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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
Thanks to Random House/Hogarth Press, I was very interested in this recent release by Herman Koch, author of the bestselling thriller The Dinner, and I received a digital review copy in exchange for a review.
Beginning, easily enough, in the office of main character Dr. Marc Schlosser's general medical practice, we are introduced to a bevy of artists, musicians, writers, and others that Dr. Schlosser can barely tolerate. Marc's attitude toward his patients is both comical and disturbing; Koch is magnificent in demonstrating Marc's indifference.
"Most of them have nothing wrong with them. They moan and groan, make noises that would make you think they found death staring them in the face every moment of the day, they sink into the chair across from my desk with a sigh - but there's nothing wrong with them."
We find Schlosser's humanity not in his medical office, obviously, but in his home with his wife, Carolyn and two young daughters, Julia and Lisa. They set out for a summer vacation, albeit with ulterior motives attached, and "coincidentally" run into one of Marc's patients, an actor named Ralph Meier and his family, who have rented a summer home and invite them to stay as their guests, along with a few other interesting characters who are already present.
In trademark Koch fashion, the friendly, family vacation is full of secrets and darkness; nothing is simple, there are no clear answers. There are some difficult moments, made even more spectacular by Dr. Marc's clinical narration, and some very poignant, tender moments. If you are a fan of wonderful prose, there is plenty here to enjoy.
"Sometimes you run your life back to see at what point it could have taken a different turn. But sometimes there's nothing at all to run back - you yourself don't know it yet, but the only button that's still working is forward."
Both provocative and absorbing, I often felt my heart racing and I'm sure that I was holding my breath for the last few chapters. The book is filled with unexpected twists and the characters often kept me guessing; this is one summer vacation story that kept me flying through the pages and left me wanting more. Fans of Gillian Flynn and Kate Atkinson may find another favorite, as well.
Beginning, easily enough, in the office of main character Dr. Marc Schlosser's general medical practice, we are introduced to a bevy of artists, musicians, writers, and others that Dr. Schlosser can barely tolerate. Marc's attitude toward his patients is both comical and disturbing; Koch is magnificent in demonstrating Marc's indifference.
"Most of them have nothing wrong with them. They moan and groan, make noises that would make you think they found death staring them in the face every moment of the day, they sink into the chair across from my desk with a sigh - but there's nothing wrong with them."
We find Schlosser's humanity not in his medical office, obviously, but in his home with his wife, Carolyn and two young daughters, Julia and Lisa. They set out for a summer vacation, albeit with ulterior motives attached, and "coincidentally" run into one of Marc's patients, an actor named Ralph Meier and his family, who have rented a summer home and invite them to stay as their guests, along with a few other interesting characters who are already present.
In trademark Koch fashion, the friendly, family vacation is full of secrets and darkness; nothing is simple, there are no clear answers. There are some difficult moments, made even more spectacular by Dr. Marc's clinical narration, and some very poignant, tender moments. If you are a fan of wonderful prose, there is plenty here to enjoy.
"Sometimes you run your life back to see at what point it could have taken a different turn. But sometimes there's nothing at all to run back - you yourself don't know it yet, but the only button that's still working is forward."
Both provocative and absorbing, I often felt my heart racing and I'm sure that I was holding my breath for the last few chapters. The book is filled with unexpected twists and the characters often kept me guessing; this is one summer vacation story that kept me flying through the pages and left me wanting more. Fans of Gillian Flynn and Kate Atkinson may find another favorite, as well.
Another book by Herman Koch that is utterly disturbing. This was better than The Dinner, but I just can't seem to thoroughly get into his works.
Koch’s acerbic story of assholes thinking and doing asshole-y things was fascinating in the way that darkness often can be. The characters in this book are often repellent, but fascinating too–with huge appetites (literal and figurative) and unfiltered personalities. I can’t say I loved reading this. Or even liked it, actually. It was uncomfortable to read, though I was well-aware it was supposed to be. The book started off stronger than it ended, and Marc’s character seems to lose some of his punch as we go along. Reading this can be compared to watching a glass placed too close to the edge of a table, slowly tipping and rocking back and forth, and you’re holding your breath without realizing. You’re just waiting to see the inevitable shattering at the end. I received this book free in exchange for a review.
I won this book via a Goodreads giveaway after my sister, who is familiar with this author, suggested it to me. That said, being able to talk about it for hours is, I think, the sign of a truly great book. Koch's laid back yet suspenseful prose was appealing to me as a reader. All of his characters are brilliantly constructed which only adds to the depth of his novel.
