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daphne2000 's review for:
Summer House with Swimming Pool
by Herman Koch
This was a very disturbing book. I don't know whether to rate it 4 stars or 3 stars. I didn't love the book, so it's definitely not a 5 star read. At times I enjoyed the book, and at times I didn't. Most of the time I was just really disturbed by it.
At first I was really worried that Summer House with Swimming Pool was too similar to Herman Koch's other novel [b:The Dinner|15797938|The Dinner|Herman Koch|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1355949630s/15797938.jpg|6463092], but by the half-way point there aren't too many similarities. However, there are still a few. One similarity is that the whole book is about a certain event in the past, and the reader is told about everything leading up to said event in flashbacks. Slowly, as the novel progresses, you learn more about the event and the true horror of it. Another similarity is that this book is filled with unlikable characters. Certainly some are more likable than others, but as a whole, most of the characters are quite annoying, or just horrible people. The only characters I fully liked were Caroline, the MC's wife, and Lisa, their youngest daughter. I found that with most of the other characters I went from hating them, to liking them, to hating them again. All the major characters have really dubious morals, and since this book is written in first-person, the reader really gets to know the MC, Marc, really well.
Certain scenes in this book made my skin crawl. There were some really messed-up scenes, and certain things were implied that were very disturbing. The implications of the actions some characters made are really messed up. Really, the whole plot of this book is messed up. It's not a fast-paced book, but it's certainly gripping. There are so many mysteries I wanted to solve, that I always wanted to read the next chapter. I normally read often for short periods of time, so I had a bit of trouble getting into the book at the beginning, but once I sat down to read I was fully engrossed.
My main issue with this book is that I felt the ending was a bit rushed. Everything was explained in a few (short) chapters. I feel like the author could have cut out some filler from the book, and lengthened the ending.
I would recommend this book if you enjoyed the authors other novel, or if you enjoy slow-paced thrillers. This book isn't for everyone, but I couldn't put it down.
At first I was really worried that Summer House with Swimming Pool was too similar to Herman Koch's other novel [b:The Dinner|15797938|The Dinner|Herman Koch|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1355949630s/15797938.jpg|6463092], but by the half-way point there aren't too many similarities. However, there are still a few. One similarity is that the whole book is about a certain event in the past, and the reader is told about everything leading up to said event in flashbacks. Slowly, as the novel progresses, you learn more about the event and the true horror of it. Another similarity is that this book is filled with unlikable characters. Certainly some are more likable than others, but as a whole, most of the characters are quite annoying, or just horrible people. The only characters I fully liked were Caroline, the MC's wife, and Lisa, their youngest daughter. I found that with most of the other characters I went from hating them, to liking them, to hating them again. All the major characters have really dubious morals, and since this book is written in first-person, the reader really gets to know the MC, Marc, really well.
Certain scenes in this book made my skin crawl. There were some really messed-up scenes, and certain things were implied that were very disturbing. The implications of the actions some characters made are really messed up. Really, the whole plot of this book is messed up. It's not a fast-paced book, but it's certainly gripping. There are so many mysteries I wanted to solve, that I always wanted to read the next chapter. I normally read often for short periods of time, so I had a bit of trouble getting into the book at the beginning, but once I sat down to read I was fully engrossed.
My main issue with this book is that I felt the ending was a bit rushed. Everything was explained in a few (short) chapters. I feel like the author could have cut out some filler from the book, and lengthened the ending.
I would recommend this book if you enjoyed the authors other novel, or if you enjoy slow-paced thrillers. This book isn't for everyone, but I couldn't put it down.