The Ditch

by Herman Koch, Sam Garrett (Translator)

The bracing and inventive new novel of suspicions and secrecy from Herman Koch, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dinner

When Robert Walter, popular mayor of Amsterdam, sees his wife toss her head back with laughter while chatting to one of his aldermen at a New Year's reception, he immediately suspects the worst. Despite their long and happy marriage, Robert is convinced that Sylvia is cheating on him - with the respectable alderman who is dedicated to the environment, no less. The man that wants to spoil the capital's skyline with wind turbines.

Robert and Sylvia have a daughter, Diana. The New Year's reception marks the end of the "happy family" era that the mayor has enjoyed for so long. His wife and daughter, however, are not aware of his suspicions, and carry on as usual. Robert starts spending a lot of time and energy 'behaving normally'. Naturally, his normal behavior is far more suspicious. Normally he's not really present when he's at home - he's preoccupied with his phone, the newspapers and his own thoughts. But now he's so sure he'll miss the clues if he doesn't pay attention, that he starts to be almost alarmingly attentive and interested--ultimately losing himself in increasingly panicked, and paranoid, trains of thought.

Written with Herman Koch's trademark originality, playfulness, and edge, THE DITCH is a wildly clever--and guttingly familiar--story of a man whose sadistic skill for undermining himself and his marriage comes to cost him nearly everything.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Roman, Mystery, Literature, Literary Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 2016

About the author

Herman Koch (1953) is known as a television producer and a writer. The book 'Het diner', published in 2009, was his breakthrough in the Netherlands. It was published in 17 countries. It was partly based on a true story involving a homeless woman named, María del Rosario Endrinal Petit, in Barcelona (Spain), in December 2005.

Koch was born in Arnhem, and later moved to Amsterdam. He studied Russian for some months, and lived in Finland for a while. Nowadays he is married to the Spanish Amalia, and has a son, Pablo (1994).

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t want it to be this way…

Oh dear, Mr. Koch, I thought you could do no wrong. Yeah, you talk a good game. I mean, I could listen to you all day, the way you put your sentences together. You have the obsessed, creepy guy down pat; whether he’s a bona fide psycho, a wannabe psycho, or a garden-variety neurotic. You know how to dig deep into main characters and how to create fascinating unreliable narrators. And your sensibilities, your dark view of human nature, the way you analyze every little thing in the funniest way—all irresistible! It’s just that this novel is a mess. Did I just say that?

Yes, sadly, I have to pull out my Complaint Board:

-Okay, let’s talk about the plot. The book starts off like a firecracker, intense as all get-out. As with your other books, I got pulled into a warped mind right away. The main character is the mayor of Amsterdam, and his psyche is a fun place to be. He’s an obsessive, paranoid guy who is convinced his wife is cheating on him. The fantasies he creates are a riot: all dramatic and worse-case scenarios. I was revved up, expecting to watch the star get crazier and crazier, but Mr. Koch, it’s like you completely forgot your train of thought! The intensity fizzled, and suddenly the mayor is talking about….windmills? Really? There’s another story about the mayor’s old parents, and it’s good, but it doesn’t have anything to do the main plot—or what I thought was the main plot. I kept trying to keep my eye on the ball, but the ball was a moving target. And let’s not even talk about cohesion—there was zilch.

-Side trips all over the place. Okay, first, the windmills. They get entirely too much air space. You go on and on and on, discussing the politics behind them. Gag me with a spoon! Did you forget you were writing a novel? Oh, and the mayor has a friend, and they discuss the universe—quite a bit. Throw in chats about fascism, the environment, and architecture, and the yawns multiply. Each of these side trips would have worked fine as a non-fiction essay. I wanted them gone from this novel. I wanted tangy juice, not dense loaves of bread.

-Huh? Please explain! A couple of things happened at the end (nothing had been happening before then, which bugged me). But unfortunately, I couldn’t understand the motivations and I couldn’t even be sure that I “got” what the events were. At all. Yes, of course I reread, but I just didn’t get it. Nothing worse than not understanding what the hell just happened! So the ending wasn’t just weak, it was incomprehensible. Maybe smarter readers could make sense of it; for this bonehead, it was a mess. What a bad way to end a book that I already didn’t like.

So, so disappointing. I loved your first three books, Mr. Koch, so expectations were high. The Dinner was an all-time favorite, in fact. I’ll check out your next book, but with a little trepidation, I must admit.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

At a New Years Eve work celebration gathering, ( which took place in the middle of the month of January), Robert Walter, the major of Amsterdam see’s his wife, Sylvia ( not her real name due to privacy concerns)....talking with
Alderman Maarten van Hoogstraten.
Robert and Sylvia have one daughter named Diana ( not her real name either- more privacy issues).

Robert is paranoid - obsessed - suspicious.....
he suspects his wife is having an affair.
“At the very moment my wife tossed back her head and laughed; the alderman had his hand on her elbow and was whispering something in her ear”.

“Now Sylvia looked around, her gaze sweeping the crowd. Was she looking for me? Or was she only making sure that no one was watching her and the alderman?”

Robert edges his way through the crowd to Maarten and Sylvia looking closely at his wife’s face for any indication that he might have interrupted their cozy little tete-a-tete.

Later that same night, Robert played back the scene at least 10 times in his mind while in bed.
Robert was obsessed- maybe ‘possessed’... ha... with chronic mistrustful thinking.
He stayed cool,calm, and collective on the outside....remained self-composed, and unruffled,
but on the inside he was anxious, and tormented with thoughts that Sylvia must be cheating on him.

Herman Koch is a master at unreliable characters...
All of his books:
“The Dinner”, “Summer House With Swimming Pool”, and “Dear Mr. M”, have an recognizable ‘KOCH STAMP’. He’s a one of a kind writer. Readers tend to have strong feelings about his books - with ratings all over the place.
Koch writes psychologically sophisticated thrillers.
I’ve enjoyed ‘every’ one of his books.
All his novels are deliciously sinister in nature.

In “The Ditch”, Robert thinks that during the pre-selection round for major,
They probably should’ve asked him if he was able to stomach standing around with people chitchatting over glasses of wine.
What I wondered, was not only could he tolerate the social affairs as part of his political responsibilities, but how could he function as mayor, at all, with all the inner distress that was unsettled. His suspicions and imagination of all that was not right was all too encompassing.
His 90ish old father told him that he and wife were planning a duo suicide.
Robert isn’t just upset or creeped out by the idea...
he’s suspicious ( in the same way he is his wife).
Robert doesn’t believe his father’s reasons or intentions are pure.

