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You Should Have Left
From the internationally best-selling author of Measuring the World and F, an eerie and supernatural tale of a writer's emotional collapse.
"It is fitting that I'm beginning a new notebook up here. New surroundings and new ideas, a new beginning. Fresh air."
This passage is from the first entry of a journal kept by the narrator of Daniel Kehlmann's spellbinding new novel. It is the record of the seven days that he, his wife, and his four-year-old daughter spend in a house they have rented in the mountains of Germany - a house that thwarts the expectations of the narrator's recollection and seems to defy the very laws of physics. He is eager to finish a screenplay for a sequel to the movie that launched his career, but something he cannot explain is undermining his convictions and confidence, a process he is recording in this account of the uncanny events that unfold as he tries to understand what, exactly, is happening around him - and within him.
"It is fitting that I'm beginning a new notebook up here. New surroundings and new ideas, a new beginning. Fresh air."
This passage is from the first entry of a journal kept by the narrator of Daniel Kehlmann's spellbinding new novel. It is the record of the seven days that he, his wife, and his four-year-old daughter spend in a house they have rented in the mountains of Germany - a house that thwarts the expectations of the narrator's recollection and seems to defy the very laws of physics. He is eager to finish a screenplay for a sequel to the movie that launched his career, but something he cannot explain is undermining his convictions and confidence, a process he is recording in this account of the uncanny events that unfold as he tries to understand what, exactly, is happening around him - and within him.
2 pages, Audiobook
First published October 21, 2016
491 people are currently reading
35479 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Kehlmann
80 books1,386 followersDaniel Kehlmann is a German-Austrian author.
His novel Measuring the World (German: Die Vermessung der Welt) was translated into more than forty languages. Awards his work has received include the Candide Prize, the Literature Prize of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Heimito von Doderer Literature Award, the Kleist Prize, the WELT Literature Prize, and the Thomas Mann Prize. Kehlmann divides his time between Vienna and Berlin.
His novel Measuring the World (German: Die Vermessung der Welt) was translated into more than forty languages. Awards his work has received include the Candide Prize, the Literature Prize of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Heimito von Doderer Literature Award, the Kleist Prize, the WELT Literature Prize, and the Thomas Mann Prize. Kehlmann divides his time between Vienna and Berlin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,531 reviews
January 31, 2021
An amuse bouche fever dream. This "novel" is 114 pages, so really it is just a handsomely bound short story, but I forgive it. It's a smartly-written atmospheric piece, just the right size for a spare hour on a busy weekend.
Rumor has it that it has been made into one of those moving picture things. I haven't seen it, but I can see why it would be fun.
Rumor has it that it has been made into one of those moving picture things. I haven't seen it, but I can see why it would be fun.
June 29, 2020
It was natural that the book was set to gain more and more popularity with the release of the movie based on this book and having the same title. Bacon's acting was convincing but the movie could still not make the impact that this book is able to make once you read it. I will always rate the book by Daniel higher compared to what I will do with the movie. The book lets you feel the events and confusions more likely than you may do with the visual content. Though the text is very much 2d and the limitations are there, Daniel's writing feels more compulsive than the movie.
I liked the way the plot unfolds and lets the readers reel into the unrealistic realism by employing a conviction ploy with which the events are narrated. I liked it. I am impressed. Only problem with the novella is that it might feel too much at times and you may feel like putting it aside when nothing happens with time.
I liked the way the plot unfolds and lets the readers reel into the unrealistic realism by employing a conviction ploy with which the events are narrated. I liked it. I am impressed. Only problem with the novella is that it might feel too much at times and you may feel like putting it aside when nothing happens with time.
February 7, 2021
"In a movie it's funny when a life falls apart, because the people say clever things while it's happening, but in reality it's only dismal and repugnant."
This is the story of a man's emotional collapse. It's told like a haunted house story. It could easily be one, or maybe it's something else entirely. It's off... and that's the point. You come for the ghosts, you stay because you're stuck in a metaphysics trap.
A screenwriter rents a house in the mountains intending to write a sequel to his most successful movie. His wife and four year old daughter accompany him and at first all goes well. The story is told as if you're reading the journal he's writing. Scenes from his screenplay are mixed with him talking about his own life... and then sentences show up that seem out of place. Sentences telling him to leave. Sentences he doesn't remember writing.
This is an odd little book (only 111 pages) and if you're here for a ghost story, you might be disappointed. If you're here for a serious story about a man's life falling apart, you might also be disappointed. The haunting presented is subtly unnerving, but seems more like it's hitting harder just because the guy is already going through a rough patch.
It's an interesting balancing act. I don't know how else to describe it. I can see where it would frustrate many readers. It's honestly one of those books that I do not envy the people writing a plot description on the back, because no matter what you write trying to sell the thing, it's not going to reflect what the reader actually gets.
What it is though, is stunning. I don't exactly know what to call it (horror seems acurate enough but not fully there) but what we have is something very unique and it will stay with me for a long time. I can see the comparisons to House of Leaves but honestly, I like this a lot better and it's a lot shorter. I cant describe it properly, but I can give it a rare 5/5 stars.
This is the story of a man's emotional collapse. It's told like a haunted house story. It could easily be one, or maybe it's something else entirely. It's off... and that's the point. You come for the ghosts, you stay because you're stuck in a metaphysics trap.
A screenwriter rents a house in the mountains intending to write a sequel to his most successful movie. His wife and four year old daughter accompany him and at first all goes well. The story is told as if you're reading the journal he's writing. Scenes from his screenplay are mixed with him talking about his own life... and then sentences show up that seem out of place. Sentences telling him to leave. Sentences he doesn't remember writing.
This is an odd little book (only 111 pages) and if you're here for a ghost story, you might be disappointed. If you're here for a serious story about a man's life falling apart, you might also be disappointed. The haunting presented is subtly unnerving, but seems more like it's hitting harder just because the guy is already going through a rough patch.
It's an interesting balancing act. I don't know how else to describe it. I can see where it would frustrate many readers. It's honestly one of those books that I do not envy the people writing a plot description on the back, because no matter what you write trying to sell the thing, it's not going to reflect what the reader actually gets.
What it is though, is stunning. I don't exactly know what to call it (horror seems acurate enough but not fully there) but what we have is something very unique and it will stay with me for a long time. I can see the comparisons to House of Leaves but honestly, I like this a lot better and it's a lot shorter. I cant describe it properly, but I can give it a rare 5/5 stars.
