Hotel du Lac

I found this book rather dull. I suspect I missed the point of it and, if I'd understood what it was about I could have enjoyed it more. But I didn't, so I didn't.

The central character is the author of romantic fiction who, ironically, is unable to find any romance herself. She's trapped in an affair with a married man, ends up being effectively exiled to this hotel on the lake by friends because of an event (spoilers - you'll find out), meets another man (he hardly figures at all really) and then something else happens... And then it's over.

It's probably a very, very clever book. It won the Booker Prize in 1984 or something. But it just went over my head, I'm afraid. However, given the number of glowing reviews it's one of those that you should probably try yourself. Maybe you'll love it. I'm glad I read it and gave it a go. But it's not quite my cup of tea.

It's the end of the season at a lakeside hotel in Switzerland. The few leftover mostly female guests lounge on the terrace, take strolls in the autumn weather, get clothes made from seamstresses, have lunch, take tea, dress up for dinner, and then turn in early. Everyone behaves as if this is a novel set in the early 20th century. And yet, occasional remarks - like having television in their rooms - make you realize it really is set closer to the novel's publication date (1984). There's a hazy out-of-time feeling to it all. The women are mysterious, wretched and dramatic, living different fates of being-pushed-aside-by-men. The protagonist is at a crossroad in her own life, questioning if she should marry.

Elegant and wry writing, which I very much enjoyed.

This book opens with a romance writer begrudgingly boarding a plane to Switzerland to spend a few days in exile at the Hotel Du Lac. She will have plenty of time to have a “curious interlude in her life” where she can write her new novel, take long walks, speak to other interesting guests at the hotel, and just hit the reset button. Why is our main character taking this leave of absence from life? Well, it's part of a social banishment enacted by her friends. They believe she needs to go on probation and grow a little, away from her life in London.

It's a fun little curiosity. Edith checks into the hotel and begins to meld with certain personalities over a meal or tea. We find out that most of the guests are cruel or ill-tempered, and the author often uses these traits to sly comedic effects, albeit oftentimes in long, drawn-out diatribes of small talk. There is a certain perceptiveness to the prose. Nothing is really described in great detail. It is often the witticisms that round out character traits and small intricacies that bring the hotel to life.

Edith eventually meets someone who is interested in her, and after a few days, he proposes. We are plucked from the hearty conversations and thrown into another unique situation that Edith did not expect. Will she say yes to the marriage proposal with stipulations attached, or are there other past circumstances that will come into play and give her yield?