There are books that tell a story, and then there are books that look you in the eye, point at you, and say: you. Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler is the second kind. From literally the first sentence, you’re being instructed: “You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino’s new novel… Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought.” And I’m sorry, but who starts a novel by telling me to adjust my lighting and make sure I’ve peed before reading? The audacity. The intimacy. The chaos.
Calvino basically traps you inside the act of reading. You’re not just observing a story — you are the reader inside the story. And that “I” floating around? That could be you, the narrator, the author, or some poor man stuck in a foggy railway station questioning his life choices. Probably all of the above. At one point the narrator casually says, “I am the man who comes and goes between the bar and the telephone booth. Or, rather: that man is called ‘I’ and you know nothing else about him.” WHICH IS WILD. Imagine being reduced to a pronoun. Identity? Gone. Just vibes and existential train smoke.
The opening scene in the station feels cinematic and oddly suffocating. “The novel begins in a railway station, a locomotive huffs, steam from a piston covers the opening of the chapter…” It’s atmospheric, sure, but also deliberately vague. You don’t know where you are. You don’t even know when you are. And that’s the point. Calvino keeps dissolving certainty. The more you try to grab onto the plot, the more it slips away like steam.
What I loved most is how the book makes you hyper-aware of your own expectations. There’s this moment where the narrator reflects that “in reading… you must remain both oblivious and highly alert.” That line honestly summarizes the whole experience. You have to surrender to confusion while also paying attention to every detail. It’s like intellectual multitasking.
But beneath all the cleverness and postmodern tricks, there’s something very human happening. The “I” at the station feels trapped in time, wanting to undo mistakes, to return to a “zero moment.” That feeling? Relatable. We’ve all wanted to rewind a conversation, erase a decision, re-pack the metaphorical suitcase. The fragmented narrative mirrors that anxiety — life isn’t linear, so why should novels be?
Reading this book felt like being gently roasted by literature itself. Calvino knows you buy books faster than you read them. He knows you expect something and pretend you don’t. And he calls you out for it — politely, but still. It’s playful, philosophical, and slightly unhinged in the best way.
Honestly? It’s not just a novel. It’s a mirror. And it’s staring directly back at you.
Discussion Question:
Why do you think Calvino chooses to address the reader directly as “you”? Does it make you feel more connected to the story, or does it make the reading experience feel strange and unsettling?
3 replies on “This Book Told Me to Pee Before Reading It”
“Reading this book felt like being gently roasted by literature itself.” Oh, and it can be really rewarding, don’t you think? Because what you liked about the novel in some cases was what made others disconnect from it as readers. We’d love to hear your opinion in the class discussion! Some of us are fans of this book 🙂
It definitely feels strange at first, but at some point it feels like a conversation between me and the author but not in a warm, comforting way. More like he knows I’m there and he’s aware of every time I get slightly irritated when a story cuts off, or every time I start getting attached to a character…
This was such a fun read. You absolutely captured my first impression of the book with those first two paragraphs.
Interesting note about the ‘I’ too, since Calvino also says something about the ‘I’ having a constant desire / ability? to return to ‘an initial point’.
As for the question, Calvino’s decision to incorporate ‘us’ or ‘You’ in the story is probably for that exact reason–to highlight the theme of perception where instead of the reader taking in the story, they sort of look at each other instead. For me, it both connected and unsettled me, kind of like if a stranger suddenly grabbed my hand and started walking me through their day. Like okay am I being kidnapped or am I making friends.
Overall an interesting read for sure!!