February 18, 2025
Huh. I think it's possible that there's a deeper meaning to this book that went straight over my head, but I didn't hate it. The creepiness and intensity slowly builds up over the course of the novella (especially when you're listening to the audiobook at 1.5x speed – the narrator sounds absolutely maniacal by the end) and you start to suspect that all hope is lost, and then all of a sudden it isn't but also it is? I have no idea why narrator dude (did he have a name? I don't think so) did what he did at the end and IMO it was definitely the wrong decision, but also it sort of felt right? All I can really say for sure is that I'm glad there wasn't a cat in this story, because this totally feels like the kind of story where a a cat gets murdered and then its bloody corpse is nailed to a wall for the owner to find.
3.58 stars, rounded up.
3.58 stars, rounded up.
May 21, 2017
In the form of a diary, You Should Have Left is a screenwriter's account of a family holiday that's also supposed to function as a creative retreat. Having achieved commercial success by (selling out and) writing a lightweight comedy-drama called Besties, he's under pressure to come up with a sequel. His daughter Esther has just turned four, prompting our narrator to hope he will finally be able to have a little peace and quiet, as well as some conversations with his wife Susanna that aren't about 'who's getting up with [Esther], who's putting her to bed, who's playing blocks or trains or Legos'. They rent a grand house – recently built, modern, minimalist – at the centre of a pine forest, framed by two ice-capped mountains. Quickly, the narrator finds his family is a much greater distraction than he'd hoped, and he's lying to his boss about the progress he's made on the screenplay.
So far, so tormented-artist cliche. But what else is going on here? Read between the lines (sometimes literally) and there are hints of something far deeper and darker at work. The terrible dreams; strange illusions the narrator tries to shake off as tricks of the light; the architectural peculiarities of the house (why is it so easy to get lost?); blink-and-you'll-miss-them anomalies, such as the phrase 'get away' appearing at random in the middle of the narrator's sentences. There are tongue-in-cheek allusions to linchpins of the haunted-house plot (an odd encounter in the only shop in town) and clever modernised touches (the narrator found the house on Airbnb).
At barely 100 wide-margined pages, this is one of those novellas that stretches the limits of the term; is it a novelette? A short story? Of course I kind of wish it had been longer. But its genius is that it doesn't outstay its welcome. The restraint Kehlmann exercises is astonishing – the natural inclination, surely, would be to drag it out through different viewpoints, or even whack a five-years-later epilogue on the end. But no, it's just a simple, pared-back, stark and terrifying story. It's kind of like Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves if it'd been subject to ruthless editing and reduced to only the most authentic and menacing elements. Breathtakingly good, ingenious horror, definitely a book to be read in a single sitting on a cold, cloudless night. Just don't check your reflection in the window.
I received an advance review copy of You Should Have Left from the publisher through NetGalley.
TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
So far, so tormented-artist cliche. But what else is going on here? Read between the lines (sometimes literally) and there are hints of something far deeper and darker at work. The terrible dreams; strange illusions the narrator tries to shake off as tricks of the light; the architectural peculiarities of the house (why is it so easy to get lost?); blink-and-you'll-miss-them anomalies, such as the phrase 'get away' appearing at random in the middle of the narrator's sentences. There are tongue-in-cheek allusions to linchpins of the haunted-house plot (an odd encounter in the only shop in town) and clever modernised touches (the narrator found the house on Airbnb).
At barely 100 wide-margined pages, this is one of those novellas that stretches the limits of the term; is it a novelette? A short story? Of course I kind of wish it had been longer. But its genius is that it doesn't outstay its welcome. The restraint Kehlmann exercises is astonishing – the natural inclination, surely, would be to drag it out through different viewpoints, or even whack a five-years-later epilogue on the end. But no, it's just a simple, pared-back, stark and terrifying story. It's kind of like Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves if it'd been subject to ruthless editing and reduced to only the most authentic and menacing elements. Breathtakingly good, ingenious horror, definitely a book to be read in a single sitting on a cold, cloudless night. Just don't check your reflection in the window.
I received an advance review copy of You Should Have Left from the publisher through NetGalley.
TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
October 15, 2020
Loved this unsettling little novella, a writer's journal during a REALLY bad week - it has all the elements of good horror, but also quite a bit of humor (The lead is trying to write a movie called Besties 2), and eventually, a bizarre fractal sequence that reminded me of Mason's LOST BOOKS OF THE ODYSSEY. Teaching it to my undergrad class - excited!
February 24, 2023
Don’t ask me what happened because I have no earthly idea, but it was unsettling!!! 😂
November 2, 2021
This was painful to read 😭
Reading vlog: https://youtu.be/1-Q5QE_faPY
Reading vlog: https://youtu.be/1-Q5QE_faPY
February 20, 2019
Spaces outside of and inside of spaces. Old spaces overlaid onto new spaces overlaid onto old spaces. Spaces to trap you. What's larger on the inside than it is on the outside? An ancient tower, a mansion of ill repute... an evil Tardis!
I love the angle Kehlmann took with this novella.
Wonderfully creepy. Carefully written. The meta worked: not tired like most meta insertions, but fresh: the screenplay within the story an intrinsic part of the story. Carefully characterized. Moments of entrancing eeriness. I was unsettled, disturbed, fascinated.
Verdict: perfectly executed.
I love the angle Kehlmann took with this novella.
Wonderfully creepy. Carefully written. The meta worked: not tired like most meta insertions, but fresh: the screenplay within the story an intrinsic part of the story. Carefully characterized. Moments of entrancing eeriness. I was unsettled, disturbed, fascinated.
Verdict: perfectly executed.
February 22, 2019
Uyku öncesi dinlediğiniz korkunç masallar gibi, okuduğunuzda gerilebileceğiniz bir novella Gitmeliydin.
Bir senaristin elindeki senaryoyu yazmak için karısı ve küçük kızıyla kiraladığı evde yaşadığı birkaç günü ve olayları konu almasına rağmen, metin çok katmanlıydı. Bana hayattaki rutinlerimizin, kimliklerimizin ve kendimiz olmak adına çabalarımızın arasında nasıl da rutin bir gerilim filminin baş kahramanına dönüşüverdiğimizi anımsattı bir bakıma.
Sade dili okuru metnin içine çabucak çektiğinden, bir zaman sonra zamansal bir labirente dönen anlatımın içinde kaybolmadan iz sürebildim.
Kısacık 70sf bir metin olmasına rağmen sonunda artik hic bitmeyecek uzunca bir döngünün içine hapsediyor okuyucuyu.
