Reviews

The Waiter by Matias Faldbakken

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thewordwitch's review against another edition

1.0

The Waiter - Matias FaldbakkenI slogged through 100 pages of this book, and I felt as if I had been left dangling with nothing to go on - there wasn't a single hint of a plot to be found. Fortunately, I could take a jaunt into the reviews section of Goodreads, and there were plenty of people who had journeyed through the whole book to find that there was no plot after all. So thank you for that. You saved me a bit of time that I can use for other books.

I went into this with the misunderstanding that it would be a rotating cast of characters sharing their perspective on a particular point in time at the restaurant with the title character being the most important role. I am not sure why I thought that. I think the words on the inner flap of the book description mislead me. I was looking forward to a change of perspective since the Waiter was just spending his time on rambling descriptions about meaningless things and navel-gazing. He was dull. I wasn't sure any of the other characters would be any better, but I thought the bar manager might be more interesting to read from. Unfortunately, we only see brief snippets of anyone else.

The character that the Waiter seems to be the most interested in is a young woman he refers to as "Child Lady" (which is a title that makes me want to barf and which I hope nobody ever refers to me as behind my back). There was absolutely nothing alluring about the character. I could not have been less interested in her, but he was fixated. It seems as if the author had hoped that we too would become fixated by his characters, caught up in their thoughts and eccentricities. So much so that we would totally overlook the lack of plot. Sadly, we can't.

shof's review against another edition

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4.0

A funny situation comedy with salty undertones, served with a dollop of dark satire! Our main character is a middle-aged waiter at a restaurant that suffers from some delusions of grandeur, but which is badly in need of refurbishment. His week of serving the same old quirky clientele then escalates into Fawlty Towers: From the moment our waiter accidentally answers ‘jawohl’ to a customer’s order and can’t get over it, everything gets increasingly unhinged. Love the nervous crumb cleaning, the out-of-balance cabbage scents, the stress of phone-scrolling breaks, and the terrible historic basement. The nine year-old mind visiting him is the only relief.

breadandmushrooms's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

mckenzierichardson's review against another edition

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3.0

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

I received a copy of this book through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

First off, the hardcover edition of this book is just gorgeous. I loved the texture of the jacket itself and the design fits the feel of the book very well.

As many reviews have pointed out, not a whole lot happens in this book in terms of plot. It documents the routines and rituals of the main character and how the delicate balance becomes thrown off. Yet while the plot was rather wandering and mundane, I did find I enjoyed the writing. The book uses an interesting style that is odd yet charming. Based on that alone, I was willing to give this three stars.

I will say that some of the narration regarding the female characters was a bit odd, bordering on creepy. At times it came off as misogynistic and while the narrator was repeating things from other characters, there did not appear to be an argument against such views. Not sure if it was the translation or a cultural difference, but some of the scenes and descriptions of the Child Lady and Anna come off as weird. Nothing overt happens but there is an unsettling undertone to them that I couldn't quite piece out. Because of this, my actual rating is more of a 2.5.

In general I enjoyed the book despite not having much of a plot. The world created on the page was fascinating and I was caught up in the routines and their disruption. Overall, a good slow-paced read.