There are more subplots.
Robert hadn’t been major very long before the entire city seemed to be going off the deep end. Robert didn’t feel safe.

And there are moments that will make you cringe, and roll your eyes, shake your head, almost spit out the tea you’re drinking.

While at a political social event - he felt more comforted by the girl serving drinks than any of the other politicians in the room.
Robert didn’t think much of French President Francois Hollande— but he sure felt pride by the Dutch girl who served him drinks.
“Then the girl smiled too. She was an extremely-Dutch-Dutch girl, pretty in the way to which our country holds the patent rights, in a way that ought to make the dutch nation feel proud. So white, so blonde: creamy white”.

“The Ditch”, is a hell of a fun ride.
Robert and Sylvia take a pleasure trip to Paris.
And of course Robert wonders if his wife would still be playful, smile, tease, and wink at him if she were having an affair with
Maarten van Hoogstraten.

....Robert is hopeless... and he is close to losing everything that means anything in his life.
Another thought-provoking book is filled with dark suspense.

Herman Koch isn’t everyone’s cup of tea...
but for some of us, he can’t write books fast enough.
His writing is inventive and clever.
I adore Koch’s dazzling writing gifts.

Note... the title will become clear towards the end ....😉

Thank You Netgalley, Crown Publishing, and Herman Koch!!

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars.

Big-Time fan here of Herman Koch! THE DINNER, SUMMER HOUSE WITH SWIMMING POOL and DEAR MR. M were all 4 Star reads for me, but THE DITCH unfortunately was a disappointment.

The reader is informed up front the entire story will be told using aliases, names of characters, their home country, etc., which we are reminded of throughout, with expectation that the truth will be forthcoming....and we will see why. But do we?

And....what was most off-putting for me in the narration were the on-going sidelines that veer off in a new direction just when about to climax. The manner of telling was so all over the place, am not even sure I discovered all the answers.

So....60 year old Amsterdam Mayor Robert Walter, wife Syliva and daughter Diana....not their true names are the main characters with, ok, a good (broken up) side story of the mayor's elderly parents and one of his taller, better looking best friend Bernhard, also not his real name if I remember correctly, but there are other sides I found rather boring....not at all a usual characteristic of Koch's previous writings that often cracked me up or blew me away with shock factor!

Anyway....PARANOIA and the SUSPICIOUS mind of a DELUSIONAL mayor who envisions every possible looney-tune symptom of adultery with his wife having an affair is the main theme here....off and on.

As for the ending....and the meaning behind THE DITCH, a nonevent....for me.

No doubt about it though, I still look forward to reading any and all of Koch's future offerings. I'm 3 for 4!

***Arc provided by Crown Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for review***

[Metodi Markov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Официално нареждам г-н Кох до другите ми любими двама съвременни автори - французите Джиан и Уелбек. Имам си вече моя света троица от писатели, които не цепят басма никому и ми е почти винаги кеф да чета!

"Канавката" е петата му книга, която прочетох в последните няколко месеца, но този път на английски, защото не се знае кога и дали въобще ще бъде преведена, а на мен не ми се чакаше.

Кох и този път е създал напрегнат роман, с чудесна развръзка, която макар и в тон с развитието на историите в книгата не ми допадна съвсем. Вероятно, защото аз не съм холандец, а човек с по-тъмна кожа, тъмна коса и сърце, което сигурен съм, може да е черно, ако и когато е нужно. Има заложени много загадки, морални и прочие капани, което прави книгата почти интерактивна!

"Роберт" е кмет на Амстердам, щастливо женен за "Силвия" и горд баща на "Диана". Всичките имена са в кавички, защото не са реални и затова си има причина с название - стериотипи. Той е холандец, но жена му е чужденка, негде от изостаналите, прашни и бедни южни страни в края на Европа. Влюбване от пръв поглед ги е събрало в един необичаен, но плодотворен съюз.

Всичко би било непоносимо перфектно, обаче г-н кметът е политическо животно, с много изострени сетива, които изведнъж започват да му нашепват за възможна изневяра! Нещо абсолютно изключено според него, но ето че семенцето покълва лекичко и нахално, дори избуява с течение на времето! Необяснима афера, с противен холандски селяндур за капак и все пак, напълно възможна.

Вместо да се конфронтира с жена си, той започва да следи всеки жест, всяка поза и дума, в опит да отгатне, дали е прав в съмненията си. Отделно притежава този вид памет, която позволява до безкрайност да пренавиваш случки през паметта си, тълкувайки случилото се и откривайки нови нюанси всеки път. Това по никакви стандарти не може да се нарече благословия.

На сцената излизат и родителите му. Прехвърлили деветдесетте, те са все още активни и са хора, с които трябва да се съобразяваш. Заплита се и тук една неортодоксална интрига.

Третата сюжетна линия е за близкият му приятел Бернхард, известен астрофизик. Тя е и най-слабата, книгата спокойно можеше да мине и без нея.

Разбирам, защо холандците не харесват творчеството на Кох - отново изкарва на показ това у тях, което най-много ги дразни, но пък им е много трудно да отрекат, че са. Лицемерието и ксенофобията са упорити техни дружки през вековете и често се завръщат като бумеранг, небрежно хвърлен по незаслужаваща усилията цел...

Това не е книга на твърдите, окончателни решения и разкрития, всеки трябва да си състави собствено мнение, за кое, как и защо...

Цитати:

"People that take their own lives aren't the smartest from the bunch."

"The new fascism will, above all, adopt a human face. It will laugh more readily than the old fascism. Look less grim. Above all, it will act as though it understands us, as though it can easily understand our doubts."

"If human life is a mistake, than life after death would be an even bigger mistake."

Този е по памет, бащата на "Робърт" му обяснява тънкостите на живота:

"Когато го п��молиш, да прояви благосклонност към очния ти преглед за подновяване на шофьорска книжка, се пули все едно искаш кой знае какво и почва да дрънка за отговорности. Но отидеш ли да поискаш консултация свързана с евтаназията, става хипер услужлив, веднага ти дава брошури и виждаш, как буквално не го свърта да дойде веднага с теб у вас, за да я извърши лично той. До там стигнахме в наши дни!"

P.S. Все пак, почти съм сигурен, че отгатнах родната страна на "Силвия". В последната глава Кох ни дава повече насоки отколкото в цялата книга, вероятно точно с такава цел.

Попрегледах ревютата на другите читатели - изумително е, по колко различни начини са възприели те написаното, героите и ситуациите, до степен да изглежда, че сме чели различни книги!

