Scan barcode
A review by ay_laluna
The Notebook, the Proof, the Third Lie: Three Novels by Ágota Kristóf
5.0
The Notebook.
To say that this novel is haunting is an understatement. I’ve read a few unsettling Hungarian novels, but none of them floored me like this one. It explores the cruelty and inhumanity of war without falling into cheap gore just for shock value. I’m not sure I can in good conscience recommend it to most people because of how chilling it is. I wish I could forget the whole thing so I could read it for the first time again.
The Proof.
A slightly mellowed-down version of the above.
The Third Lie.
After liking the first two volumes so much, I was
utterly disappointed by the third installment. It ruined the series for me, to the point where I wish I’d been given a heads-up so I could avoid reading the last novel. It seemed like the author’s easy way out of the messy situation she created in the first two issues. I gave the series 5 stars because of how remarkable the first two books were, but I’d give the third book a zero if I could.
To say that this novel is haunting is an understatement. I’ve read a few unsettling Hungarian novels, but none of them floored me like this one. It explores the cruelty and inhumanity of war without falling into cheap gore just for shock value. I’m not sure I can in good conscience recommend it to most people because of how chilling it is. I wish I could forget the whole thing so I could read it for the first time again.
The Proof.
A slightly mellowed-down version of the above.
The Third Lie.
After liking the first two volumes so much, I was
utterly disappointed by the third installment. It ruined the series for me, to the point where I wish I’d been given a heads-up so I could avoid reading the last novel. It seemed like the author’s easy way out of the messy situation she created in the first two issues. I gave the series 5 stars because of how remarkable the first two books were, but I’d give the third book a zero if I could.