A review by portable_magic78
Skylark by Dezső Kosztolányi

5.0

Kosztolányi's Skylark opens in the provincial town of Sárszegwith the Vajkays accompanying their daughter Skylark to the train station as she departs for a weeklong visit with relatives. Having never been separated from their daughter the reclusive Vajkays are initially despondent & at a loss with Skylark's absence. A dinner at a local restaurant initiates what seems to be an epicurean narrative of an elderly couple's rediscovery of identity due to empty nest syndrome. Skylark slowly morphs into a more complicated story, especially in the final section which contains a few gut wrenching moments of high drama, vitriol & genuine existential terror. Sensitive to familial obligations & how these can sometimes hamper & damage ourselves & our loved ones I found Skylark to be a memorable novel.