Pages: 409
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Publication Date: (UK Paperback) 2015
ISBN: 1782390723
Blurb
Someone hurts your family.
How far would you go to get even?
Marc Schlosser is a doctor to the rich and famous. When his most famous patient, the actor Ralph Meier, invites him and his family on holiday, Marc finds that he can't refuse. But, several months later, by the time the suntans have faded, Ralph Meier is dead. The medical board accuses Marc of negligence. Ralph's wife, however, accuses him of murder...
Review
I first became aware of this novel sometime this summer when browsing the shelves of Waterstones. It caught my interest with it's vague blurb which hinted at a far more sinister contents than the cover suggested. It was popped on my wishlist and I was pleased to spot it in my local library a couple of weeks ago. Whilst new to me, this novel was actually first released in 2011 in the Netherlands and was translated from Dutch for UK publication in 2014. Now on to what I made of it all...
First off, I usually find translated novels a bit more hard-going than those originally written in my own language. Sometimes the translation just seems a bit off and I don't feel as though the meaning which the author intended is communicated to the reader. I'm pleased to say this is not the case with Summer House With Swimming Pool which is an incredibly easy read that flows seamlessly.
This book interested me from the start when we are first introduced to March Schlosser preparing to
go in front of the medical board accused of causing the death of actor Ralph Meier. However, the reader does not revisit this moment for quite some time and is instead sent back in time to the beginning of Marc and Ralph's relationship. The reader follows Marc's life from this point onward until we ultimately arrive at the Summer House and are told of the events which occurred there. I won't spoil the plot but I will say it was not what I was expecting! The blurb suggested a murder mystery trope but what you actually get is a thrilling page-turner with lots of suspicion, over-indulgence and more than your fair share of adultery and violence.
What stood out most to me during reading this was Herman Koch's ability to develop a host of characters with different personalities yet they all remained hugely unlikable. It's definitely a skill to be able to write a novel in which you root for nobody yet still want to keep turning the pages to find out more.
The adult characters within this book are truly awful; unappreciative of their riches, rude about everyone and take their loved ones for granted. There is very little in terms of emotional development for these characters but I believe that to be the whole point with this novel and it works well. Perhaps because their lifestyles are so vastly different to the 'norm' we are only supposed to be let in a little bit of the way. Occasionally the reader sees Marc become 'choked up' about his daughters which soon turns to a protective instinct. This is one of the the only 'human' reactions we see in this novel and I think this is what Koch relies upon to keep the reader interested.
Despite these families riches, the tragic events of this novel could occur in almost every family. This is a book which simultaneously makes you feel very uncomfortable and forces you to question what your own responses would be in a situation like this and if you had the ability to react as Marc Schlosser did, would you?
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