Феноменален Кох!!!

[Zoeytron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.

This author's previous three novels were all 4-star reads for me.  But this one had my eyes glazing over, a tepid and tedious read.  What on earth was the purpose of withholding the real names of the characters, and why keep mentioning it?  Annoying.  Mayhap this was simply too nuanced for me, that's entirely possible.  I've been known to read a book wrong once or twice.  This put me in the mind of tilting at windmills, an exercise I did not enjoy.

[Heba]

عمدة أمستردام الانسان لا يعرف ما يريد ولكنه يعرف ما لا يريد...
الرجل الذي لا يتقن رسم الابتسامات السياسية ، يضحك ويغضب فى اللقاءات الصحفية ، يرتجل الخطب بنبرة مثالية ولا يطيل الحديث ويعرف متى يكسر الصمت....
عصبي المزاج ولكن قد يلقي مزحة ما يخطف بها قلوب الجميع.....هذا هو " روبرت " عمدة امستردام..
أما الانسان هو الذي تزوج عن حب وليس نزوة عابرة ، مشهد خاطف قصير تمكن من زرع بذرة الشك بأن زوجته خائنة ، وهنا كما لو ان الزمن يتخثر أمام الهواجس التى تتنامى رويداً...رويدا...
ويصبح جاسوساً متخفياً ظاهراً للعيان ، يتوقف عند كل إيماءة...ابتسامة...كلمة من الزوجة التى تقرأ وجهه وإن كان بعيداً...
استطاع الكاتب " هرمان كوخ " بجدارة أن يؤطر لحظة الخيانة الكاذبة داخل كل حدث في حياة عمدة امستردام ، في سرد آخاذ وإن كان متداخلاً ، لم يكن الأمر مُربكاً بقدر ما كان كاشفاً عن إحكام قبضة الهواجس والفشل في التملص منها....
هنا تجريم اللحظات...إعادة قراءة الذكريات بعين الارتياب ، الهواجس الخانقة تفتقر إلى الهواء ، عن الروابط الانسانية الواهنة....
لقد تطرق الكاتب إلى الحديث عن ما يُدعى الموت الرحيم ، اختلاف الثقافات ، الأحكام والتصورات المُسبقة....
النهاية لا يمكن الإمساك بها كما لو أن الخيط انفلت في لحظة ليس بالإمكان تداركها....
وأخيراً...ثمة شيء يدعو للإعجاب بالسيد " روبرت " ولكن ترى يخص عمدة امستردام أم الانسان..؟!!....

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Walter, the 60 year old mayor of Amsterdam, suspects that his wife Sylvia is having an affair, based solely on the fact that he saw her laughing at a party with another politician. He spends most of the rest of the book obsessing about this supposed affair, but he never asks Sylvia about it. His self absorbed musings are occasionally interrupted by some disturbing events in the lives of his parents, who are in their 90s, and an old friend.

Every time the book gets to a critical moment, with his parents, Sylvia, the friend, a reporter who dredges up his past, or even a lost cat, the chapter ends abruptly and the story picks up someplace else. Like Robert, the author is being evasive and skittering away from uncomfortable reality. His parents, wife and friend are going through some pretty heavy stuff, while Robert goes on sleep-inducing tangents about windmills. I definitely preferred “The Dinner”.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I was excited to get stuck into the latest offering from Koch, the master of unlikeable characters and uncomfortable situations and truths.

In short, this novel is about the Mayor of Amsterdam, Robert Walter, who suspects his wife of thirty years of having an affair. This is the gist of the novel. But mostly it's about Walter sharing his views and observations on lots of issues, such as nationalities, relationships, Amsterdam, politics, parenting and ageing parents, and a lot more.

I was captivated and delighted from the very beginning. The writing was smart, sharp, playful and sometimes I found myself thinking "oh, no, you didn't ...", which is why I enjoy Koch's books so much. Towards the last quarter, I got a bit bored, which sometimes happens.
Unfortunately, I have no idea what happened in the end, I probably missed some essential details?

Anyway, while this wasn't my favourite Koch novel, it was still worthwhile my time.

I'm convinced at least half a star is because of Gildart Jackson who's a very talented narrator.

[Nessrina Hazem · Rating 5 out of 5]

"عندما تشاهد فيلماً، فإنك تعرف في غضون عشر دقائق ما إذا كان جيداً أم رديئاً، و لكنك تستغرق وقتاً أطول مع الكتاب، و تمنح المؤلف مهلة لخمسين صفحة أو نحو ذلك، و لكنك تعرف بالطبع عند الصفحة مائة و سبعين أنه حالة ميئوس منها."

مع أول ٢٠ صفحة عرفت انه كتاب جيد و مشجع.. و زي ما أبرهني هيرمان كوخ في رواية "العشاء" بيرجع تاني يبهرني بأسلوبه الساخر و نقده اللاذع.. بيطرح كوخ موضوع الخيانة الزوجية و الشك و أثره على عمدة أمستردام "روبرت". كوخ تركيزه مع التفاصيل كان واضح في الرواية و منهم مثلا اختيار الأرنب (و هو تشبيه للانسان الجبان) كسبب في موضوع الخيانة مش بالصدفة.



"كم عدد تلك المواقف التي يمكنني إعادة بنائها متذكراً إياها الآن؟ كم موققاً أود أن أعيد بناءه؟ مواقف قد تحمل الآن معنًي مختلفاً."

الكاتب حيخليك تسأل طول الرواية هل المشكلة في الخيانة و لا في من يتعرض للخيانة (العمدة)؟

بيوجه كوخ نقد لاذع للمجتمع الهولندي من خلال حديثه عن الفاشية و الاستدامة.. مجتمع بيعاني من البرود، علاقات باردة من علاقة الزوج و زوجته لعلاقة الابن بأبيه. نتيجة البرود بنشوف تفاعل روبرت (العمدة) مع واقعة الخيانة..بتظهر شخصية روبرت شخصية جبانة و سلبية و ده واضح من السرد.

"كنت أخشى تدنيس الماضي، أخشى الخداع الذي يشوه معالم الحاضر، الذي يمكنني أن أتعايش معه بالفعل، لكن ليس الماضي.. من فضلك ليس الماضي"

و أعرف منين انها قاصداني أنا مش هو.. مش هو
وأعرف منين أن الضحكة دي مش له هو.. له هو
وليه أنا؟ ليه أنا؟ ليه ليه مش هو؟

لما تعرف قصة تعارف روبرت و سيلفيا لازم حيجي في بالك  اغنية فاتت جنبنا. شكه و يمكن احساسه بعدم الاستحقاق او قلة ثقته بنفسه او خوفه من المنافسة مع صديقه.. كل ده بينه الكاتب من خلال قصة تعارفهم.