(I received this book from the Goodreads First Reads program.)
This book was very similar to Koch's other novel, The Dinner, both stylistically and thematically. Both feature somewhat unreliable male narrators discussing the aftermath of familial tragedy. Both narrators express their disgust with common attributes of the human race - the protagonist of this one, Dr. Marc Schlosser, repeatedly discusses his disgust with human bodies - and express beliefs about the difffering values of human lives.
This book was interesting, but I didn't think it had anything to say that hadn't already been expressed in The Dinner, nor was the style so great I needed to revisit it. The story is compelling, but not really that special. Read this if you loved The Dinner, I guess, but it mostly came off as more of the same.
This book was very similar to Koch's other novel, The Dinner, both stylistically and thematically. Both feature somewhat unreliable male narrators discussing the aftermath of familial tragedy. Both narrators express their disgust with common attributes of the human race - the protagonist of this one, Dr. Marc Schlosser, repeatedly discusses his disgust with human bodies - and express beliefs about the difffering values of human lives.
This book was interesting, but I didn't think it had anything to say that hadn't already been expressed in The Dinner, nor was the style so great I needed to revisit it. The story is compelling, but not really that special. Read this if you loved The Dinner, I guess, but it mostly came off as more of the same.
If you are looking for a feel good, light summer read, this is not the book for you. It is dark and the characters are deplorable. It is well written and you cannot put it down. Even though you will probably hate every character, you will need to keep going to find out what happens.
I would like to preface with my view on unlikable characters: I see that a lot of readers don't like novels with too-flawed characters. I don't understand this. Aren't we all flawed? The vast majority of us probably aren't flawed to the degree of several characters in this book or others (thinking of the commercially successful "Gone Girl"), but isn't reading about them interesting? For those that stop reading books mid-stream with "too-flawed" characters, I wonder if it's because they're scared of what they see and how that gives them cognitive dissonance about themselves.
My review doesn't take away any stars for unlikable characters. I find them interesting and perhaps a cautionary tale. I really enjoyed Herman Koch's other translated novel "The Dinner"; I was engaged the whole time.
This one didn't meet my expectations. While it's not purposely presented as a novel in three parts, it really felt that way to me. The first third of the novel was present-day interspersed with flashbacks that set the background and tone. The third part of the novel was the aftermath. The second part...that was no man's land of set-up for the end-of-vacation event that summer. It felt like two parts of set-up, and all that felt extremely tedious. It could have been condensed. "The Dinner" had a better flow. As I recall, it seemed like it would give you a snippet of the actual dinner and then do some flashbacks to move you through the book.
I would rate the first third and the last third as very good. Fascinating characters (although many of the male characters are hard to differentiate since they are all lecherous asshats). You really get into the thought processes and motivations. The last third begs the question of what you would do in similar, but perhaps less severe, situations where your work and home life intersect and other ways we might abuse our power unintentionally. I think it would be a fascinating book club selection for people who are accepting enough of unlikable characters to not give up midway.
My review doesn't take away any stars for unlikable characters. I find them interesting and perhaps a cautionary tale. I really enjoyed Herman Koch's other translated novel "The Dinner"; I was engaged the whole time.
This one didn't meet my expectations. While it's not purposely presented as a novel in three parts, it really felt that way to me. The first third of the novel was present-day interspersed with flashbacks that set the background and tone. The third part of the novel was the aftermath. The second part...that was no man's land of set-up for the end-of-vacation event that summer. It felt like two parts of set-up, and all that felt extremely tedious. It could have been condensed. "The Dinner" had a better flow. As I recall, it seemed like it would give you a snippet of the actual dinner and then do some flashbacks to move you through the book.
I would rate the first third and the last third as very good. Fascinating characters (although many of the male characters are hard to differentiate since they are all lecherous asshats). You really get into the thought processes and motivations. The last third begs the question of what you would do in similar, but perhaps less severe, situations where your work and home life intersect and other ways we might abuse our power unintentionally. I think it would be a fascinating book club selection for people who are accepting enough of unlikable characters to not give up midway.
This was a giveaway i received. I'm glad I did not spend money on this book. Most of the characters are loathsome, especially the men who are self-serving pigs. The narrator cares only about himself; the other 2 male characters are sexual pigs. It got somewhat interesting around page 250 but even that plot turned out to be a bust. In my opinion give this book a pass!