Böyle 1-2 saat ayırarak başından kalkmadan okunabilecek metinler bende film izlemiş hissi yaratıyor. Gitmeliydin de buna çok uygun, sinematografik bir metin. Hiç sıkılmadan okuyacağınıza eminim.
Keyifli okumalar.
Bir senaristin elindeki senaryoyu yazmak için karısı ve küçük kızıyla kiraladığı evde yaşadığı birkaç günü ve olayları konu almasına rağmen, metin çok katmanlıydı. Bana hayattaki rutinlerimizin, kimliklerimizin ve kendimiz olmak adına çabalarımızın arasında nasıl da rutin bir gerilim filminin baş kahramanına dönüşüverdiğimizi anımsattı bir bakıma.
Sade dili okuru metnin içine çabucak çektiğinden, bir zaman sonra zamansal bir labirente dönen anlatımın içinde kaybolmadan iz sürebildim.
Kısacık 70sf bir metin olmasına rağmen sonunda artik hic bitmeyecek uzunca bir döngünün içine hapsediyor okuyucuyu.
Böyle 1-2 saat ayırarak başından kalkmadan okunabilecek metinler bende film izlemiş hissi yaratıyor. Gitmeliydin de buna çok uygun, sinematografik bir metin. Hiç sıkılmadan okuyacağınıza eminim.
Keyifli okumalar.
March 12, 2019
«Δεν υπάρχει τίποτα εδώ». Έτσι δεν λένε οι αστυνομικοί στους περίεργους και τους περαστικούς που συρρέουν στον τόπο του εγκλήματος; Nothing to see here. Έτσι μου έρχεται να πω κι εγώ στα πλήθη αναγνωστών που φαίνεται να μαζεύονται με μια προσμονή για το επόμενο δισκοπότηρο των ελληνικών εκδόσεων . Αυτό το κάτι που θα κάνει την διαφορά στα αναγνώσματά τους, που από τις σκόρπιες κριτικές και τα επιμέρους σχόλια, μιλάνε για ένα μικρό διαμαντάκι˙ βιβλίο του φανταστικού, τρόμος, στρίψιμο της βίδας. Λέξεις κλειδιά που συγκεκριμένες αναγνωστικές μερίδες αρκεί να διαβάζουν διαγώνια μια κριτική, θα τις εντοπίσουν και θα πέσουν σαν ώριμα φρούτα.
Έτσι την πάτησα κι εγώ. Κανονικά δεν θα έπρεπε να παραδέχομαι μια τέτοια τρικλοποδιά. Θέτει υπό αμφιβολία τα αναγνωστικά μου ραντάρ, για τα οποία θα έπρέπε να είναι παιχνιδάκι κάτι τέτοιες λούμπες, μετά από τόσα χρόνια εμπειρία. Και για να μου αποδώσω εν μέρει τα εύσημα, δεν στάθηκα τυφλός, οι παραπάνω λέξεις μου χτύπησαν περίεργα δίπλα στον όνομα του Κέλμαν. Τι φανταστικό και τι τρόμο να περιμένει κανείς από έναν συγγραφέα με ένα βιβλίο για τις περιπέτειες δύο επιφανών επιστημόνων που θέλησαν να μετρήσουν το μέγεθος του πλανήτη μας και ένα άλλο , παιγνιώδες κατασκεύασμα, για την φήμη και την ζηλοφθονία στον δημιουργικό χώρο της Τέχνης;
Το βιβλίο είναι μια μικρή, συνεκτική ιστορία παραλογισμού. Εκείνου του είδους που γεννά φαντάσματα, μια υφέρπουσα φρίκη, αλλά οπού τίποτα πραγματικά δεν συμβαίνει. Είδε όλα αυτά ο πρωταγωνιστής; Μήπως είναι τρελός; Μήπως είναι ο ίδιος ένα φάντασμα;
Μήπως όλοι γύρω του ήταν νεκροί;
Μήπως κι εγώ, κι εσύ και όλοι αυτοί που το διαβάσαμε, είμαστε τα φαντάσματα αλλοτινών αναγνωστών;
Κουνήσου από την θέση σου.
Ο Καστανιώτης έχει βρει το δικό του χρυσό παιδί στο πρόσωπο του Κέλμαν. Και όταν εκδίδει ένα βιβλίο του ο ελληνικός Τύπος θα γράψει καλά λόγια, γιατί θέλει να βοηθήσει έναν οίκο με ιστορία και ποιότητα, που από όσο ξέρω βρισκόταν στο χείλος της καταστροφής μέχρι πρότινος. Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, όμως, δεν ξέρω σε ποιους αναγνώστες απευθύνεται. Είναι σαν ένα αφηρημένο έργο τέχνης: αρκετοί θα εκδηλώσουν ενθουσιασμό, εκ των οποίων ελάχιστοι θα το εκτιμήσουν πραγματικά. Έτεροι, όμως, θα τσουβαλιαστούν στους επιτηδευμένους και τα ψώνια.
Το βιβλίο είναι σαν μια άσκηση γραφής του Κέλμαν, που του την άρπαξαν από το συρτάρι και την εξέδωσαν. Δεν ξέρω τί λογαριασμούς και υποχρεώσεις έχει ο Κέλμαν με τον εκδοτικό του οίκο – κάπως έτσι θέλω να βλέπω αυτό το βιβλίο: ως μια επιβεβλημένη έκδοση στα πλαίσια των υποχρεώσεών του με τους εργοδότες του. Ίσως να ήθελε να γεμίσει το εκδοτικό του κενό, πριν μια μεγάλη κυκλοφορία. Ίσως, τέλος πάντων, να ήθελε να σαχλαμαρίσει και να πειραματιστεί και ο εκδοτικός του επειδή τον αγαπάει, το τύπωσε. Αν πάντως οι επιδιώξεις του Κέλμαν για αυτό το βιβλίο φτάνουν πολύ πιο ψηλά από όλα αυτά, τότε είναι ελαφρώς βλαμμένος.
