Summer House with Swimming Pool: A Novel

I give this 4 stars with some reservation. I almost gave it 3. I liked the book, and it kept me reading -- but it was so bizarre. Pretty much every adult character are creepy, weird, twisted folks. The main character -- who is a doctor-- was particularly creepy in the disgusting ways he viewed the human body. One would hope that doctors don't really think those things while examining you. As you get into the book, you find that each character is more perverted than the next. And no one is particularly likeable, except perhaps the doctor's wife Caroline. I suppose that keeps you open-minded when the big tragedy of the book occurs, and there is a wide range of people who could have committed the crime, and so in that way, it is a bit of a "who-dunnit". I thought the ending was a little confusing, but that kind of goes along with the strangeness of the rest of the book. I know who did it though. Good beach read, but be prepared to have your skin crawl.

First, the good stuff: Herman Koch is a gifted writer who has a talent for painting scenes and people in a lyrical style that is so good, that you think you are actually there with the characters. This is especially astonishing given that this is a translation (my hat is off to the translator), and I find that writing is sometimes stilted at best when it comes to many translations. In this one, we really feel like we're transported to this commercialized island paradise to the point where you can actually feel the heat and smell the suntan lotion, sweat and fear of the characters. About the only thing that humanizes these people is their scent, because otherwise, there is nothing at all very likable about any of them. From a narcissistic and emotionally remote physician, his one-dimensional wife and children who don't seem to be real at all, but are just there to move the plot along. Even the child who is the victim does not seem either real or likeable. There's a whole host of supporting characters, each of which is similarly unsympathetic to the reader. They were the kind of people you needed to get away from and take a shower after meeting. Honestly... in the midst of all of this are actors, physicians, hangers-on and such who manage to be peripherally involved in some type of mysterious attack on the main character's daughter. The remainder of the book consists of the doctor's revenge on the alleged attacker. Moral of this one: Think twice before antagonizing your family physician.... Still, despite the inability to create sympathetic characters (which, after all is not really the author's job), Koch does concoct an interesting plot that will keep you turning the pages on your ocean beachside vacation while reaching for the adult beverage of your choice. By the time you get to the end, you'll be thankful that you are laying on a quiet beach rather than in the middle of this contortion of a novel. I definitely think it is worth it as a beach read, and will be picking up Koch's first novel as well.

I had previously read Herman Koch's "The Dinner" and loved it. After reading the first few pages of this book in preview mode I noticed, again, how adept the author is at translating a character's innermost feelings, biases, perspectives, and observations into words. One of my literature professors once told us that a very good writer can express something in words so well that it resonates in our mind as if we had thought of it ourselves. We literally stand in the shoes of the author and view the world through his (or her) eyes, but it's so vivid it's as if we arrived at the same thought at the same point in time. Such an author is Herman Koch. His stories (at least the two I've read so far) are not pleasant - the characters are flawed, unlikable, and exhibit the worst side of human nature. But, we all know or have observed people like this - we recognize them instantly - in a sense becoming so immersed in the story that it's as if we are there, in those scenes, as an invisible observer. I can understand those reviewers who didn't enjoy the book - it is not a tidy book, with likeable characters, a well-framed plot, and a "tie up all the loose ends" ending. It is a character study of the darker side of human nature, taking us to where most of us have never gone before, but, given the right circumstances, one never knows what each of us is capable of doing. I found it delicious reading, enjoying the mastery of a not only a brilliant author, but a brilliant observer and interpreter of human nature, albeit the darker side of same. While I don't envision a steady diet of delving into the dysfunctional side of human behavior - the occasional read, done with the excellence of the author, is a fascinating journey.

I really enjoyed this novel! Loved the narrator! He was frank and unapologetic, but not rude. Loved the characters, the twists, the setting. Thought some details were vague and questioned some of the characters` decisions, but got quickly over that. Will go pick up the Dinner soon.

Recomendable

I've never read such a delighting written book, with such a lack of real plot for most pages, but even so, so beautifully and cleverly crafted masterpiece. I can't use my words alone to tell you what I have in hands when it comes to a Herman Koch's book; I'll only say this: I read this book just over a year ago and as I reread it in this recently purchased edition, I still find myself deeply caught up inside its world, and so, so much obsessed with Marc's mind and Koch's way of saying things. The whole thing just blew my mind, and even though I know exactly what's going to happen overall, consciousness can't overtake the pleasure of the feeling of meeting old friends again, hearing the same old stories, but still laughing over them.

Over the past week, I've read The Dinner and Summer House with Swimming Pool back to back, and it was quite an intense experience. As I said in my review of The Dinner, the characters in this book are larger than life (or in this case, more horrible than life), and the book is satirical, but it explores several "taboos" of modern society. It was particularly apt to read it now, following the exposure of certain sex scandals in the entertainment industry - surely the characters of Stanley, the film producer, and his teenage girlfriend Emmanuelle, must have been taken from that source. The narrator is Marc, a doctor, who despises his rich patients, but has found a way to make money out of them without expending too much energy. Marc has an attractive wife, Caroline, and two vapid daughters, Julia and Lisa. One of Marc's patients, Ralph Maier, an actor, invites Marc and his family to their holiday home, and against his better judgement (or is it?), Marc winds up there. Caroline is pursued by Ralph, and Marc amuses himself with Ralph's wife, Judith, who seems to be up for a dalliance. Marc considers himself a "charming" man, although again I suspect this concept is satirical - presumably men like Marc must consider themselves charming and irresistible to women. Julia, the older daughter, has a mild relationship with one of Ralph's sons. Marc professes to love his daughters, and is protective of them, but as the book unfolds, I started to wonder if this was love, or possession. Marc is quite happy to look lustfully at other men's daughters, and there is a rather disturbing scene later in the book where Marc's relationship with Julia seems just a little closer, for a father and teenage daughter, than I'm comfortable with. Ralph is Marc's patient, and he dies under Marc's care. Marc is under investigation for medical negligence, but the suspicion in the mind of the reader is that he may have committed murder. At the end of the book, Marc and his family decamp to the USA, to avoid Marc's malpractice investigation and to live with Stanley, who is in the process of setting up Julia and Lisa as "models". Marc seems fine with this - apparently Julia has now graduated to womanhood, and can be exploited by Stanley and his ilk in the same way as other women are. I love Herman Koch's writing. He's a ruthless observer of human nature, and he doesn't spare the reader. You're left feeling very exposed - could YOU be as bad as these characters if the situation arose? Maybe we're all just a step away!

As with his book The Dinner, Herman Koch brings to life the characters in this book with dry wit and realism. i thoroughly enjoyed the journey taken by the main character and his family was they battled "ordinary " life experiences, to then ask yourself, how far would I go to make things right? i really enjoy Hermans style of writing. There is a perfect blend of sarcasm and humour, real life experience and a plot that is believable. do yourself a favour!