Review to come...

Parece que McEwan toma como modelo las típicas novelas de Henry James o E.M. Forster, en la que viajeros anglosajones viajan a Italia y en ciertos casos descubren la vitalidad mediterránea en oposición al introversión pudibunda puritana o bien, en el caso de James, es el choque entre los ingenuos norteamericanos con los decadentes europeos. Esa idea, por supuesto, está llevada varios escalones más allá, se nos presentan unas relaciones entre dos matrimonios, uno inglés y el otro italo-canadiense aunque recalados en Venecia, que se demuestran ambivalentes, tan tensas como atrayentes.

Es una novela de finales del siglo XX, los viajeros han sido reemplazados por los turistas, Mary y Colin llevan siete años de relación sentimental y para insuflar nueva vitalidad a su rutinaria relación efectúan una escapada a la capital del Véneto, dónde las masificaciones turistas, unido a su ineptitud para situarse dentro del laberinto urbano, impiden la relajación y el goce e incluso desembarazarse de las constricciones cotidianas, que parecen acompañarles. No es hasta que conocen a Robert y Caroline que pueden poner pie en esos terrenos de despreocupada vitalidad, dónde todo parece nuevo y pleno. A través de un par de encuentros, en los que palpitan cierto aire de amenaza y sospecha, la pareja inglesa se descubrirá capaz de disfrutar de una existencia más sensual y desenvuelta, pero ciertos aspectos oscuros de Robert les harán adentrarse en terrenos más violentos. Es el precio a pagar por su recién adquirida libertad.

Me extrañaría mucho encontrar a alguien que se sienta embriagado por las fragancias del lenguaje de McEwan, generalmente aséptico, que es antes una prosa notarial cuya principales virtudes son la agilidad y la concisión.

Es el segundo libro que leo de tan famosísimo novelista inglés y abundo en la primera impresión que me causó Chesil Beach, es decir, de interés más bien limitado y escaso.

An intensely creepy story! Mary and Colin, blasé lovers for the past seven years, are on vacation in some unnamed foreign city by the sea. Late one evening they get hopelessly lost while trying to find someplace still open where they can get food. A man with a camera appears who insists they accompany him to a bar. There the man named Robert begins to tell them the story of his childhood with his father, the Ambassador. Later, drunk and still lost, they spend the night on the streets and wake hungover and desperately thirsty the next morning. In a noisy public square, they again meet Robert who offers to take them to his home where they can rest and recover--and there they meet his strange wife, Caroline, who whispers that she is being kept a virtual prisoner in her home. The couple's tragic destiny is set in motion, but for a few days, it appears they have escaped it as they rekindle their passion for each other. Very atmospheric and moody as the tension builds and builds.

Decisamente no.

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Goodreads okurlarından Sevgili Hanneke ile ''sahilde'' adlı eserin yorumuna ait sohbetimizden sonra, bir Ian McEwan zamanı yapmayı düşünmüştüm ama sonra vazgeçtim fark ettim ki bana asıl çekici gelen filmleriydi; şimdilik ''yabancı kucak'' dan sonra epey bir zaman ara verebilirim yazarı okumaya.

[4.5 stars]

McEwan has a fixation on the intimacy between men and women, both physical and emotional, and he explores that in a fascinating way in The Comfort of Strangers.

The story follows Colin and Mary, a couple who've been together for several years but aren't married, as they spend a holiday in an unnamed city (though it's very clearly Venice—why McEwan chooses to keep this masked intrigues me). They are both quite normal, just as self-absorbed, misguided and flawed as anyone. One evening they get lost amongst the city's many small alleys and meet a man named Robert who takes them to a bar (his bar, which he fails to reveal until later) and eventually to meet his wife, Caroline.

After this brief encounter, some unusual situations occur and things eventually meet quite a dramatic ending. I won't say much else because if you're like me, you will be utterly transfixed by this story. And as it's rather short, you won't want to put it down until you turn that last page.