Έτσι την πάτησα κι εγώ. Κανονικά δεν θα έπρεπε να παραδέχομαι μια τέτοια τρικλοποδιά. Θέτει υπό αμφιβολία τα αναγνωστικά μου ραντάρ, για τα οποία θα έπρέπε να είναι παιχνιδάκι κάτι τέτοιες λούμπες, μετά από τόσα χρόνια εμπειρία. Και για να μου αποδώσω εν μέρει τα εύσημα, δεν στάθηκα τυφλός, οι παραπάνω λέξεις μου χτύπησαν περίεργα δίπλα στον όνομα του Κέλμαν. Τι φανταστικό και τι τρόμο να περιμένει κανείς από έναν συγγραφέα με ένα βιβλίο για τις περιπέτειες δύο επιφανών επιστημόνων που θέλησαν να μετρήσουν το μέγεθος του πλανήτη μας και ένα άλλο , παιγνιώδες κατασκεύασμα, για την φήμη και την ζηλοφθονία στον δημιουργικό χώρο της Τέχνης;
Το βιβλίο είναι μια μικρή, συνεκτική ιστορία παραλογισμού. Εκείνου του είδους που γεννά φαντάσματα, μια υφέρπουσα φρίκη, αλλά οπού τίποτα πραγματικά δεν συμβαίνει. Είδε όλα αυτά ο πρωταγωνιστής; Μήπως είναι τρελός; Μήπως είναι ο ίδιος ένα φάντασμα;
Μήπως όλοι γύρω του ήταν νεκροί;
Μήπως κι εγώ, κι εσύ και όλοι αυτοί που το διαβάσαμε, είμαστε τα φαντάσματα αλλοτινών αναγνωστών;
Κουνήσου από την θέση σου.
Ο Καστανιώτης έχει βρει το δικό του χρυσό παιδί στο πρόσωπο του Κέλμαν. Και όταν εκδίδει ένα βιβλίο του ο ελληνικός Τύπος θα γράψει καλά λόγια, γιατί θέλει να βοηθήσει έναν οίκο με ιστορία και ποιότητα, που από όσο ξέρω βρισκόταν στο χείλος της καταστροφής μέχρι πρότινος. Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, όμως, δεν ξέρω σε ποιους αναγνώστες απευθύνεται. Είναι σαν ένα αφηρημένο έργο τέχνης: αρκετοί θα εκδηλώσουν ενθουσιασμό, εκ των οποίων ελάχιστοι θα το εκτιμήσουν πραγματικά. Έτεροι, όμως, θα τσουβαλιαστούν στους επιτηδευμένους και τα ψώνια.
Το βιβλίο είναι σαν μια άσκηση γραφής του Κέλμαν, που του την άρπαξαν από το συρτάρι και την εξέδωσαν. Δεν ξέρω τί λογαριασμούς και υποχρεώσεις έχει ο Κέλμαν με τον εκδοτικό του οίκο – κάπως έτσι θέλω να βλέπω αυτό το βιβλίο: ως μια επιβεβλημένη έκδοση στα πλαίσια των υποχρεώσεών του με τους εργοδότες του. Ίσως να ήθελε να γεμίσει το εκδοτικό του κενό, πριν μια μεγάλη κυκλοφορία. Ίσως, τέλος πάντων, να ήθελε να σαχλαμαρίσει και να πειραματιστεί και ο εκδοτικός του επειδή τον αγαπάει, το τύπωσε. Αν πάντως οι επιδιώξεις του Κέλμαν για αυτό το βιβλίο φτάνουν πολύ πιο ψηλά από όλα αυτά, τότε είναι ελαφρώς βλαμμένος.
September 19, 2017
Well, I guess I'm not sleeping tonight then. Yikes.
April 25, 2017
„Es schnürte mir die Kehle zu. Es nahm mir den Atem. Es war nicht auszuhalten.“ – echt jetzt, Daniel Kehlmann? Ich gebe zu, dass ich zu diesem Autor generell ein gespaltenes Verhältnis habe: Einerseits werde ich mit seinen Texten nicht wirklich warm, andererseits findet Clemens Setz ihn toll, und ich wiederum finde Clemens Setz ganz toll, und deshalb denke ich, dass da doch was dran sein muss an dem Kehlmann, etwas, dass sich mir irgendwie (noch) nicht erschließt, und dann lese ich weiter Kehlmann in der Hoffnung, zum Kern der setz`schen Begeisterung vorzustoßen, aber ich finde ihn nicht, diesen Kern, und ich zweifle, und ich lese weiter, und ich unterdrücke den Impuls, das Buch aus dem Fenster zu schmeißen, und ich blättere noch eine Seite um, und es ist der Horror, Leute, der Horror! Naja, jedenfalls mehr Horror als diese House-of-Leaves-für-Arme Geschichte, die Stephen King definitiv die Tränen in die Augen treiben würde.
Kurze Zusammenfassung: Unsympathischer Drehbuchschreiber hängt mit seiner Familie in einem Ferienhaus in den Bergen ab und versucht, eine Fortsetzung seiner Till-Schweiger-mäßigen Erfolgskomödie zu schreiben. Drehbuchschreiber findet auf Handy der Pappkameraden-Frau SMS die belegen, dass Frau ihn betrügt, Streit, Abgang Frau. Als durchgehende Tonspur Pappkameraden-Kind, das weint und quiekt (okay, manchmal schläft es auch). Ach ja, und dann passieren auch noch voll gruselige Sachen: Bild an der Wand kommt und verschwindet, Dorfbewohner macht kryptische Bemerkungen, Drehbuchschreiber sieht sich selbst auf Baby-Überwachungs-Monitor etc. Ist das alles real oder nur im Kopf des Drehbuchschreibers? Was passiert wirklich? Ist es am Ende – oh ha! – magischer Realismus? Keine Ahnung, und jetzt das Problem: Es ist mir auch völlig egal.
Ich kann die blutleeren Trottel-Figuren in dieser Geschichte nämlich einfach nicht ertragen. Die sind unfassbar uninteressant. Das ist alles so konstruiert und prätentiös, das macht mich völlig fertig. Ich will Daniel Kehlmann so gerne mögen, aber ich kann es einfach nicht, Clemens Setz, ich kann es nicht! Verzeih mir!!
So, jetzt les ich weiter David Foster Wallace, das beruhigt meine Nerven.
Kurze Zusammenfassung: Unsympathischer Drehbuchschreiber hängt mit seiner Familie in einem Ferienhaus in den Bergen ab und versucht, eine Fortsetzung seiner Till-Schweiger-mäßigen Erfolgskomödie zu schreiben. Drehbuchschreiber findet auf Handy der Pappkameraden-Frau SMS die belegen, dass Frau ihn betrügt, Streit, Abgang Frau. Als durchgehende Tonspur Pappkameraden-Kind, das weint und quiekt (okay, manchmal schläft es auch). Ach ja, und dann passieren auch noch voll gruselige Sachen: Bild an der Wand kommt und verschwindet, Dorfbewohner macht kryptische Bemerkungen, Drehbuchschreiber sieht sich selbst auf Baby-Überwachungs-Monitor etc. Ist das alles real oder nur im Kopf des Drehbuchschreibers? Was passiert wirklich? Ist es am Ende – oh ha! – magischer Realismus? Keine Ahnung, und jetzt das Problem: Es ist mir auch völlig egal.
