What a gem this book is. I mean, it’s not everyday when you praise a dictionary. John Koenig created this book to describe feelings that are hard to put in words. This book is divided into six chapters, with definitions grouped according to theme:
1. Between Living and Dreaming (about worldview and desire)
2. The Interior Wilderness (selfhood and identity)
3. Montage of Attractions (relationships and intimacy)
4. Faces in a Crowd (society and alienation)
5. Boats Against the Current (time and memory)
6. Roll the Bones (uncertainty and chaos)
There’s also a postscript section called “After Words,” with some commentary on language and meaning, but the definitions itself are arranged in no particular order.
One of my favourite words in this book is “anechosis,” which means the fear of only being told what you want to hear; whether by friends trying to lift you up or by family trying to convince you that you’re not as bad as you think you are. So, it was a pleasant surprise when nate2timez created a track for Sonder and suggested that his track be called “anechosis.”
I highly suggest that you check this book out. It’s not your typical dictionary and you’ll learn a whole bunch of new words that you can use to refer to the many random and weird feelings you might be going through in your life.