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The Weekend: A Novel

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 306 ratings · 43 reviews

On a midsummer weekend, in a country house in upstate New York, three friends, Lyle, Marian, and John, gather on the anniversary of the death of John's brother, who was also Lyle's lover. As Tony's absence haunts each of them in different ways, the reunion is complicated by the presence of Lyle's new lover, a much younger man named Robert, and a faux-Italian dinner guest w...more

Paperback, 208 pages

Published March 31st 2009 by Picador (first published 1994)

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May 06, 2013 Cristina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Il weekend si è finalmente consumato.
treni sono partiti e ritornati, gli occhi si sono soffermati a guardare dal finestrino particolari diversi.
Fortunatamente Cameron ci tiene sospesi...
il bambino gattonerà mai? Si intuisce un problema, forse autismo, ma non sapremo mai...
Mariam chiamerà Robert per scusarsi e rinnovare un invito nella sua stucchevolissima casa di campagna, troppo perfetta per non risultare noiosa...
e Robert accetterà? Riuscirà mai a perdonare?
Tra Mariam e Lyle rimarrà una crepa...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Bridgit rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved so many things about this book. A surprise - not my normal up of tea. In many ways it felt like a light book - an easy read, but full of gems like this: "The human effort to create beauty suddenly seemed to him useless and pathetic, and the pathos of it, as augmented by his almost finished martini, was bottomless and overwhelming." Know the feeling all too well, but the language!!!

The other thing is that this is a (short) novel about what goes right and wrong on a weekend/vacation with pe...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Mahala Helf rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Suspenseful and atmospheric, cutting from bucolic present to bittersweet past action, this gripping julienne of life hit me again & again with what could happen and what didn't happen, then left me wondering what would. Really a brilliant apparently superficial way into --way into and out the other side--the deepest.
Not since I saw & read The Turning of the Screw as a much too young child have I felt that dread mixed with not understanding what the characters might be capable of.The sim...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Jee Koh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read Peter Cameron's 1994 novel The Weekend in two short afternoons. It was that absorbing and delightful. From the back cover: "On a midsummer weekend, in a country house in upstate New York, three friends gather on the anniversary of the death of a man related to them all by blood or love. Their idyll is disturbed by the presence of two outsiders: a faux Italian dinner guest and a young gay man now involved with the dead man's lover." The premise may appear somewhat thin, but the novel spins...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Nox rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

«Dobbiamo esserci persi più di quanto credevamo».

Un po' è uno strazio per i lettori italiani non riuscire a seguire l'evoluzione di uno scrittore amato. Questo "Weekend", ad es., appare oggi in Italia, ma è di almeno 7 anni prima di "Quella sera dorata", e l'abilità di Cameron nel tratteggiare le profondità dell'animo umano o i piccoli arabeschi che ne traspirano in superficie si riconosce come un po' meno raffinata.
Comunque l'autore è sempre abilissimo nel catturare l'attenzione sui moti dell'...more

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May 04, 2013 Roberto rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Marian e John sono una coppia di ricchi quarantenni che vive nella campagna a nord di New York. I due conducono una vita tranquilla, anche se, senza ammetterlo e senza dirselo, si annoiano un po’. Ma dietro la facciata di tranquillità, l’ansia di Marian per il piccolo Roland, “gracile e malaticcio” avuto quando forse non ci sperava più, nasconde una passata depressione e un tentato suicidio, mentre John si rintana spesso nel suo orto per isolarsi dal mondo.

La coppia attende per il fine settimana...more Marian e John sono una coppia di ricchi quarantenni che vive nella campagna a nord di New York. I due conducono una vita tranquilla, anche se, senza ammetterlo e senza dirselo, si annoiano un po’. Ma dietro la facciata di tranquillità, l’ansia di Marian per il piccolo Roland, “gracile e malaticcio” avuto quando forse non ci sperava più, nasconde una passata depressione e un tentato suicidio, mentre John si rintana spesso nel suo orto per isolarsi dal mondo.

La coppia attende per il fine settimana Lyle, un vecchio amico ex compagno del fratello di John, Tony, scomparso esattamente un anno prima malato di Aids.

In quella casa di campagna, il grande dolore comune potrebbe essere utile come terapia psicoanalitica di gruppo, perché ciascun personaggio ha dentro di sé un intrico di sentimenti e sensazioni. C’è molta attesa quindi per l’incontro che, per Marian, dovrà essere di consacrazione del lutto ma anche di rinascita. Alla cena del sabato sera è invitata anche Laura, donna italiana di mezza età.

Ma Lyle arriva da New York con un giovane pittore, Robert, che frequenta da pochissimo. La presenza di Robert infrange le attese. Tutto salta.

Tutti provavano un “egoistico senso di abbandono”, soprattutto Lyle, il quale è ancora legato al compagno scomparso. E la figura di Tony non solo sorride perennemente nelle fotografie disseminate un po’ ovunque, ma è una presenza costante tra loro, è come se fosse ancora vivo mentre Lyle, John e Marian si limitano invece a sopravvivere.
Robert osserva la situazione dall’esterno e Roland sorride debolmente gattonando “come se ricordasse qualcosa di un’altra vita, qualcosa di bello” giacché il bambino “sembrava che sapesse tutto e niente”.

Il romanzo è quasi senza una trama. È semplice nella struttura ma complesso nella profondità. È la storia di un tipo di relazione, di un modo di rapportarsi agli altri, di quei sentimenti provati da chi vive il legame di amicizia come se fosse un legame familiare. È la storia della difficoltà a far funzionare tali legami.
Il romanzo racconta di come non possiamo lasciarci alle spalle i nostri morti, di quanto sia complicato convincerci che gli altri possano essere felici nonostante la nostra insofferenza o infelicità, di come siamo sempre troppo giovani, fragili o diversi per accettarci o essere accettati fino in fondo.

