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A review by pearloz
The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler
4.0
I hesitate to call this book charming because of the seriousness of the background here (late 1930s Austria), but it really is. Seethaler has a way of captivating the reader with his deceptively simple language and simple plots, but it reveals more complex interpersonal dynamics than should be reasonable with his economics. And, while the book has all the tropes of a "country bumpkin moving to the big city" story (ie: Franz's naivete, overwhelmed by the people and the sites, falls in love with a stripper), the story and plot have enough distinct characteristics to make the book fairly unique.
As for the ending, while Franz is last seen getting into a car, we can presume the worst since these are the men that took Otto--who died in their custody; and, I mean, they're the Gestapo. Anezka visiting the Tobacconist shop 7 years later was mystifying but suggested a more heartbreaking idea: that she actually reciprocated his affections but could not or would not for whatever reason. It was a very bittersweet moment.
Good book, great writer.
As for the ending, while Franz is last seen getting into a car, we can presume the worst since these are the men that took Otto--who died in their custody; and, I mean, they're the Gestapo. Anezka visiting the Tobacconist shop 7 years later was mystifying but suggested a more heartbreaking idea: that she actually reciprocated his affections but could not or would not for whatever reason. It was a very bittersweet moment.
Good book, great writer.