اسلوب السرد عبر عن شخصيته المتملصة ، تفكيره في طواحين الهواء و الاستدامة و الفاشية في وقت مطلوب منه يفكر في والديه و في زواجه بيأكد انه مش قادر يواجه و مش قادر يعترف بخطئه و مش قادر يسأل و لا قادر يستمتع بحياته. بيلوم اللي حواليه بس في صمت.
سلبية روبرت و بروده جعلته يصور علاقته بزوجته و احتمالية تقبله لخيانتها بزهرية مشروخة مرممة عزيزة عليه لا يمكنه التخلص منها او خايف يتخلص منها

"أجل هكذا هي عادتي دوماً.. لسوف أحتضن الزهرية المشروخة بقوة، و أتعمد النظر في الشرخ.. وأجعله ناحيتي دوماً.. حتي لا يراه غيري"

عرض الكاتب مواضيع أخرى زي فكرة رغبة الكبار في الموت الرحيم و ترتيبهم له، و في المقابل فكرة الإقبال على الحياة في مرحلة ما بعد التسعين و التحول بين الفكرتين. و عرض فكرة الزواج من الأجانب و اختلاف الثقافات في هولندا.

النهاية مع انها غريبة شوية بس حسيتها مناسبة لشخصية روبرت.
في المجمل الرواية جميلة و الترجمة ممتازة.

[Tooter · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars rounded to 3. Oh no! Major disappointment. This is the 4th book I've read by Herman Koch. I really loved the first three books but this one was too weird and boring for me....until the last chapter. Too many tangents, digressions and in-depth discussions that had nothing to do with the course of the narrative. Or maybe I just didn't get it. Or maybe I'm too ADHD for this style of book. I almost gave up after the first few chapters but I skimmed through to the end and I guess I'm glad I did. He's a wonderful writer so I'll definitely be reading his future books.

[Caro the Helmet Lady]

So, the story goes like this: it started off quite well, but then I wasn't in the mood for this particular book and characters. Then I wasn't in the mood again, and I wasn't in the mood again, and I wasn't in the mood one more time and then I started reading Lethal White and THeeeeeeN I had to return it to the library. The End!!! (Jeb Ediah style)


Dunno, might get back to it one day again. :(

[Tucker Almengor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Hogarth Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

I'm really sorry to DNF this but I'm just not feeling it. The story is boring and the characters are bland.

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[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first time I read Herman Koch was Summer House with Swimming Pool for my library's summer adult reading program. I liked it enough that when I saw this title on First to Read I snapped it up without even reading the blurb. My expectation upon starting this novel was that it would be a slow moving, nuanced character driven plot. Robert Walter is a popular mayor who suspects his wife of cheating. True to form with Koch's other novels, Robert is an unreliable narrator and by the end of the novel you are never quite sure if there is any validation to his suspicions. Everyone else has aliases. Robert says this is critical as he does not want to give you clues to their nationality or country of origin. According to him, our inherent biases will lead us to make false suppositions about their character. At first I thought that Koch wanted us to focus on the action of the characters before making any decisions about Robert's insecurities and obsessive behaviors but honestly I did not see the purpose of this within the context of this book.

The title The Ditch seems to have more than one meaning. The first is the ditch as a figurative term for hole he digs for himself as he is trying to play detective and gather evidence to support or refute his fear without exposing himself. His behavior however become more peculiar and off putting the more he tries to play at being normal. He puts himself in more and more precarious situations that threaten his marriage, his reputation and his career. The second meaning reveals itself at the end of the book. I suspect that this was supposed to be a big twist but it was rather anti-climatic for me.

While reading The Ditch I kept waiting for something magical to happen. There were points where Koch seemed to be taking a cli-fi angle with the book expounding on global warming, alternate energy resources and infrastructure. I thought maybe Alderman Maarten van Hoogstraten was just a device to get readers to consider the environment and 1st world versus 3rd world problems. But alas I fear I missed something here. I just didn't get it.

*My 2 star rating signifies that this book simply was not for me. I do no want to deter Koch fans from reading this book. The writing was good. Either I am not the right reader or this book did not enter my life at the right time.

[Dmitrijus Andrušanecas · Rating 3 out of 5]

HERMAN KOCH ir jo GRIOVYS. Sėkmingai sau mintyse priskirdavau jį prie psichologinių detektyvų autorių, bet šį kartą to padaryti aš neįstengsiu. Jeigu nepažinočiau ir nebūčiau skaitęs jo kitos literatūros, perskaitęs šią knygą būčiau nustebęs. Nors tai nėra pats tinkamiausias žodis.

Herman Koch yra vienas įdomesnių autorių, kurio beribė manipuliacija veikėjais mane tiesiog siutina. Pagrindinis veikėjas, kuris yra pernelyg Toks, tam tikromis akimirkomis siutino mane savo panašumu. Tas jausmas ir elgesys patį išvargina, išbaigia, ir aišku, kad tai nesibaigs niekada – tai neužsukamas čiaupas, o naujos dienos rytas tavęs nuo to tikrai neišgelbės. Ir joks posakis, kad vakaras protingesnis už rytą čia taipogi netinka. Nors Tai pykdo mane, tačiau abejoju, ar pagrindiniam veikėjui tai bent kiek kėlė rūpesčių. Kaip jis pats nuo savęs nepavargo. O šiaip nuojauta kužda, kad didžiumą jo asmenybės surasite/atrasite/pamatysite savyje. Veidrodis.

Tai, kad pagrindinis veikėjas panardino mus į savo pasaulį, mums pasisekė (arba tiems, kas įsileido jį, o jis – juos). Tačiau pro akis neprasprūsta ir tam tikros detalės, kurios neišaiškėjo iki pačios pabaigos. Net ir dabar, turėdamas progos, paklausčiau autoriaus, kodėl vardai, kodėl būtent eutanazijos tema, kiek tai atliepia tikrovę, ar mama tai Jis, kas ten su Bernardu ir kodėl, po paraliais, triušis? Galbūt tai mano neakylas skaitymas, bet toks jausmas, kad daugybė detalių yra, tačiau jos nepaaiškintos. Jos svarbios, įvardintos, tačiau neapibrėžtos. Kas netvarkoje?

