----one that allows every reader to glimmers and crevices deep within human nature beneath the Phantom's mask.
The Phantom himself stands as the most compeling paradox in the book.He is a gifted "angle of music,"capable of composing melodies that stir the soul and mastering the entire opera house with his ingenuity and mechanical tricks.Yet he is also a "ghost" cursed by his appearence;his disfigured face led to his abandonment as a child, forcing him to hide in the perpetual darkness underground, his yearnings and tenderness lockedmawahy beneath a cold mask.His feelings for Christine embody this paradox to its extreme:there is a near-obsessive possessiveness, using intimidation and threats to clear "obstacles" from her path;yet there is also a tenderness humble enough to fade into obscurity----soothing her when she fears, and finally letting her go to return her freedom when she chooses another. This love, sharp-edged with darkness, still harbors the purest longing for "being loved"that resides in those who have never been kindled by the world.
As I close the book, the melodies of the Paries Opera still seem to linger in my ears, while the Phantom's figure-----turning to vanish into the underground labyrinth----remains etched in my mind. He spent his entire life searching for someone who could accept the soul beneath his mask, yet in the end,he could only achieve his own redemption through letting go. The mosttouching part of this story has never been the romantic fantasty of "Beauty and the Beast,"but its unflinching reminder :true beauty lies not in having a perfect appearence, but in being willing to look beyond those imperfect edges and see, deep within every soul, the softness that longs to be loved and understood.
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