Ich kann die blutleeren Trottel-Figuren in dieser Geschichte nämlich einfach nicht ertragen. Die sind unfassbar uninteressant. Das ist alles so konstruiert und prätentiös, das macht mich völlig fertig. Ich will Daniel Kehlmann so gerne mögen, aber ich kann es einfach nicht, Clemens Setz, ich kann es nicht! Verzeih mir!!
So, jetzt les ich weiter David Foster Wallace, das beruhigt meine Nerven.
October 11, 2017
2.5 Wanted to pick up at least something for October that was billed as horror. This one is act a novella, a one sitting read. A man rents a house in Germany, wanting only to finish his screenplay. He brings along his wife and four year old daughter. Soon things start happening, at first he thinks it is his perception but soon realizes there is something wrong with the house. Pictures appearing, disappearing, doors not there one minute, than appearing, and other strange occurrences.
This was an okay read but nothing more. Not a fan of slasher books or movies and at least this wasn't that. Still, slightly unconvincing, a little eerie but far from scary nor unique. Need to keep searching from satisfying October read that I haven't read yet.
This was an okay read but nothing more. Not a fan of slasher books or movies and at least this wasn't that. Still, slightly unconvincing, a little eerie but far from scary nor unique. Need to keep searching from satisfying October read that I haven't read yet.
October 4, 2018
Creepy little novella that's just perfect for October spooky reads. I really enjoyed the atmospheric writing that put me at the edge of my seat. I listened to it on Audible, so it was even more scary!
Recommended if you're looking for a chilling, short read.
Recommended if you're looking for a chilling, short read.
July 15, 2020
Oh hey, it’s the world’s least scary Scary Book.
January 3, 2018
Interesting little novella that has a House of Leaves vibe going on, I just wish it had a little more meat on its bones. Still, nice creepy atmosphere and set-up, that will leave you feeling claustrophobic and paranoid.
February 17, 2021
A complex story about a house in which skewed and unexplainable things happen. Are there a myriad of explanations, or are all of the answers part of the narrator's psychological makeup? Disturbing and fascinating, this is a quick and unsettling read for the questioning mind.
June 18, 2022
Videorecensione: https://youtu.be/tJf4CWOdOsU
Una storia inizialmente composta da cliché classici del tipico horror da seconda serata su Rete 4 (la follia di uno scrittore che sta scrivendo in un luogo isolato...mh) che però si rivela interessante grazie a una struttura narrativa dove la sceneggiatura del protagonista e la sua stessa vita si confondono al punto da risultare impossibile decifrare realtà e finzione. Un po' come un gioco di specchi o un'impossibile scala escheriana.
Il giochino è divertente ma dura troppo poco e non c'è nessun brivido sulla schiena.
Peccato.
Una storia inizialmente composta da cliché classici del tipico horror da seconda serata su Rete 4 (la follia di uno scrittore che sta scrivendo in un luogo isolato...mh) che però si rivela interessante grazie a una struttura narrativa dove la sceneggiatura del protagonista e la sua stessa vita si confondono al punto da risultare impossibile decifrare realtà e finzione. Un po' come un gioco di specchi o un'impossibile scala escheriana.
Il giochino è divertente ma dura troppo poco e non c'è nessun brivido sulla schiena.
Peccato.
June 2, 2024
Coup de cœur lu d’une traite 💖
Le livre faisant moins de 100 pages je vais éviter de trop en dire mais si vous aimez les récits un peu meta, que vous avez adoré Piranèse (Susanna Clarke) ou La maison des feuilles (Mark Z Danielewski), et que vous êtes fans de Silent Hill et des espaces non-euclidiens, foncez.
Vous ne serez pas déçu•e•s
Le livre faisant moins de 100 pages je vais éviter de trop en dire mais si vous aimez les récits un peu meta, que vous avez adoré Piranèse (Susanna Clarke) ou La maison des feuilles (Mark Z Danielewski), et que vous êtes fans de Silent Hill et des espaces non-euclidiens, foncez.
Vous ne serez pas déçu•e•s
July 9, 2024
5 stars
short review for busy readers: I can’t be objective: I’m a big Kehlmann fan. 🤩🥰🤗 This one is a 'cosmic horror' tale recommended for fans of Lovecraft and Shirley Jackson. A bit outside of the author's normal subjects, but in style very much within his oeuvre. Original German title: Du hättest gehen sollen
in detail:
For my money, Daniel Kehlmann is Germany’s greatest living writer…but he’s also a very acquired taste. Don’t expect him to always make sense as he plays with and skewers reality in ways that open up new perspectives and ways of seeing.
And he writes Literature with a capital L, not entertainment.
Here, he’s doing what he does so well and right out in the open – twisting reality – by showing us a house up in the mountains were Pythagorean equations don’t work properly and people who are very much present in a room can’t be seen in window reflections. Never mind the pictures on the walls which are sometimes there and sometimes not and the freaky, unreal ‘movies’ playing out on the baby monitor screen.
The house is a multidimensional space where things bend in strange ways – an isolated point in the universe where time and space do their own dance.
The AirBnB from the Void. The Universe’s Guesthouse of Horrors.
I loved it.
In some ways the story strongly reminds me of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and in others, of some of the best sci-fi has to offer as well as some of Lovecraft’s stories.
Even with those relatives, though, “You Should Have Left” is entirely its own creature.
From other, less enthusiastic reviews (mostly from American readers who have never read nor heard of Kehlmann before), I gather there's been a movie starring Kevin Bacon based on this novella. Not sure how well this idea would translate to screen, if at all.
As an end note: Kehlmann I’ve always read in the original German, but since I found this one in English, I decided to take a chance on it. I’m highly critical of German to English translations, as my GR friends and followers will know, but this one gets my full approval. It’s excellent.
short review for busy readers: I can’t be objective: I’m a big Kehlmann fan. 🤩🥰🤗 This one is a 'cosmic horror' tale recommended for fans of Lovecraft and Shirley Jackson. A bit outside of the author's normal subjects, but in style very much within his oeuvre. Original German title: Du hättest gehen sollen
in detail:
For my money, Daniel Kehlmann is Germany’s greatest living writer…but he’s also a very acquired taste. Don’t expect him to always make sense as he plays with and skewers reality in ways that open up new perspectives and ways of seeing.
