'True human goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore only when its recipient has no power. Mankind’s true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude toward those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.'

This is the story of Thomas and Tereza, Sabina and Franz during the Russion Invasion of the Czech Republic in the 1960s. Tereza is in love with Thomas who is a incorrigible womanizer. His mistress is Sabina, but Thomas is not her only lover. Franz is also in love with Sabina, but married to someone else.



The main characters are Thomas and Tereza, and their lives together. Even thought Tereza is midly aware of his womanizing, she stays with him until the end of their lives. Thomas knows he doesn't deserve her, but he cannot help who he is.



The author describes the thoughts and feelings of all the characters, and works at getting to the core of understanding who they are. All of thier misgivings, all of their fears and doubts, are brought to light in this novel. The book delves into the difficulty that is life and the struggles that many people have on a daily basis when in relationships with others.



The author's one line says it all: "Being - of the human life - is unbearably light because it is lived in a straight line - there is no true interpretation, nothing to grab onto, as our lives are driven forward by chance and fortuity."

I liked the way Milan Kundera was able to bring existentialism, absurdity and the depth of human nature into a fictional story, without detracting from its clear philosophical frame.