McEwan is a masterful storyteller. Somehow he manages to maintain brilliant writing, complex themes, well-crafted characters, and a thrilling story. It's bizarre and baffling and honestly kept me on my toes throughout. I think with time and more consideration (I've literally just finished reading it), this could be a 5-star read for me. And it gives me even more faith in picking up more of McEwan's works.

Pavese'nin "Yolculuk bir yabanıllıktır. Sizi yabancılara güvenmeye, evinizde ve dostlarınızın yanındayken duyumsadığınız bütün o alışılmış huzurdan uzaklaşmaya zorlar. Sürekli olarak başınız döner. Temel şeyler dışında -yani hava, uyku, düşler, deniz ve gök dışında- hiçbir şey size ait değildir, her şey sonsuza ya da bizim sonsuz diye düşlediğimiz şeye yönelir." sözleriyle başlayan, yabancılıktan, aşktan, sokaklardan, ilişkilerden bahsederken şiddete, ölüme giden sürükleyici bir hikâye.

As always, Ian McEwan tells this tale with remarkable descriptions, ensuring that the readers see everyone and everything in the novel the way he himself has pictured it. "The Comfort of Strangers", like "The Cement Garden", is a very quick read. However, it fails to captivate its audience. Pretty much nothing happens up until more than half of the book, which almost made me stop reading it out of complete boredom. His characters are lackluster and some parts of the story are pretty vague. McEwan tries to re-stir interest into the reader through the Mary-waving-from-the-sea bit, but fails miserably. And there was really nothing memorable in the book aside from the part where Caroline finally retells her past with Robert. Furthermore, McEwan - with all his colorful descriptions in the entire novel - leaves the best bits out near the end that I had so longed to read about, leaving the denouement completely anti-climactic and the entire book practically a waste of time. Give this a miss.

3,5


Un McEwen diferit. Pe cât de explicit in Gradina de ciment și Pe plaja Chesil, pe atât de difuz, de înfundat în straturi scrie în Mangaieri străine. Cartea asta e ca morții cu leziuni interne, rămași cu trupuri intacte, nicidecum ca precedentele citite de mine, unde rănile erau vizibile imediat. Citeam și nu înțelegeam cine și în ce fel se apropie de minutul fatidic.
Să zic de la inceput că nu se compară cu precedentele în plăcerea pură de a o parcurge. E o carte cu un resort lent, multă vreme pare că nu se întâmpla nimic.

Un cuplu în vacanță, într-o Veneție nenumită, rutinat, amorțit și blazat în amor, întâlnește un alt cuplu al locului, unul de o bizarerie incertă, dubioasă. McEwan mizează pe faptul că cititorul se concentrează pe ciudățenia perechii locale. Și e adevărat că elementul declanșator este in posesia lor. Însă numai la final am înțeles cât de participativi s-au dovedit cei doi turiști, cât de inconștient dornici au fost de a se ține aproape de experientele insinuate de ceilalți.
La McEwan nimic nu e mai mare decât tema pe care scrie. Aici gravitează în jurul dorințelor sexuale, a tentației de a poseda și fi posedat, a stăpâni și a dispune nelimitat de persoana celuilalt, a tentației de a te știi râvnit. Dar până unde? Până unde merge permisivitatea și până unde este împinsă limita celui care dispune de acceptul celuilalt?
Turiștii, adică Mary și Colin încep să se înscrie pe o traiectorie noua dupa ce îl întâlnesc pe dubiosul Robert. Disponibilitatea lor, a unuia fata de celalalt, este explozivă. Fac dragoste ca în urmă cu șapte ani, se ascultă când vorbesc despre sine, nu se scapă din ochi, trăiesc o revitalizare sentimentală, fizică și chiar intelectuala. Dialogul se reinstaurareza, proaspăt, deschis, pe teme ca patriarhatul, dominația de clasă, dinamica dintre genuri, orgasmul feminin versus orgasmul masculin, ereditatea; în general apetitul pentru exprimare și explorare reciprocă, toate cunosc o nouă prospețime. Nimic din cele ce li se întâmplă nu pare să aibă legatura cu întâlnirea dintre ei, Robert și soția lui, cu vizita la ei acasă. Nu-i pomenesc nici pe el nici pe ea, nu vorbesc despre ei decât în treacăt. Doar in aparență, însă. McEwan țese încet și cu fir subțire. Aproape că te plictisești, adică în unele porțiuni chiar te plictisești. Toate par nesemnificative. Cartea scoate la iveală niște mecanisme foarte fine. De exemplu cum se ajunge la anumite trepte de acceptare tacită. Cum o încălcare crasă a intimității să nu mai pară deplasată,  să nu deranjeze. Cum o atingere acceptabilă, rezonabilă, dar excesiv repetată să însemne o luare în posesie. Ce produce admirația pentru frumusețea fizică rostită cu voce tare, accentuat, persistent. Când se ajunge ca un gest, în mod evident deplasat, să nu mai poată fi primit și procesat cu o justă judecată și o justă reacție. Cum se poate să te reîntorci undeva unde cineva ți-a lezat intimitatea, spațiu personal intangibil. Este cartea unde se întâlnește curiozitatea cu apetența pentru pericol, pentru dominare, cu dorința, cu excitarea, cu incapacitatea de a întoarce spatele și a spune nu. Dar toate acestea nu se conștientizează și nu se numesc cu subiect și predicat. Toate sunt niște curenți subterani care ii determina pe cei doi să ia decizii mai periculoase decât își pot imagina.