And he writes Literature with a capital L, not entertainment.
Here, he’s doing what he does so well and right out in the open – twisting reality – by showing us a house up in the mountains were Pythagorean equations don’t work properly and people who are very much present in a room can’t be seen in window reflections. Never mind the pictures on the walls which are sometimes there and sometimes not and the freaky, unreal ‘movies’ playing out on the baby monitor screen.
The house is a multidimensional space where things bend in strange ways – an isolated point in the universe where time and space do their own dance.
The AirBnB from the Void. The Universe’s Guesthouse of Horrors.
I loved it.
In some ways the story strongly reminds me of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and in others, of some of the best sci-fi has to offer as well as some of Lovecraft’s stories.
Even with those relatives, though, “You Should Have Left” is entirely its own creature.
From other, less enthusiastic reviews (mostly from American readers who have never read nor heard of Kehlmann before), I gather there's been a movie starring Kevin Bacon based on this novella. Not sure how well this idea would translate to screen, if at all.
As an end note: Kehlmann I’ve always read in the original German, but since I found this one in English, I decided to take a chance on it. I’m highly critical of German to English translations, as my GR friends and followers will know, but this one gets my full approval. It’s excellent.
October 18, 2022
A screenwriter goes to a house in the mountains with his family to write - but, oh no, the house is haunted and things goes bad!
Daniel Kehlmann’stake on The Shining You Should Have Left is another example of how difficult writing a good haunted house story is. At best his story is derivative but mostly it’s forgettable and dull.
Besides copying The Shining’s premise, the writer and his wife also have a strained relationship that only gets worse as the story progresses and there’s a sequence between the writer and his kid in the snow. Weird people appear in the house, the screenplay doesn’t go well and the house itself has strange angles to it that don’t measure up (a nod to Shirley Jackson’s Hill House).
The title is eye-catching and I liked the design of the book - it’s a dinky hardcover in ominous black and red. The occasional scene was sorta fun, like when the writer encounters locals at the grocery store and learns about the history of the property, and when the supernatural stuff starts happening in the house. I like the idea of the house as a prison. But none of these details are original, they just remind you why this horror sub-genre remains popular.
Kehlmann’s unable to make this story feel like his own and generally it’s unclear what’s going on or why and, coupled with the brevity of the novel, makes for an unmemorable narrative. A weak addition to horror lit - you shouldn’t bother with You Should Have Left.
Daniel Kehlmann’s
Besides copying The Shining’s premise, the writer and his wife also have a strained relationship that only gets worse as the story progresses and there’s a sequence between the writer and his kid in the snow. Weird people appear in the house, the screenplay doesn’t go well and the house itself has strange angles to it that don’t measure up (a nod to Shirley Jackson’s Hill House).
The title is eye-catching and I liked the design of the book - it’s a dinky hardcover in ominous black and red. The occasional scene was sorta fun, like when the writer encounters locals at the grocery store and learns about the history of the property, and when the supernatural stuff starts happening in the house. I like the idea of the house as a prison. But none of these details are original, they just remind you why this horror sub-genre remains popular.
Kehlmann’s unable to make this story feel like his own and generally it’s unclear what’s going on or why and, coupled with the brevity of the novel, makes for an unmemorable narrative. A weak addition to horror lit - you shouldn’t bother with You Should Have Left.
July 15, 2017
A screenwriter rents a house, surrounded by woods and overlooked by two glaciers. Having had a success with one movie, with the rather dubious title, “Besties,” he is under pressure to complete the follow up. He feels his university educated wife, Susanna, sneers at his light hearted comedies, but it pays the bills and these have increased since the couple had a daughter – four year old Esther. Susanna feels that her husband is absent and disinterested. He tends to be frustrated by the demands of a small child and bemoan his constant bickering with his wife, but is unable to stop it.
However, despite the fact that the house is beautifully located, isolated and peaceful, something does not feel quite right. An unsettling visit to the local village leaves our writer even more unsettled. This is a creepy novella and it is a good spin on this type of story to have the house itself ultra modern, rather than the usual gothic monstrosity. Atmospheric, well written and a good, if short, read.
Rated 3.5
However, despite the fact that the house is beautifully located, isolated and peaceful, something does not feel quite right. An unsettling visit to the local village leaves our writer even more unsettled. This is a creepy novella and it is a good spin on this type of story to have the house itself ultra modern, rather than the usual gothic monstrosity. Atmospheric, well written and a good, if short, read.
Rated 3.5
October 25, 2018
A delightfully sinister novella that essentially puts a bunch of tried and true horror tropes into a blender but still rewards the reader with its almost unbearably tense atmosphere. Though the creepy house in the woods setting does most of the legwork - I'm afraid this won't be winning any awards for creativity any time soon - it was a fantastically entertaining way to spend an hour. The translation is excellent; really poised writing that convincingly unravels with the main character's mental state.
January 3, 2022
A short novella, a short story almost but one with a punch.
From the start, the atmosphere is macabre even though the setting is a stunning, bright, new house in the mountains where the sunshine comes in through the large bay windows and bounces off the kitchen appliances. But don't let it fool you: there is an ancient force lurking behind every corner, creating corners and eerie additional spaces. Or is it the narrator losing his sanity?
As with all short stories, I would have liked it to be longer as it was captivating, but the end was just perfect.
From the start, the atmosphere is macabre even though the setting is a stunning, bright, new house in the mountains where the sunshine comes in through the large bay windows and bounces off the kitchen appliances. But don't let it fool you: there is an ancient force lurking behind every corner, creating corners and eerie additional spaces. Or is it the narrator losing his sanity?
As with all short stories, I would have liked it to be longer as it was captivating, but the end was just perfect.
October 29, 2017
Everywhere I turn when reading about this book I find comparisons to Stephen King's The Shining. In one sense, I get it, because it is about a man who has taken his family off to a remote location so he can work on a screenplay, and weird stuff starts happening around him. In another sense, in my most humble of casual-reader opinions, to liken it to The Shining sort of cheapens this book in a big way. It also makes for a number of readers having dashed or unfulfilled expectations -- after all, if you're expecting something along the lines of a Stephen King horror novel and you don't quite get it, well, that makes for an unhappy reading experience. On the other hand, I had zero expectations before reading this book and had quite a happy reading experience. In fact, I was downright chilled to my bones before it was all over, and not because of any kind of supernatural element, but because of the psychological aspects of this book.
brief plot with absolutely no spoilers can be found here .
