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A review by adam613
The Notebook, the Proof, the Third Lie: Three Novels by Ágota Kristóf
5.0
"I answer that I try to write true stories but that at a given point the story becomes unbearable because of its very truth, and then I have to change it."
The Notebook, The Proof, The Third Lie: Three Novels tell the story(ies) of twins (brothers?) Lucas and Claus (or Klaus and Lucas) in a country ripped apart by war. As the two learn every trick of survival, with sometimes violent means, this trilogy is part fairy tale, part allegory, part gripping family intrigue that tells the story that was the truth for many European families after World War II.
"The dead are nowhere and everywhere."
Exploring identity, traumatic memory, brotherly bonds, and truth, Agota Kristof has written an oftentimes confusing but all the time engaging story. Written in fragments of imagination and recollection, all three parts have unique and unsettling outcomes, that kept me interested and involved up until the final page of the third novel. Physical and mental trauma, warp the brain and body to face life in a number of ways, that sometimes are based on survival rather than the privilege of evolving as a person.
"I am convinced that every human being is born to write a book, and for no other reason. A work of genius or mediocrity, it doesn't matter, but he who writes nothing is lost, he has merely passed through life without leaving a trace."
Simply put, this book was a whirlwind of emotions and intrigue at every turn of the page. Agota Kristof has told the story of one family caught in between Eastern and Western Europe, fact and fiction, during and post war that is harrowing in its scope. Don't be fooled by the unsophisticated prose, as the depth lies in the exploration of the integrity and darkened corners of the human spirit.
For fans of post modern, historical fiction, family sagas, psychological thrillers, and desperately visceral storytelling, The Notebook, The Proof, The Third Lie is up your alley.
The Notebook, The Proof, The Third Lie: Three Novels tell the story(ies) of twins (brothers?) Lucas and Claus (or Klaus and Lucas) in a country ripped apart by war. As the two learn every trick of survival, with sometimes violent means, this trilogy is part fairy tale, part allegory, part gripping family intrigue that tells the story that was the truth for many European families after World War II.
"The dead are nowhere and everywhere."
Exploring identity, traumatic memory, brotherly bonds, and truth, Agota Kristof has written an oftentimes confusing but all the time engaging story. Written in fragments of imagination and recollection, all three parts have unique and unsettling outcomes, that kept me interested and involved up until the final page of the third novel. Physical and mental trauma, warp the brain and body to face life in a number of ways, that sometimes are based on survival rather than the privilege of evolving as a person.
"I am convinced that every human being is born to write a book, and for no other reason. A work of genius or mediocrity, it doesn't matter, but he who writes nothing is lost, he has merely passed through life without leaving a trace."
Simply put, this book was a whirlwind of emotions and intrigue at every turn of the page. Agota Kristof has told the story of one family caught in between Eastern and Western Europe, fact and fiction, during and post war that is harrowing in its scope. Don't be fooled by the unsophisticated prose, as the depth lies in the exploration of the integrity and darkened corners of the human spirit.
For fans of post modern, historical fiction, family sagas, psychological thrillers, and desperately visceral storytelling, The Notebook, The Proof, The Third Lie is up your alley.