Mi-a plăcut să o citesc? Nu prea. Mai mult să scormonesc în text dupa citire. Putea să fie mai incitanta, mai ofertantă? Da. Dar autorul nu a mizat pe nici un element senzațional ori suculent de dragul unei citiri mai satisfăcătoare. Nici măcar din punct de vedere stilistic. A ieșit ca o friptura fadă și cam uscată, dar și-a păstrat toate proteinele intacte.

Am regretul de a nu fi făcut înainte lectura nuvelei lui Thomas Mann, Moarte la Veneția. Dacă exista corespondente între ele, din pacate, n-am cum sa le pot întrezări.

Cosa dire. Stupendo è poco. Una scrittura così bella credo di averla incontrata poche volte. A mio parere un libro stupendo.
La storia di Mary e Colin ti cattura e ti riempie di domande. Perché la coppia si fa trasportare dagli eventi passivamente? Perché non reagisce? Sono tutte domande che non avranno risposta perché anche nel finale vorrei prenderli entrambi e scuoterli!
Il romanzo è se vogliamo terrificante e, l’ultimo capitolo raggiunge l’apice del terrore.
Ho trovato la figura di Caroline raccapricciante e tuttora non riesco a capirla, mi fa solo paura.
La trama sarebbe nulla se non fosse raccontata in maniera perfetta da McEwan, una scelta chirurgica del lessico e una descrizione perfetta, ma che non si rende pesante.
Leggerò ancora dell’autore perché mi ha…”catturata”!!!

Ugh. What a disappointment. I would've given it two stars if the writing wasn't so on-point and the author wasn't so good at creating an atmosphere.

I was captivated by the way McEwan so precisely defines the tiny, nagging feelings that creep up from travel fatigue, boredom in a relationship, and sexual stagnation.

But the plot of this book... McEwan seems to have concentrated all his effort on describing everyday ennui only to fall short later on describing the actual scene of the crime. A crime which I don't quite understand...

I'm not good with subtleties. I don't like them. Life isn't a series of subtleties and our thoughts and emotions usually aren't subtle. Just say what you mean, I say. And perhaps that's my problem with this book. After all the precise writing, McEwan left it vague as to why Colin and Mary went back to Robert's house to begin with. And how did Robert know they'd be back? I missed that hint during the first visit. Is it because Caroline said "get me out of here" or whatever she said. Was her saying that a ploy? But Colin and Mary don't seem to be going back to help her. Are they there because of some sexual hints - to add spark to their sex lives - that I didn't pick up on either?

