Herman Koch
Originally published by Ambo Anthos, 2009
Published USA Hogarth, 2013
Genre: Drama, Ficton, Mystery
Paul Lohman is getting ready for dinner; he and his wife Claire are meeting his brother Serge and his wife Babette. He isn’t going to tell you where they are going, he can’t let you know that. Paul is a very negative man, everything is an issue and he will tell you about each and every one in turn. But this is only to give you context, and maybe even distract himself from the truth. He and his wife have to go to this dinner, even though neither really wants to. They have to talk to Serge and Babette about the horrible thing their boys have done. They have to decide what they are going to do...
I took this along on vacation. Yes, yes I know. It wasn’t in the picture, it wasn’t in the post. Blah blah. May I remind you, that in the post I did mention that I enjoy variety while I am away? I grabbed this book at the last minute out of the read pile because it seemed different. It was very different.
This book was not about liking the characters, or a happy story. It was darker. I found it very interesting though. To me the darkness sort of crept in. The books I normally read start out a bit dark, but they seem to get lighter as you move along. This one was like moving from twilight (the time of day… not the book!) to midnight, on a moonless night. Did I get too artsy there for ya? I liked it! I might even do it again someday, so there. The whole time while reading this book I kept thinking “This is crazy! Why would you ever do that? What is the matter with you?” What was very interesting was this book was set over the course of one meal. The book is broken up into courses (appetizer, main etc.).
Even though this book took place during one meal, everything was scrutinized down to the tiniest detail. The descriptions were a little bit tedious. I don’t need to know where the bloody olives came from! But then again, perhaps that was the point. The pretension of the meal versus such a horrible discussion to have during it.
I really didn’t like Paul, he was very negative. I just couldn’t understand why the little things irritated him so much. Why he resented his brother the way he did. I could not wrap my head around it all. I kept thinking that Claire was a saint for putting up with him, but then again she isn't all she seems either. I do understand that we aren’t supposed to like him but I feel that for the purposes of the blog I need to point out that you will not like Paul. In the end you do sort of understand why he is the way he is, however it doesn't change how I felt about him.
Once I had finished this book I had to just sit there for a minute and absorb it. This book feels like it was created to make you uncomfortable. It did just that, it made me wonder what I would do in the same situation. All I really do know is that I sure as heck won’t do what they did!
My Verdict: Read it only if you’re looking for something different and a bit dark
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How would you handle the same situation? Did you like this book? What did you think of Serge?
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If you liked this,
try:
We Need to Talk About Kevin (NY Times recommended, and I agree)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (NY Times recommended, and I agree)
