by Herman Koch
(chosen by T-Rex)
Theme: An author you haven't heard of before
Some background links to get you started:
- 'Nasty bits' - a review by Claire Messud in The New York Times.
- 'Tension simmers in a shilling serve' - a review by Rebecca Starford in The Sydney Morning Herald
- Review by Louise Welsh in The Guardian
- Discussion questions at Book Coasters
What we discussed about the book:
- what *should* a parent do in these circumstances?
- was there elements of (black) humour in the restaurant scenes?
- as the characters are unveiled how is the narrator revealed as unreliable?
- was the bicycle shop scene the first hint of things to come?
- is the brother the only one who brushes with a conscience?
- are we, the readers, tricked into our response to the politician?
- sheen of middle class morality over middle class decay
- was the setting realistic for such a discussion?
- the psychological disease he claims to have doesn't exist (i.e. can be picked up in utereo)
- nature vs nurture, genetic vs environment
- are we just acting out our fates, or do we choose our destinations?
- is Clare a moral compass?
- is the purpose of the book to show us how thin the veneer of respectability is?
- are Paul and Clare nature vs Serge and Babette nurture?
- at what point as parents should you take a stand?
- did it matter that we hated every character?
- did we feel tricked that we didn't realised their true natures initially?
- is this a good translation? how would we know?
Ratings
Range: 3 to 7.5
Average: 5.57
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