alireuter's reviews
290 reviews

a deeply entertaining exploration of relationships & a reflection on life, money to burn balances heavy subjects & retrospective with care & thought. i loved the miriade of perspectives, first & third person narratives from three distinct voices spilling into the pages to create a non-linear but easy to follow story. these separate chapters flow seamlessly through each other, especially with the third person narrative that interestingly also uses elements of first person, the result is a creative way to write a story & beautiful prose. 

this is not an overtly happy book, it explores sad lives that don’t fail to make the reader emotional. it is a beautifully tragic & entangling story that encapsulates the growing pains of life & how limited your choices may be in circumstances. maggie is a wonderful, resilient character but seems to never have had much joy in her life, trapped by the pursuits of love & self sabotaging behaviour that limits her belief in herself. unfortunately, kurt, while extremely flawed, is also really unlikeable, exposed throughout his & maggies narratives to reveal a character you just can’t sympathise with. if sympathy was the objective, then his backstory shouldn’t of been entirely disturbing, especially in his relationship with maggie. 

i found the discussion of the scandinavian star interesting but limited, perhaps more information will be in the sequel the devil book which i will definitely be looking out for. overall, this book is a captivating read for anyone who has ever pondered the complexities of love, relationships, and the insidious influence of money, a must read for fans of translated fiction.