The Melancholy of Resistance, László Krasznahorkai (Nobel, 2025)

This novel is set over two days in a bleak dystopian Hungarian town. The characters are superbly written and eerily familiar. The New Yorker calls The Melancholy of Resistance "comedy of apocalypse, a book about a God that not only failed but didn't even turn up for the exam." "Demanding" and "pessimistic" the reward comes from "its extraordinary, stretched, self-recoiling sentences, which are marvels of a loosely punctuated stream of consciousness". With page-long sentences and 30 page paragraphs the translator has pulled off herculean task of rendering this in perfect English. Although an effort, it sounds a rewarding read.

Since starting this book club a few years ago we have formed a nice core membership. If you haven't come yet, please look out for the books on the table, pull up a chair, order a wine and join us. We like to hear what everyone has to say and enjoy the conversation, we're not cliquey at all! Oh, and to defray the Meetup monthly bill I will accept gold coin contributions or wine if you want to pay for multiple in one hit. I hope to see everyone again at this one with some new faces.