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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
dark
tense
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5/5
كل كوابيسي المتعلقة بالأطباء تحولت لرواية.
كل كوابيسي المتعلقة بالأطباء تحولت لرواية.
The first few chapters of Summer House with Swimming Pool are dedicated to descriptions of what it's like to be a doctor. If the book was just about life from a medical professional's point of view and the day to day grind of getting up close and personal with aches, pains, bumps, and bruises... that would have been good enough for me.
Koch is just a daggum great writer. He can take the most mundane stuff and breathe life into it to make it fascinating. The beginning of the book and other sections sprinkled throughout almost felt like nonfiction, like a disgruntled physician peeling back the curtain to share what life is like on the opposite side of the examination table.
But this isn't nonfiction. Thank God this isn't nonfiction. Herman Koch dabbles in fiction. Dark, twisted, beautifully written fiction.
If you liked The Dinner you should enjoy this one as well. If you hated The Dinner you probably don't even care that this book exists. There are definitely some similarities between the two books. A bunch of rich people. A crazy event (this time at a summer house with a you-guessed-it swimming pool). Dumb teenagers. Unlikable parents. No one to root for. Plot twists. A great ending.
I think Koch has found his niche and I expect future stuff from him will be similar, but if his next book is about deep sea fishing or molecular biology I will probably still read it.
Koch is just a daggum great writer. He can take the most mundane stuff and breathe life into it to make it fascinating. The beginning of the book and other sections sprinkled throughout almost felt like nonfiction, like a disgruntled physician peeling back the curtain to share what life is like on the opposite side of the examination table.
But this isn't nonfiction. Thank God this isn't nonfiction. Herman Koch dabbles in fiction. Dark, twisted, beautifully written fiction.
If you liked The Dinner you should enjoy this one as well. If you hated The Dinner you probably don't even care that this book exists. There are definitely some similarities between the two books. A bunch of rich people. A crazy event (this time at a summer house with a you-guessed-it swimming pool). Dumb teenagers. Unlikable parents. No one to root for. Plot twists. A great ending.
I think Koch has found his niche and I expect future stuff from him will be similar, but if his next book is about deep sea fishing or molecular biology I will probably still read it.
dark
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm torn between giving this 2 or 3 stars but I'm going with 2 because I think I will like this less as time goes on. I had difficulty with The Dinner because it was SO disturbing but I was so surprised by it that I had to admit it was very well done. This was similar in that the characters are incredibly awful people, but you know this from the start so there's nothing surprising about it. I was really disappointed. Read The Dinner instead.