A review by gleyfer
The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers' Guild by Mathias Enard

5.0

One of the best reads of the last year. This is not an easy book. Its structure is cyclical, like its subject matter. It's bookended by two accessible and quite funny diary sections; then by two sections about the past inhabitants of the village and the circle of reincarnation, which are slower but not too difficult linguistically; and in the center: the titular banquet, which requires a lot of effort to read and understand. Altogether, the effect is somewhat like a 21st century Ulysses. Frank Wynne's translation is brilliant. I, unfortunately, can't compare it to the original French, but the effect of this book in English is so distinct and so particular. 

I'd recommend this book to lovers of modernism, linguistic play, or slower books that require a bit more intense engagement with.