I don't know... Maybe it's just me. I don't know how to appreciate this book. It's not a drag. It's not boring. It's not difficult to read. Yet I don't particularly fancy this.
It's about a regular guy in his 40s who's stuck in a boring marriage where both husband & wife have fallen into a regular routine & any love that was there (if there were any to start with) was no longer evident.
One night, he chances upon a Yugoslavian girl in her twenties whom he assumed was a prostitute from her dressing. Upon inviting her into his car & sending her home, he lost whatever guts he had earlier, to even ask for her "service". In fact, she even denied that she's a prostitute.
They proceeded to talk. She doing most of the talking, he - a keen listener; drinking in all her words. She started sharing tales from her past. Some sad, some interesting, some enlightening, some morbid. It got him hooked for more. Day after day he'd come more for the tales that she told; that the line between truth & tall tales began to go blurry. He continues to be the avid listener who's shocked / sometimes disturbed by the stories / "revelations", yet felt the constant pull to come back for more. Needless to say, as the books suggests, she's a Partisan's daughter.
In turn, she's also addicted by his presence. As an adored artist with a loyal fan. She can't fail him. She wants to continue feeding him with interesting stories that will keep him coming back for more.
Eventually, as in all relationships, something happened to end their regular meets. They lost touch & he's left story-deprived, with no clue as to where has vanished.
The whole book is actually a patch-work of stories that this 20-yr-old Yugoslav girl told this man, interjected with questions and dialogs between the 2-characters & sometimes the eccentric housemates of the girl. Just like the ones where Scheherazade's tells her tales every single night to satisfy her King & in return, be allowed to live for another day (though admittedly, I think the stories were less entertaining).
If this is your cuppa - can give it a try. If you know your taste is similar to mine in terms of books; then don't bother. :)
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