7 Reasons You Should Read "A Series Of Unfortunate Events," As An Adult

1) It Makes More Sense

As a child, it’s hard to understand the messages and the clues swirling in the series.

I remember reading it as a child and being very confused by the story as well as the whole point of it. I just thought it was an interesting story about an evil count trying to steal a fortune and a secret organization. However, after coming back to it as an adult it’s easier to understand the message of the series and why Daniel Handler a.k.a Lemony Snicket wrote it that way. It was easier to construct all the clues and references together as they are spaced out throughout the series. The series is an intriguing mystery and I’m glad to have reread them later in my life.

2) The Characters are so complex

All of the characters have such deep emotional backstories that drive the story to a new level. Usually, in children's books, we are presented with a flat stereotypical character that helps drive the plot. But in asoue, we are first presented with these stereotypical heroes and villains. However, Daniel Handler does an amazing job of slowly creating layers to each of the characters throughout time.

In life, it’s hard to understand the way a person acts and the choices they have made until you start to understand their backstory. The series does just that in such a complex adult way. The reader might not get all the answers to why they might act that way. However, ad the story goes on we start to have compassion for the characters we might not have liked at first. They have relatable flaws.

What I’ve gathered thus far in 20 years is that trying to be a good person is hard and messy. You might have had to make choices that aren't right and I found myself having greater compassion for some of the character in the books that I did not when I was little and more for the goods ones as well.

3) The setting is so whimsical and dark

I loved the aesthetic of the books and how you could never truly figure out when and where it was. The setting of the books almost becomes its own character taking on a certain style of it’s own. It adds on to the mystery and underlying themes of the book.

4) The Books Have so Much Depth

As an adult reading these books they hit me with great emotional depth. Looking back I can definitely see the effect it had on me growing up. I took many things from the books when I was in grade school, but reading them again broaden my horizons. I didn’t realize all the moral questions plaguing the books. With the characters deciding to be Nobel or villainous and the blurry line in between. Handler brought these hard life lessons into the story that many child readers do not learn until well into adulthood. I really appreciated that he made the books into an old brothers Grimm moraly driven story or a story you might have had to read in a high school literature class.

5) The References are Everything

The references that are scattered throughout the series create its own treasure map. I’d be reading one of the books and realize a character's name was in reference to a literary author or that Sunny gibberish had a funny hidden connotation. It is very smartly woven into the story that gives the reader a little something extra while reading it.

6) The Narrator

The Narration of a one Lemony Snicket is one of the many reasons to read the books. He appears regularly in the series to provide a very deep outlook in the story of the Baudelaire orphans lives. His monologues are smart and provide the reader with imagery or references to the situation.

I just loved reading his words and how they could fit into the reader's lives as well.

7) Looking at the Books from a New Perspective

It’s always fun to go back whether it be to an old movie, card game or books; to see if it lives up to the way you felt about it. My experience with asoue was one that I found I enjoyed better than the first time.

Hope you enjoyed and until next time, see you next time Volunteers.