While reading this book, eventually I got to the point where I felt like I watching a series of nightmares unfold, but I had the even stronger feeling that I was caught inside of an MC Escher drawing. It's a story where you really have to decide if what's going on here is due to any sort of supernatural influence or whether there's something else at play here. I was sort of on the fence until I came across a particular journal entry on p. 89 that struck me and made me go back, reread the book, and re-evaluate what I thought might be happening here based on those few lines, and it all started with the discussion of a "creature drawn on paper" who "if it could live, would live entirely on paper, on its surface" faced with "a mountain on the paper." Think shifting of geographical contours on an existential level, and that's where this book took me, and it was downright unsettling.
You Should Have Left was billed somewhere as a haunted house novel (sorry, I can't remember where I'd read that), and that was the reason I picked it up. What I discovered was that the way it was written reminded me somewhat of the work of author Jac Jemc in her book The Grip of It, read earlier this summer, where she used various tropes associated with haunted houses to get to the root of what was haunting her two characters. And despite some low reader ratings, I thought You Should Have Left turned out to be original, definitely frightening, and frankly, up there with the most disturbing books I've read this year. I don't know about anyone else, but reading a record of and therefore becoming a witness to someone's complete mental deterioration is far more frightening than anything a supernatural tale could possibly conjure up in my head.
recommended.
brief plot with absolutely no spoilers can be found here .
While reading this book, eventually I got to the point where I felt like I watching a series of nightmares unfold, but I had the even stronger feeling that I was caught inside of an MC Escher drawing. It's a story where you really have to decide if what's going on here is due to any sort of supernatural influence or whether there's something else at play here. I was sort of on the fence until I came across a particular journal entry on p. 89 that struck me and made me go back, reread the book, and re-evaluate what I thought might be happening here based on those few lines, and it all started with the discussion of a "creature drawn on paper" who "if it could live, would live entirely on paper, on its surface" faced with "a mountain on the paper." Think shifting of geographical contours on an existential level, and that's where this book took me, and it was downright unsettling.
You Should Have Left was billed somewhere as a haunted house novel (sorry, I can't remember where I'd read that), and that was the reason I picked it up. What I discovered was that the way it was written reminded me somewhat of the work of author Jac Jemc in her book The Grip of It, read earlier this summer, where she used various tropes associated with haunted houses to get to the root of what was haunting her two characters. And despite some low reader ratings, I thought You Should Have Left turned out to be original, definitely frightening, and frankly, up there with the most disturbing books I've read this year. I don't know about anyone else, but reading a record of and therefore becoming a witness to someone's complete mental deterioration is far more frightening than anything a supernatural tale could possibly conjure up in my head.
recommended.
November 6, 2022
What a terrible horror novel. I'm relieved that this was brief and that reading it took up only a small portion of my day. The narration lacked clarity and had no effect whatsoever on me. The book was replete with bad cliches that you would find in a horror novel or movie of poor quality. I discovered there is a movie as well. I believe the movie would be better than this because if it were perfectly filmed, several situations would be acted out pretty nicely. Still, a terrible non-horror book.
April 7, 2018
"Spellbinding?" "Compelling?" "Brilliant?" What book did these reviewers read? I got nothing out of it. I'm glad it was short, thus I only wasted a little of my time. A better title would have been "You Should Have Left... this Book on the Shelf."
November 17, 2019
Allah Allah… Hayretler içinde kaldım. İki gündür Carlos Fonseca’nın ‘Hayvan Müzesi’ isimli romanını aralıksız okuduğumdan sebep, biraz yorulmuştum; bu yüzden de kısa, sakin ve basit bir şey okumak istiyordum. Daha önce Kehlmann da okumadım aslında. Birkaç kitabını almıştım ama arka kapak yazılarını dahi bilmiyordum ve hatta herhangi referansım da yoktu. Alman edebiyatında çok ciddiye alınan çağdaş bir yazar olduğunu duyduğumdan edinmiştim kitapları. Geçenlerde sevdalısı olduğum Jonathan Franzen’in de Kehlmann’ı çok sevdiğini öğrenince ‘Gitmeliydin’ isimli bu minnak kitabı okuyayım bari dedim. Franzen seviyorsa onun gibi ikili insan ilişkileri konusunda kalem oynatmıştır herhalde diye düşündüm. Bir noktada Kehlmann ikili insan ilişkileri üzerine kalem oynatmış, evet ama nasıl oynatmış? Ters köşe yaptı resmen, sağ sol iki tokatla oturttu beni koltuğuma.
Senarist bir adam, oyuncu bir kadın ve Esther isimli küçük çocukları kalabalıktan izole edilmiş bir dağ evine, kısa süreli bir tatil için yerleşiyorlar. Evi airbnb üzerinden buluyorlar. Belli ki senarist adam, yaratıcılık sıkıntıları çektiği buhranlı bir dönemden geçiyor. Kadın da oyunculukta gözden düşmüş, her şeyi eleştiren tavrıyla hırçın ve mutsuz bir profil çiziyor. Çocuğun dünyadan haberi yok, çocukluğun gerektirdiği saçmalıklarla hayatına devam ediyor. Kitabın ilk sayfaları bu izole dünyada olabilecek tüm pastoral ya da rahatlatıcı etkenlere rağmen çiftin birbirinin alanına ne şekilde yargılayıcı yaklaştığını gösteriyor. Diğer yandan başkarakterimiz olan adamın zihnine konuk olduğumuzdan, onun karısını ve çocuğunu ne kadar sevdiğinden; ürettiği işlerden pek memnun olmadığından hatta ona en büyük başarıları getirmiş projelerine bile yabancılaştığından haberdar oluyoruz. Buraya kadar her şey tamam. Tam da Franzenci bir dünya. Ama sonra bir burkuluyor ki öykü şaşkına çeviriyor insanı. Zira bu noktadan sonra bir gerilim öyküsüne dönüşüyor öykü. Hatta çok benzerlik taşıdığı Stephen King’in Shining’i geldi aklıma ama yok artık, daha neler dedim. Ama sayfalar ilerledikçe bildiğiniz Kingvari bir gerilim gözler önüne serilmeye başlandı. Paranormal motiflerle örülmüş, filmsel nitelikte bir hayalet öyküsü okurken ona paralel bir psikoz ve cinnet meselesi de kendini gösterdi. İki başlı bir okuma mümkün yani. Tam bir kesinliğin belirtilmediği bu durumlarda karakterin aklının oynadığı bir oyunun içinde miyiz yoksa gerçekten paranormal olayların içinde miyiz onu tam olarak anlayamıyoruz. Belki de ikisinin birlikte olduğu ve birbirilerini tetiklediği bir olaylar evrenindeyiz, bilemiyorum. Diğer yandan tüm bu garip olayların metaforize ettiği ‘evlilik belası’ ayrıca anlam kazanıyor. Özellikle çocuklu evliliklerde yasal olduğu gibi yasal olmayan bazı bağlar da var. Sıkı sıkıya insanları baskı altına alan, olması gerektiğine ikna edilen ‘erdemli, ahlaklı’ gibi yapıların zorunlu varlığı çiftleri çatışma-çatışma durumuna sokabiliyor. Evlilikler sadece çocuk değil, delilikler doğmasına da sebep oluyor yani. Aslında kitabın garip ve çarpıcı sonu buna çok hazin bir cevap oluyor. Bazen evimizin korkunç hayaletleri, hayatımızdaki sırların gözle görülmeyen varlıkları olabiliyor.