Dažnai nusišypsau perskaitydamas ant viršelio kokią nors NEW YORK TIMES ar kito (dažniausiai man nežinomo) asmens sakinį apie pasirinktą knygą. HET PAROOL teiginys kaip į dešimtuką – „Odė vaizduotei, kuri gali pasiglemžti žmogų“. Ir pats viršelis, tik perskaičius knygą ir į ją įdėmiau pakreipus žvilgsnį. Viskas stojo į vietas – ir pavadinimas, ir triušis, ir stiklo/veidrodžio/kitko gabalai.

Galimai susidaro įspūdis, kad knyga man nepatiko. Taip teigti būtų neteisinga. Šiuo metu net vertinti ją yra gana sudėtinga, kadangi visa istorija – veiksmas – veikėjai – aplinka yra vienas didelis mindf**k‘as. Be to, baisiai norėčiau nusikeikti. Nusvarini rankas, apimtas nevilties, iškvepi ir lepteli – wtf.

Rekomenduoju tiems, kas mėgsta valgyti šonkauliukus ar žuvį. Tie, kas mėgsta su maistu žaisti, jį tyrinėti, niekur neskubėti ir mėgautis. Taip galėsite skaityti ir GRIOVĮ. Jo.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ditch is a novel by prize-winning Dutch author, Herman Koch. It is translated from the original Dutch by Sam Garrett. Despite the absence of any clear outward signs, Amsterdam Mayor, Robert Walter strongly suspects that his wife is having an affair with one of his aldermen; it has him second-guessing her every look, every word, every gesture. With warped logic, he tortures himself with imagined scenarios and finds himself assigning omen status to every tiny thing to the point of paranoia.

“My wife’s remark today could, as it had at many points in the last few months, mean precisely one of two things: either she had decided to act as normally as possible and was pulling it off extremely well, or she wasn’t acting at all and was truly behaving normally.”

While denying that he is at all arrogant, Robert does have quite a high opinion of himself, so the (not at all handsome) man whom his wife has (perhaps) chosen for a lover leaves him bewildered. He can immediately rule out lust as the reason, so perhaps she craves variety, or it’s simply a matter of opportunity? He begins to wonder if he wants to know, realising that the knowledge will sully any possible future together as well as tainting sweet memories of the past.

Distracting him from this is his elderly father’s plan to commit suicide, with his mother, after his ninety-fifth birthday. Robert seems to tacitly accept this with the most cursory of objections and only a superficial effort to dissuade. This, and his reaction to the suicide threat of his newly-sacked city manager, gives the reader some idea of his disposition. He claims to have a strong character, expresses some quite provocative opinions and, with typically Dutch matter-of-factness, is highly critical of his own country and its residents.

Koch’s latest novel proves him wonderfully perceptive and insightful into human behaviour and social habits. He manages to include, amongst a myriad of interesting topics, windmills, environmental nazis and town halls. By the last line of this cleverly plotted novel, readers will be asking themselves, was there really adultery, murder and assault with grievous bodily harm, or was it all in the imagination of the protagonist? As with Koch’s other works, this one is thought-provoking and often blackly funny: he is, after all, a master of dark humour.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Text Publishing

[Kate♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5stars

I really enjoyed this! I LOVED Herman Koch's "The Dinner" for its unreliable narrators and interesting narrative style, so when I saw he had a new bookout I was very intrigued. This book follows a man who believes his wife is cheating on him, even though he has very little proof to believe this. He tells the reader up front he'll be using aliases and changing things to protect the people in the story, but of course, this also feeds into the beauty of Koch's unreliable narrators. Robert Walter is incredibly unreliable, unlikable, obsessive and paranoid.

To me, Koch wrote ruminations/obsessive/intrusive thoughts SO WELL. As someone who has OCD, this book was actually giving me a little bit of anxiety listening to Robert Walter's spirals of paranoia - some people might hate that, but to me it just showed how amazing of a writer Koch is!

This book was also a perfect example of stream of consciousness. I've seen many reviews saying they got annoyed at Robert's veering off down random anecdotes and thoughts during the climaxes and interesting parts of this story - but to me it just made it feel more REAL. It felt like Robert was telling me the story - think about it, when you're telling your friend a story, you're 1. incredibly biased in your telling and 2. go on a hundred different detours on your way to the end. So, for me, this was a realistic addition to this story!

overall this book is definitely not for everyone just like "The Dinner" isn't for everyone. If you're not a fan of unreliable narrators, unlikable narrators, or any of the other things I've mentioned you're not going to like this. But as someone who enjoys these aspects a lot, this was a very good book that i really enjoyed! I feel like I'm going to be thinking about this book for years, just like "the Dinner"!

[Ilana (illi69) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unreliable narrator must hide the identities of those he is mentioning in the story, as he is the Mayor of Amsterdam and wishes to protect the privacy of those involved. Much ado about retaining anonymity in this novel, for reasons that are not at all clear.

Our narrator, who has been blissfully married to a beautiful and smart woman and with which he now has an almost adult daughter, had developed an unsubstantiated suspicion his wife is having an affair with one of his aldermen when he sees the two whispering and laughing together at a New Year’s Eve party. From there he descends into a web of paranoid thinking which quickly takes over his whole life. The reader is never quite sure what parts of the story are real and which parts are pure inventions from the mayor’s overwrought mind as he looks for clues in every single interaction with his wife. What is amply clear is he thinks very highly of himself, as he talks about his life as a prominent public figure who has met with other important men such as Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and François Hollande. Powerful women somehow are not mentioned and he prides himself on his tongue in cheek machismo. In other words, our narrator fits all the criteria as a deeply unlikeable character, which is just what you expect from Koch.

There are several side stories. The alderman in question is an environmentalist who is pushing for windmills to be installed in the Amsterdam area. A plan which the mayor violently opposes on grounds it will visually deface the charming city, aside from the fact that he opposes environmentalists on principle. There is his father who is on the eve of his 95th birthday and has decided he and his wife will be committing suicide while they are still in their right minds and reasonable good health, to prevent their son the indignity of caring for incontinent bedridden and demented parents. His mother is not so sure about this plan but seems to have always followed her willful—I say bullying—husband. This plot line of course develops in unexpected ways and I must say I never understood what actually did or did not happen, which was frustrating, to say the least.

