Reviews

Agnes by Peter Stamm, Michael Hofmann

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double_eff's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

mrf3030's review against another edition

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5.0

خیلی رمان خلاقانه و گیرایی بود

sapphisms's review against another edition

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5.0

I received this book through Other Press and NetGalley. Thank you to the both of them for this opportunity!

I think the first thing I have to say about this book is that it was written well before its time- and it's incredibly timely that it's English translation is now being popularized in 2016. A quick glance over a lot of my 5-star reviews will show that I'm a big fan of novels that deconstruct a particular trope- ones that actually make you think about the media you're consuming. Agnes did just that- in the span of about 147 pages, Agnes thoroughly deconstructed what's commonly known as the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope. To be honest, if I wasn't aware of its publishing date, I'd think this was a personal affront against [b:Paper Towns|6442769|Paper Towns|John Green|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349013610s/6442769.jpg|3364505]. Agnes' lover (who isn't deigned to be given a name, as the entire thing is in first person) is the common holier-than-thou white male writer who suddenly comes across an enchanting young girl that turns his whole life upside down. Suddenly, everything he does is about her- this, obviously, fosters a very unhealthy relationship for them. Agnes is revealed to be a real human being, with real flaws and difficulties- not just some pretty construction of her lover's mind. And, of course, like any story involving a MPDG, it has to

Spoiler

end in her death

- although this is left ambiguous by the ending.

I think the best part of this novel is how, even in his own perspective, you see the cracks in the truth of his words- reality and Agnes constantly contradict him. Even as time progresses, so does reality from his constructed reality. Can I just say that I love how

Spoiler

Agnes fucking leaves him?

It's so rare in fiction that you see a character mess up so badly that it has consequences that affect the relationship deeper than you'd think-

Spoiler

I think this comes through in how Agnes 'closes off' from her lover, stops sleeping with him, locks her bathroom door- she no longer trusts him after he can no longer separate her from the fictional Agnes he's created

.

Oh and, Agnes, Agnes, Agnes. How I loved you. Agnes so rapidly evolves from this shallow and one-dimensional creature her lover creates in his mind, into this brilliant but tired

Spoiler

and later, broken, after her miscarriage, when she takes him back in

young woman. She's incredibly insightful, and painfully realistic- she's what happens when you try to force a Manic Pixie Dream Girl into reality- she

Spoiler

leaves your pathetic ass

. There's this constant mark of her bringing up something serious (or something that needs to be addressed), and him either ignoring her or laughing at her- he's incredibly disconnected from reality as a whole and it just shows in his character without it having to be outright said.

I haven't checked other reviews, but I'm certain that the ending is a point of contention. It's left vague as to whether

Spoiler

Agnes' lover killed her (as the summary, him writing in accordance to real events, and his unreliable narration could suggest), she went to follow the story, or she left him for being an asshole

. And, to be honest? I'm pretty satisfied with that. The fact that this book basically has a multiple-choice ending is one of the greatest things I could think of- you could pick this book apart and come up with evidence supporting any one of them.

Some Incredibly Good Quotes:

* In my head, our relationship was already much further advanced than it was in reality. I was already wondering about her, beginning to have my doubts, though we hadn't even been out together. (Page 9- can you imagine?)
* "Do you think he loves me?" [The woman on the train] asked.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," I said.
She smiled gratefully and said: "I can't believe anyone who writes such beautiful letters can be a bad man." (

Spoiler

Foreshadowing to the Maximum

)
* I went on like that for a while, and probably believed what I was saying. It was nothing really to do with the story anymore. Maybe it really wasn't any good, but it was certainly better than anything I'd written in the last ten years. (About Agnes' short story, after he lashes out at her about the quality of it)
* I felt an almost physical dependency on her; when she wasn't there I had a dismaying sensation of not being complete.
*

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Now Agnes was my creation. I felt the new freedom lend wings to my imagination. I planned her future for her, the way a father would plan his daughter's.

* "You'll be wearing your navy-blue dress," I said.
"What do you mean?" she asked in amazement.
"I've overtaken the present," I said. "I know the future."
She laughed.
*

Spoiler

"Agnes doesn't get pregnant," I said. "That's not what I... You don't love me. Not really."
"How can you say that? It's not true. I've never... never said that to you."
"I know you. Maybe I know you better than you know yourself."
"That's not true."
Perhaps to convince myself, I merely said: "She doesn't get pregnant."

* The whole section about Pullman and his essentially enslaving his workers, but thinking it's in their best interest.
*

Spoiler

[The baby] will change my life, I thought, even if I never get to see it. And then I thought, I couldn't stand never to see it. I want to know what kind of kid it is, what it looks like. I got out my notebook and tried to sketch a face. I couldn't do it, so I started writing instead:"

* If I go and see Agnes now, I thought, that'll be it forever. It's hard to explain; although I loved her and had been happy with her, it was only when she wasn't there that I felt I was free. And my freedom had always mattered more to me than my happiness. Maybe that was what my girlfriends meant when they talked about my egoism.
* "It feels to me as thought I've become the character in it, and the character's life ends when the books does. I suppose there are times I'm glad too. Then the ending is like coming out of a bad dream, and I feel all light and free, reborn. I sometimes wonder whether writers really know what they're doing to us readers."
* "Only that you'd left me, and then that you came back." (Agnes' lover)
"You left me, I think you mean." (Agnes)
//
"Nothing [...] I told her you'd come back."
"You came back."

charlotte_literat's review against another edition

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1.0

I don’t understand the objective of this book. Story is flat, characters all sound and act the same. If it weren’t so short I probably would not have finished this book.