Neyse bu mesele uzar gider. Evlenmemiş, evlenmeyi de düşünmeyen biri olarak radikal yorumlar yapmaktan kaçınayım bence:)Kısa ama etkili bir kitap ‘Gitmliydin’. Sevdim, Kehlmann’a şans vermeye devam edeceğim.
İyi okumalar diliyorum.
Senarist bir adam, oyuncu bir kadın ve Esther isimli küçük çocukları kalabalıktan izole edilmiş bir dağ evine, kısa süreli bir tatil için yerleşiyorlar. Evi airbnb üzerinden buluyorlar. Belli ki senarist adam, yaratıcılık sıkıntıları çektiği buhranlı bir dönemden geçiyor. Kadın da oyunculukta gözden düşmüş, her şeyi eleştiren tavrıyla hırçın ve mutsuz bir profil çiziyor. Çocuğun dünyadan haberi yok, çocukluğun gerektirdiği saçmalıklarla hayatına devam ediyor. Kitabın ilk sayfaları bu izole dünyada olabilecek tüm pastoral ya da rahatlatıcı etkenlere rağmen çiftin birbirinin alanına ne şekilde yargılayıcı yaklaştığını gösteriyor. Diğer yandan başkarakterimiz olan adamın zihnine konuk olduğumuzdan, onun karısını ve çocuğunu ne kadar sevdiğinden; ürettiği işlerden pek memnun olmadığından hatta ona en büyük başarıları getirmiş projelerine bile yabancılaştığından haberdar oluyoruz. Buraya kadar her şey tamam. Tam da Franzenci bir dünya. Ama sonra bir burkuluyor ki öykü şaşkına çeviriyor insanı. Zira bu noktadan sonra bir gerilim öyküsüne dönüşüyor öykü. Hatta çok benzerlik taşıdığı Stephen King’in Shining’i geldi aklıma ama yok artık, daha neler dedim. Ama sayfalar ilerledikçe bildiğiniz Kingvari bir gerilim gözler önüne serilmeye başlandı. Paranormal motiflerle örülmüş, filmsel nitelikte bir hayalet öyküsü okurken ona paralel bir psikoz ve cinnet meselesi de kendini gösterdi. İki başlı bir okuma mümkün yani. Tam bir kesinliğin belirtilmediği bu durumlarda karakterin aklının oynadığı bir oyunun içinde miyiz yoksa gerçekten paranormal olayların içinde miyiz onu tam olarak anlayamıyoruz. Belki de ikisinin birlikte olduğu ve birbirilerini tetiklediği bir olaylar evrenindeyiz, bilemiyorum. Diğer yandan tüm bu garip olayların metaforize ettiği ‘evlilik belası’ ayrıca anlam kazanıyor. Özellikle çocuklu evliliklerde yasal olduğu gibi yasal olmayan bazı bağlar da var. Sıkı sıkıya insanları baskı altına alan, olması gerektiğine ikna edilen ‘erdemli, ahlaklı’ gibi yapıların zorunlu varlığı çiftleri çatışma-çatışma durumuna sokabiliyor. Evlilikler sadece çocuk değil, delilikler doğmasına da sebep oluyor yani. Aslında kitabın garip ve çarpıcı sonu buna çok hazin bir cevap oluyor. Bazen evimizin korkunç hayaletleri, hayatımızdaki sırların gözle görülmeyen varlıkları olabiliyor.
Neyse bu mesele uzar gider. Evlenmemiş, evlenmeyi de düşünmeyen biri olarak radikal yorumlar yapmaktan kaçınayım bence:)Kısa ama etkili bir kitap ‘Gitmliydin’. Sevdim, Kehlmann’a şans vermeye devam edeceğim.
İyi okumalar diliyorum.
December 21, 2020
I read this for Horror Aficionados World Terror challenge for 2020. Yeah. I am so behind LOL. I have to say though that this novella was really good. The main reason why I gave it 5 stars is that the story drags in a few places. I just thought this was a really interesting story and reminded me a lot of House of Leaves and now I want to re-read that book.
"You Should Have Left" follows a man and his family who are on vacation while he is attempting to write a sequel to a movie that was moderately successful years ago. The man is writing down his thoughts on the script, the house they are staying at, his wife, and his young daughter. Slowly he starts to realize that something seems to be off and wrong about the house. The story follows as he determines the best way to break free.
I liked the story and I liked how ambivalent things are in the end. Was this what was really happening? Or was this man just imagining things? I like it when you just don't know.
The setting of the book takes place somewhere in Germany and the location of the house and the tiny village/town that is nearby feels so isolated. One wonders how the heck they even found this place.
The ending definitely sets things up to continue and one wonders how it really does end.
"You Should Have Left" follows a man and his family who are on vacation while he is attempting to write a sequel to a movie that was moderately successful years ago. The man is writing down his thoughts on the script, the house they are staying at, his wife, and his young daughter. Slowly he starts to realize that something seems to be off and wrong about the house. The story follows as he determines the best way to break free.
I liked the story and I liked how ambivalent things are in the end. Was this what was really happening? Or was this man just imagining things? I like it when you just don't know.
The setting of the book takes place somewhere in Germany and the location of the house and the tiny village/town that is nearby feels so isolated. One wonders how the heck they even found this place.
The ending definitely sets things up to continue and one wonders how it really does end.
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