Similarly, much is made of his wife “Sylvia’s” foreign status and a her real name is never revealed so as “not to give too much away”. Just as much effort is taken not to reveal which country she is from, even as the narrator reminisces on traveling there as a young man and falling in love with her at first sight. He describes her as coming from a place where men take law and revenge into their own hands, so that a man who finds another cheating with his wife is quickly dispatched or separated from his family jewels, and where beautiful young women are married off to undeserving men. A place where people generally look much older than their years, as though their faces showed the heavy burden of life etched upon them. Also, a place where people are short and dark, so that someone such as he, very tall, pale and blonde, might have been perceived by his young bride as a “tall god from the north”. Why so much mystery about her country of origin is never made clear to me either. I decided early on this was one of the quirks of our narrator, that part of his massive ego made it necessary for him to create mystery even when it was unnecessary.

I’ve only read The Diner by Koch so far, and am among those who loved every bit of it, with its shocking premise and horrid narrator who seems like such a reasonable and even likeable person on the surface, and I was looking forward to reading more of his work. I still do in fact, because I like the way he creates cynical and unlikeable characters that are also complex and captivating. The pace in The Ditch was slow and plodding. There was a lot of repetition and all kinds of elements were thrown in that caused confusion, including a friend who was a physicist recognized to be as brilliant as Stephen Hawking (and in fact among his friends), who has some obscure plan to demonstrate where infinity begins and ends (or that’s what I understood anyway), by applying some theory which should enable him to give signs after his death. Yes—I’m still scratching my head over that one too.

I was happy to go along with all the quirkinesses of characters and story and various plot devices to see how all this was going to be resolved, knowing full well some elements would have to be left unexplained. However, I was not prepared to finish the book having no idea at all of who did what to whom, and was there or not an affair, and was he actually the attacker or not, and did he kill her on purpose or not, and am I the only one who didn’t understand the whole thing about the ditch finally, which most all other reviewers agree, came as a wet petard in the end.

[Renske · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mèh. Jammer. Teleurgesteld. Ik ben groot fan van de boeken van Herman Koch. Geen opsmuk, leest snel en spannend, ook tussen de regels door. Hoewel de hoofdpersoon sterk is, kon het verhaal me niet grijpen. Ik las steeds snel verder, wachtend op spanning die maar niet kwam. Jammer dat bepaalde verhaallijnen zo weinig aandacht kregen: zoals Bernhard en zijn theorie, de fietstunnel en het krantenartikel.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vlot geschreven met korte zinnen. Actualiteit en hedendaagse thema’s verwerkt. Knap hoe de greppel gedurende het verhaal wordt gegraven.

[Plateresca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, since it was my first experiment with a book subscription, and I just loved getting the surprise box :)

But no :)

So, the main character, the mayor of Amsterdam, suspects that his wife is unfaithful to him.

I mean, this is it. Nothing else happens for a long time.
'My wife's teasing remark today could, as it had at many points in the last few months, mean precisely one of two things: either she had decided to act as normally as possible and was pulling it off extremely well, or she wasn't acting at all and was truly behaving normally.'
And this drags on and on and on, until page 111.

Then some other things happen, but most of the action happens on the last 50 pages.

Practically every character in this book is either crazy or unlikeable :)

The narrator is utterly unreliable and as a result the ending is extremely fuzzy - I mean, I've googled it and a lot of people find it confusing, not just me. Nevertheless, I'll tell you how I understand it; if you've read the book, tell me whether you agree or not.

I think, 'Robert' was sure that his wife was unfaithful to him, but at the same time was hoping he would somehow be convinced that she wasn't, or at least wouldn't be 100% convinced that she was. And in the end, he almost succeeded in convincing himself that nothing happened, but then her brother practically told him that all of his suspicions were right.
There is another question of whether the father was actually going to commit suicide or was just going to kill his wife. Nobody knows for sure, but we know that he has most likely ordered the red car when she was still alive, and she would never have permitted him to do it, so it looks like he might have killed her, yes.
As for the other riddles of the book, I'm sure the wife was Spanish (I live in Spain and all of this sounds awfully familiar); but I did not guess her brother's name, did anybody succeed in this?

Speaking of names and riddles, I enjoyed the references to cultural stereotypes, it's been fun reading about them and comparing them to my own perceptions.
Otherwise, obviously, this book was not for me :)

[Jolynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Life is short. Skip The Ditch. Read The Dinner.

[cypt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pirma pažintis su Kochu! Ką aš čia perskaičiau??? Trumpai tariant: skaičiau maloniai, galvoj liko nedaug.

Romane istoriją pirmuoju asmeniu pasakoja Amsterdamo meras, nuolat aiškina kaip jis pakeitęs visus vardus ir ypač žmonos tautybę, nes kitaip, jei mes atspėsim ją, tai jau visai. Visą laiką jausmas toks, kad pasakotojas nepatikimas. Turbūt taip ir yra, bet... nesupratau pabaigos, kurioje viskas kažkaip magiškai apsisuka ir turėtų paaiškėti didžiausios intrigos. Man nepaaiškėjo.

Siužetas trumpai toks: meras dirba savo darbą ir ima įtarinėti žmoną, kad ta suka romaną su jo pavaduotoju. Ima prirašinėti reikšmę kiekvienai detalei; visa tai šiek tiek primena studentiškas semiotines / intertekstines analizes, kai bandai iš kiekvienos užuominėlės išskaityti Deep Thoughts ir daryti amžiaus literatūrologinius atradimus. Dėl viso to ir atrodo, kad pasakotojas nepatikimas; vienoj vietoj net pagalvojau - tai gal meras neištikimas žmonai su pavaduotojo žmona??? Bet nežinau, nes NESUPRATAU PABAIGOS.

Galvoju: gal originale yra koks olandiškas intertekstas, gal tai kokio svarbaus kūrinio perdirbinys / citata? O gal pabaiga specialiai nesuprantama?

Jei specialiai nesuprantama - gal visai ir faina. Bet apskritai sunku susidaryt normalų, nuoseklų įspūdį apie knygą. Nepatikimų pasakotojų mes jau matėm tiek ir tiek - norisi kažko daugiau, arba siužeto posūkių (pageidautina suprantamų), arba aiškios tezės... Jei tai kritika-provokacija apie laisvą visuomenę (pasakotojo tėvai nusprendžia pasidaryt eutanaziją, nes tipo jau viską pamatėm, ir nuo ten vyniojasi dar viena linija) - tai irgi galėtų-turėtų būti aiškiau išreikšta.

DAVAI KAS NORS MAN PAAIŠKINKINT PABAIGĄ???

