Despite obvious imperfections, Amsterdam mayor Robert Walter is a character that readers will love.  Set against a modern Amsterdam, Walter becomes convinced his wife is cheating on him.  As he searches for clues, the reader is invited to experience the ditch that is Walter's every day life as he navigates life, death, love, marriage and a set of interesting elderly parents. 

I absolutely LOVED this book.  This is the first book I have read by this author, but I quickly gobbled up two of his other books (Summer House with Swimming Pool and The Dinner) and loved those as well.  Koch doesn't beat around the bush or shy away from the crude or obscene when delving into the minds of his characters.  But Koch's honesty only enriches the novel, as life itself is both crude and obscene, and this makes the characters seem more true to life.

Verdict: Koch is an author that will make you think, while facing the worst of human nature.  An entertaining, dark comedy for fans of stream-of-consciousness and psychological fiction.


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