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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
A very slow start, and an unpleasant main character, but in the second half pace picks up and the tone shifts into a more thoughtful, and pained, contemplation.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received a copy of Summer House with Swimming Pool from the publisher through Goodreads in return for an honest review.
"There are times when you run back through your life, to see whether you can locate the point at which it could still have taken a different turn. There it is! You Say. Look There . . ."
The story takes place after, before, and during a family vacation at noted film star and philanderer Ralph Meier's summer house. Koch's writing is quietly suspenseful and stirring. Leading up to the shocking central event and in the aftermath there is an unsettling sense of foreboding building around the idyllic summer house and cast of shady guests. Protagonist Marc Schlosser only adds to this tension as he teeters on the brink of a decision that could shatter his family life. When it comes to the culprit Koch displays the likelihood of each suspect being our man like a poker hand in front of the reader's face, and yet the story must be finished to fully understand what occurred that summer at the Meiers' beach house.
"There are times when you run back through your life, to see whether you can locate the point at which it could still have taken a different turn. There it is! You Say. Look There . . ."
The story takes place after, before, and during a family vacation at noted film star and philanderer Ralph Meier's summer house. Koch's writing is quietly suspenseful and stirring. Leading up to the shocking central event and in the aftermath there is an unsettling sense of foreboding building around the idyllic summer house and cast of shady guests. Protagonist Marc Schlosser only adds to this tension as he teeters on the brink of a decision that could shatter his family life. When it comes to the culprit Koch displays the likelihood of each suspect being our man like a poker hand in front of the reader's face, and yet the story must be finished to fully understand what occurred that summer at the Meiers' beach house.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Na het lezen van 'Het Diner', had ik hoge verwachtingen van dit boek. In het begin kon ik nog volgen, maar na een tiental hoofdstukken volgde ik niet meer, wat jammer is, want de schrijfstijl was nog steeds goed. Ook was de tijdlijn van gebeurtenissen en perspectieven erg verwarrend voor mij.
I haven't read The Dinner by this author, and while I was waiting for it, I decided to read this. I recommend it if you like creepy, flaws characters. Are we all a bit like this even if we don't want to admit it? Other reviews have described the structure well. I enjoyed it but fell like I needed a shower at at the end. Quite compelling.
medium-paced
slow-paced
I'm not sure why exactly this book didn't click for me. I enjoyed The Dinner... the subtle creepiness, the off-kilter narrator, the overall disturbingness of the whole thing, the fact it made me think about how far parents go for their children. Summer House with Swimming Pool has pretty much all of that same stuff, but wasn't really a read I enjoyed. I know I'm supposed to be disturbed/not like Marc, the narrator, but I REALLY didn't like him or care about him or even really want to know what was going on in his life. This is also a book where very little happens. The parts that were thrilling, weren't even very thrilling. I guess I am just left with this being a book that challenged me. Challenged me to put up with a chauvinistic narrator who tries to resolve his objectification/sexualization of young women with his feelings of protectiveness towards his own teenage daughter. Challenged me to accept that adult women were actually attracted to this nasty man, or in the case of his own wife, loved him and had a relatively peaceful marriage. Challenged me to think about the fact that I probably wouldn't like most people if I could actually see what was going on in their minds, rather than just hear/see how they present themselves. Challenged me to accept the punishment Marc metes out in a rather unthinking, unfocused way. It's revenge, but it's more aimed at a symbol of the the person who harmed Marc, rather than the actual perpetrator.
Overall, Koch is a good writer with smart things to say, but this book didn't have an unlikeable character I wanted to read about or an exciting plot to make up for the icky character. There is food for thought in this one, but I can't say I liked much of the ride.
Overall, Koch is a good writer with smart things to say, but this book didn't have an unlikeable character I wanted to read about or an exciting plot to make up for the icky character. There is food for thought in this one, but I can't say I liked much of the ride.