[İpek Dadakçı · Rating 5 out of 5]

Çok acayip bir kitap Hendek. Her okura hitap etmeyebilir, ben çok beğendim ve farklı buldum. Olay odaklı ve her meselenin illa kesin bir yere bağlanması beklentisinde bir okursanız (ki o zaman İskandinav edebiyatı genel olarak size hitap etmeyebilir) Hendek’i muhtemelen sevmezsiniz. Hendek, atmosferi bakımından tipik İskandinav edebiyatı eseri olsa da dediğim gibi aynı zamanda çok da farklı.
Amsterdam belediye başkanının yeni yıl resepsiyonunda eşini bir belediye encümeninden kıskanıp, aralarında bir ilişki olduğu şüphesine kapılmasıyla başlıyor kitap. Bu çiftin ilişkisi ekseninde patolojik sınırlarda kıskançlıkla ilgili bir hikaye olduğunu düşünüyorsunuz ancak ilerledikçe sürekli bambaşka mevzular çıkıyor karşınıza. Belediye başkanının görevinin sorunlarıyla beraber iklim değişikliğinden demokrasinin işleyişine, 95 yaşındaki anne babasının dahil olmasıyla beraber ailevi ilişkiler, yaşlılık, ihanet, intihar gibi temalara, en yakın arkadaşıyla olan diyalogları üzerinden de Paralel Evrenler Teorisi ve alternatif gerçekliklerle ilgili sorgulamalara gidiyorsunuz. Metinden beklentinize bağlı olarak bu çeşitliliği çok sevebilir ya da sıkıcı bulabilirsiniz. Olay odaklı bir okursanız bu ‘dağılmanın’ ana kurgudan uzaklaştırdığını hissedip sevmeyebilirsiniz. Ben, bu kadar farklı konuya, akıcılığı yitirmeden ve karakterin zihninin doğal akışında temas etmesine bayıldım gerçekten. Sanki bir yerde okuru da test etmiş Koch bu şekilde, çünkü pek olay olmayan kitapta, farklı sahnelerle ilerlerken hem dikkatinizi başka başka yönlere çekiyor hem de merak ettiklerinizle ilgili ipuçlarını -farklı okumalara elverişli şekilde- serpiştirerek ilerliyor. Üstelik bunu yaparken de pek çok konuyla ilgili dertlerine değiniyor. Özellikle modern insanın kendi içinde hem bireysel hem toplumsal konulardaki çelişkileri ve çifte standartlı duruşu çok güzel aktarılmış. Güya daha demokratik bir çağda yaşamamıza rağmen, doğrularımızı -ne kadar evrensel olduklarından bağımsız- herkese dayatmayı hak gören faşist bakış açımızla, herhangi bir konuda başkalarını acımasızca yargılayıp kınarken tamamen aynı durumu kendimiz için bir övünç kaynağı gibi görebilme ikiyüzlülüğümüzü çok güzel yansıtmış.
Çok farklı açılardan ele alınabilecek bir kitap. Çok seviyorum böyle kitapları.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Walker (though that’s not his real name) is the Mayor of Amsterdam. He’s been happily married for many years to Sylvia (thought that’s not her real name). At a New Year’s Eve party, Robert sees his wife talking to one of his aldermen, laughing at a joke, and despite the fact that he has absolutely no grounds for his suspicions, he’s sure they’re having an affair. And off he goes on a paranoid journey that may cost him more than he thinks. Or maybe not.

What a fun, thought provoking book this was! I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Koch’s wit and humor in this one, even more so than in his previous books which I also enjoyed. I thought it was all very clever and engaging. Despite its humor, it also touches on some serious issues, including what is apparently the Netherlands’ loose idea on euthanasia of the elderly. That part of the book gave me chills rather than tickling my funny bone. But even how that all ended up left me chuckling. Herman Koch’s words expertly crawl into your mind to mess with it. And oh that ending! It left me with more questions than I started out with but I thought it was perfect for such a mind altering experience as this book was. I’m not normally a fan of satire but I do like the way that Herman Koch serves it up.

Recommended.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Galadrielė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tai buvo pirmoji mano perskaityta Herman Koch knyga ir, tiesą sakant, visiškai nesitikėjau, jog "Griovys" man taip patiks, nes anotacija šiuo atveju nebuvo įspūdinga.

Visų pirma reikia paminėti tai, kad intensyviai rutuliojamo veiksmo čia nerasite. Viskas vyksta pamažu, su retkarčiais pateikiamomis intrigomis, kurios man be proto patiko ir labai tiko pačiam kūriniui.

Neištikimybė. Įvairios mintys, kurias susikūrei nežinodamas tiesos. Detalios smulkmenos, kurios neduoda ramybės. Nebūtų dalykų prisigalvojimas. Galia. Žinomumas. Eutanazija. Savižudybė. Net gamtos tematika, kuri yra man tokia artima. Visos šios temos man paliko labai daug minčių ir apmąstymų. Su kai kuriomis sutikau, o kitoms prieštaraučiau visa siela. Skaitai ir galvoji, ar autorius skaito tavo mintis, ar tiesiog šis kūrinys yra toks artimas, jog galėtum diskutuoti dienų dienas ir vis tiek nerasti teisingo atsakymo.

[Aniek Phaff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Niet slecht, maar het bevat veel elementen die we al kennen van Koch en dat maakt het weinig verrassend. Zo is er, bekend van Koch, een wat ijdele, arrogante en achterdochtige hoofdpersoon met een publieke functie die er soms wat vreemde en omslachtige handelswijzen op nahoudt. Ook het trucje van het niet bekend willen maken van 'echte' namen en plaatsen hebben we al eerder gezien. Voeg daarbij een beetje geweld, wat ethische kwesties, familierelaties en een vleugje maatschappijkritiek en we hebben weer een typische Koch.

[Barbaraw - su anobii aussi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cotto male

Pessimo miscuglio di ingredienti indigesti.
Sembra che Koch abbia deciso a tavolino la ricetta del romanzo più scardinato della sua carriera: Ingredienti: gelosia e sospetto - politica - razzismo (apparentement denunciato ma l'effetto è l'opposto) - un briciolo di suspense, mal gestito, una eutanasia (siamo pur sempre in Olanda), un poco di fisica mal compresa e un finale che aspira e non riesce a essere alla Sliding Doors.
Amalgamato alla bell'e meglio. Cottura troppo veloce, prodotto bruciacchiato.

Persino il commento ispirato al romanzo assomiglia alla lettura, frammentato, poco ispirato. Non tornerò più a Koch, nemmeno per tentazione di facilità di lettura.