And Robert... Do shit right, man. You obviously have gay tendencies. You fantasize about fucking someone to death? Why didn't you fuck Colin to death? Why slit his wrist like a coward? Fuck Mary to death too! Why poison her and make her vulnerable just to leave her sitting there? What a waste. And why did Robert and Caroline wait for Colin and Mary to return? Why not go and abduct them? Or why not seduce them into taking part and then... Oops someone "accidentally" gets fucked to death.

The plot was not well thought out. I would have rather this book of wonderfully precise writing have gone absolutely nowhere than have gone how it did. So annoyed.

It's a 'haunting but intriguingly written book' 4.5 stars.

The Comfort of Strangers is probably the first book by Ian McEwan, aka 'Ian Macabre', which I have actually finished reading and enjoyed. I never finish The Cement Garden, by the same author,therefore I'm pleasantly surprised to find The Comfort of Strangers so appealing.

The story is very simple: a pair of well-to-do, fine looking, highly educated couple went to an unnamed, tourist-crowded city (strongly hinted at as Venice), they hanged out in their hotel, had many comfortable but not passionate sex, visited a few tourist attractions and wandering in the maze-like streets of the city; soon they encountered a stranger, who was very, very friendly toward them. Next, the couple were invited to their host's fine manor and met the man's wife. Later, this seemingly harmless encounter takes a nightmarish turn for the worse.

It isn't a comfortable story to read and it isn't easy to rant it, at the very beginning we follow the traveling couple and learn more about their relationship and habits. It isn't difficult for us to see their seven years old relationship is rather lukewarm and the pair seems to be...disconnected at times, even though neither of them would admit they're having problems (Though outwardly, they are not having problem). Then in the middle of the book you can also easily sense something is wrong with this strangely 'friendly' local man and his wife; but don't worry, you would hardly be able to predict what this strange couple are really up to till the last pages.

I like how Mr. McEwan is unafraid of going into highly uncomfortable zones when it comes to his story or its characters. You would be shook to hear one of the characters freely talks about how women are supposed to obey men and how women love being humiliated, dominated and hurt by men, regardless how hard they try to deny it. You would probably feel very disturbed by a finely educated female character being physically and mentally abused by her partner but instead of running away, she unashamedly admits she loves the abuse and finds much pleasure in being hurt and crippled in many unimaginable, cruel ways.

I think the two couples in the story actually serve as the twisted mirror image of each other. On one hand it's easy to view one couple as 'evil'; (well, judging from their behaviors, I suppose they in fact are evil) but on the other hand, it's even more disturbing to see the supposedly 'normal', finely cultured and victimized couple had the wildest, most enjoyable and passionate sex ever, after they visited the friendly local man and his obviously abused wife and then they willingly (or helplessly) walk right back to the trap even *after* they had already sensed something *very* wrong and suspicious is going on with their 'friendly' hosts.

To be honest, I feel that everything in The Comfort of Strangers had already been done before by other authors, I kept thinking of Death in Venice (a book that Mr. McEwan supposedly paid homage to/drew inspiration from) and Don't Look Now (a nightmarish 1970s thriller which is set also in Venice). If you're familiar with the horror/thriller genre then I guess it isn't so difficult to guess at what's going to happen in the end, but I really was surprised that the evil couple eventually chose the man as their victim and sex object instead of his female partner. Still I like how Mr. McEwan wrote his story: at first nothing seems to be out of place, but when you look a little bit closer, you realize there're undercurrents beneath the smooth water-surface (the foreshadowing is done nicely); the omen is hovering above the unsuspecting characters' heads, in the middle of all the suspense and sexual tension, you can catch the faint scent of death in the air, at the back of your mind, you just know something bad is going to happen. I really enjoy it.

It's not an easy book to read, still I strongly recommend it to everyone who wants to read books about the dark, horrifying side of human nature and desire.