[Jurga Jurgita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aš labai stebiuosi tokiais žmonėmis, kurie turi lakią vaizduotę ir gali susikurti tokį pasaulį aplink save, kuriame jaučiasi saugūs lyg burbule. Visa tai pateisinama, kol vaizduotė neperžengia ribų ir kol pats netampi jos įkaitu. Turbūt karts nuo karto savo vaizduotę į darbą paleidžiame ir kiekvienas iš mūsų. Mano vaizduotė šiuo atveju man puikiai pasitarnauja, kai skaitau knygas. Knygų siužetai mano smegenis priverčia dirbti visu šimtu procentų ir įsivaizduoti tai, ko galbūt nesugeba vienas ar kitas žmogus. Tai skaitytojo vaizduotė. Tačiau, ko kartais nepadaro žmonės įsivaizduodami nebūtus dalykus to, ko tikrai nėra ir nebus. Todėl ir Herman Koch knyga "Griovys" ir yra apie tai, kaip žmogus gali regėti dalykus, kurių visiškai nėra. Sakysit, kad fantastika? Anaiptol, mielieji. Tai labiau mūsų proto galimybių parodymas, kurios mus taip pasiglemžia duodamos valią vaizduotei, kad arba tu išsilaisvini, arba ir toliau jai vergauji. Pažintis su šiuo autoriumi prasidėjo būtent nuo šio romano, o ankstesni kūriniai dar laukia savo eilės. Prisipažinsiu, kad Herman Koch kūrinius aš vis apeidavau ratu ir nedrįsdavau skaityti ne dėl to, kad nenorėčiau, bet tiesiog būdavo netinkamas laikas. Tačiau, kai pamačiau, kad tai ne detektyvas (aš juos tikrai labai mėgstu, bet ne dabar), nieko nelaukus suskubau pasinerti į šią nuostabią odę vaizduotei ir protui. Žinot, knyga mane įtraukė lyg magnetas, kurią skaičiau tikrai lėtai. Mėgstu aš tokius dėsningus, ramius, kartkartėm vingiuojančius knygų siužetus. Iš karto pasakau, kad čia nebus veiksmo, nebus daug įvykių ar kulminacijos, kuri privers aiktelėti. Čia sėslus romanas, kuris lyg gera dirva-išdirbtas, augantis ir laukiantis rezultato. O rezultatas aiškus ir paprastas-vaizduotė ir jos ribos. Taip ir gyvena Robertas Valteris, populiarusis Amsterdamo meras. Iš pažiūros šis žmogus-eilinė asmenybė, tačiau jo vaizduotė nepaprasta, dirbanti dvidešimt keturias valandas per parą, sudirginanti kiekvieną jo neuroną ir priverčianti jo gyvenimą įtarimų, baimių, nesusipratimų lavina. To pasekoje, pamatęs, kaip jo žmona linksmai šnekučiuojasi su vienu iš jo pavaduotojų, akimoju išsigąsta paties blogiausio. Nepaisydamas judviejų ilgos ir laimingos santuokos, Robertas įsitikinęs, kad žmona Silvija jį apgaudinėja. Labai sunku perteikti visa tai, kas rašoma šioje knygoje, bet nepaprastai buvo įdomu pažvelgti į vyro pasąmonę ir jos užkaborius, kurie lyg labirintai paklaidina tave, bet ar jų gale užsidegs šviesa, labai priklauso tik nuo jo pačio. Robertas pradeda dvejoti savo santuoka, jis pats po truputį pradeda klibinti jos pamatus, kaišiodamas pagalius į ratus: "Santuoka kaip žiemos peizažas, kietasprandiškas tylėjimas, sutrikdomas tik čaižančio vėjo". Neužtenka to, prie visų šių įtarinėjimų prisideda ir Roberto tėvas, kuris praneša, kad drauge su žmona nusprendė numirti. Kodėl jie priėmė tokį sprendimą ir kaip reaguoja Robertas, kviečiu išsiaiškinti šioje subtilioje knygoje. Ši knyga man pasirodė keistai įdomi vien jau todėl, kad daug gilių, prasmingų vyro pamąstymų, kurie kartais priverčia nustebti, kartais nusišypsoti, kartais sunerimti. Tai kitoks kūrinys nei įprastai:reikalaujantis dėmesio, atidumo, moralės normų supratimo. Jei atvirai man patiko, nes vienaip ar kitaip tai lyg parodymas kaip nepasimesti ir per daug neįsipainioti į vaizduotės pinkles. Nenorėdama per daug išfiltruoti viso knygos siužeto, noriu rekomenduoti šią knygą skaityti tiems skaitytojams, kurie mėgsta gilius, prasmingus tekstus, kurie nesibodi lėto vyksmo, kurie nori ne tik sužinoti, bet tuo pačiu ir pasidalinti, kurie nori ne tik suprasti, bet ir išsiaiškinti. Kitaip tariant, knyga turėtų patikti ir tiems, kas skaitė tokias knygas kaip "Šeštadienis" ar "Spalio tylėjimas". Na o pabaigai, kad neabejotumėt, taip ir norisi pasakyti: "Susikimbam ne tam, kad kits kitą prilaikytume, bet iš meilės, iš prielankumo, kadangi tiek vyrui, tiek moteriai malonu būti drauge".

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

So incredibly compelling! All the story lines are fascinating and unfold at the perfect pace to entice you to continue reading!

The main character is the mayor of Amsterdam. At a party he notices his wife touching a colleagues arm in a way that makes him feel they are having an affair. Are they or is it an overly active imagination? The answer and more is the rest of the book.

I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Christine Bonheure · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik lees deze auteur wel graag, hoewel ik dit boek iets minder vind dan zijn andere. De burgemeester van Amsterdam ziet hoe zijn vrouw op een receptie staat te lachen met een wethouder. Dat is al genoeg om zijn vrouw te verdenken van alle mogelijke ontrouw ter wereld. Grappig om te lezen wat die man zich allemaal in het hoofd haalt! Hun hele gezamenlijke leven passeert de revue, inclusief ontmoeting, eerste reis, dochter…. Antwoordde zijn vrouw een paar maanden geleden niet raar op een vraag? En hoe zat het met dat telefoontje van die vriendin ‘die hij toch niet kent’. Zeer herkenbare gedachten van een al wat oudere man die vreest bedrogen te worden. Ook het verhaal van zijn ouders die waardig uit het leven willen stappen en de verwikkelingen daarrond vind ik de moeite waard. Maar er zijn ook veel onnodige uitweidingen met losse eindjes, inclusief gekanker op windmolens.