Il passato s’intromette costantemente nel presente e si avverte in ogni incontro una forte tensione. Cameron ci fa prendere a cuore i personaggi, ci fa sentire le loro sofferenze, i loro imbarazzi e le loro speranze.
Il libro si legge d’un fiato. Lo stile è elegante e lineare, ma anche sensibile e introspettivo. Molto belli i dialoghi. (less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Ci sono cose che si perdono e non tornano indietro; non si possono riavere mai più, se non nella carta carbone della memoria. Ci sono cose a cui sembra impossibile rassegnarsi ma a cui rassegnarsi è inevitabile. Lo scorrere dei giorni leviga il dolore ma non lo consuma: quello che il tempo si porta via è andato, e poi si resta con un qualcosa di freddo e duro, un souvenir che non si perde mai. Un piccolo bassotto di porcellana delle White Mountains. Una marionetta del teatro delle ombre di Bali...more

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May 06, 2009 Michele rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book in a weekend. It's really quite good. If it doesn't make you want to flee from New York City and move straight up and into the country, I don't know what will. But then once you're there, you might realize you're surrounded by people who are lonely or dealing with some type of serious personal turmoil. You may even discover you're constructing walls that serve no purpose whatsoever. But they're pretty so who cares?

No, seriously? This book is worth picking up. Or you can have mi...more

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Apr 07, 2009 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Author Peter Cameron’s novel, The Weekend, is a poignant examination of friendship, intimacy and the unconventional ties that bind four individuals with clashing personalities.

The characters in the story try to avert disaster over a two-day period spent together in upstate New York.

Lyle, a big city art critic and lecturer, still quietly mourns the AIDS-related death of his lover, Tony. Lyle accepts an invitation from John, Tony’s half-brother, and his wife, Marian, to spend the weekend at their...more Author Peter Cameron’s novel, The Weekend, is a poignant examination of friendship, intimacy and the unconventional ties that bind four individuals with clashing personalities.

The characters in the story try to avert disaster over a two-day period spent together in upstate New York.

Lyle, a big city art critic and lecturer, still quietly mourns the AIDS-related death of his lover, Tony. Lyle accepts an invitation from John, Tony’s half-brother, and his wife, Marian, to spend the weekend at their country home, a place he and Tony visited frequently during their ten-year relationship.

The fact that it falls on the one-year anniversary of Tony’s death is no coincidence, and Marian especially looks forward to talking old times with Lyle. What throws a wrench into her agenda, however, is his companion Robert, a young waiter and aspiring artist who made Lyle’s acquaintance just a few short weeks ago.

The pages literally drip with tension, from the moment early on when Lyle tells Robert what he has in common with John and Marian, to dinner that evening when Marian’s dinner guest, the chatty Laura Ponti from Italy, makes an unnecessary spectacle of herself.

Each conversation, whether it is between Lyle and Marian, Robert and Lyle, or Lyle and John, is filled with apparent unease, and not only because Robert is an unfamiliar presence in the home.

Marian, a new mother who has battled depression in the past, continuously questions or second guesses everything she says or does.

John, seemingly aware of his wife’s temperament, seeks refuge in the garden away from everyone, including his newborn son.

Lyle, meanwhile, who is attracted to Robert, speaks perhaps a bit too openly--and prematurely--to his newfound love interest, without taking his counterpart’s feelings into consideration.

Cameron has created a rich cast of characters, each complete with his or her own strengths and flaws. The interplay occasionally borders on pretentious, but the author’s remarkable prose makes the situation seem real and somehow less awkward.

Although the destiny of these four is ultimately left to the reader’s imagination, the small amount of time spent with them is enough to spark endless discussion and deserving speculation.
(less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A reread indeed. As I matured, I revisited this book & enjoyed it more each time. The first time, it was a quick read...the second time, I paused & set it aside to actually reflect on the emotions & what the author was saying. The third time, I experienced many bitter sweet emotions and delved deeper into my own past & my relationships with my friends. I am due another read of this & hope that I mature enough to rate it a "5". The impact is slow yet constant.....an amazingly...more

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Nov 13, 2007 Missy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hmmm, I really think this book deserves 1.5 stars. It wasn't horrible, but I didn't really like it. Its title, "The Weekend," is exactly about that. A review of what happened to some people over a weekend. It's like me writing a book about my weekend: I woke up, ate cereal, went for a run, took a shower, etc. Not that interesting. It did show some flaws in the characters' personalities, but there was no resolution to any of the minor problems that arose. For instance, a lady was worried the whol...more Hmmm, I really think this book deserves 1.5 stars. It wasn't horrible, but I didn't really like it. Its title, "The Weekend," is exactly about that. A review of what happened to some people over a weekend. It's like me writing a book about my weekend: I woke up, ate cereal, went for a run, took a shower, etc. Not that interesting. It did show some flaws in the characters' personalities, but there was no resolution to any of the minor problems that arose. For instance, a lady was worried the whole book about her baby not developing properly. I expected to find out by the end of the book whether the baby was OK or not, but no, all I know is that she was worried. The main characters in this story are gay, and I got the sense that the author was just wanting a reason to write about a gay couple.

The reason I didn't hate it is because there were some instances in which the author articulated some thoughts I've had, and didn't even realize I did. Does that make sense? It's like I would read and think, "Oh wow, I know exactly what he's talking about, that makes total sense!" I quote two of those instances:

"It was strange to see someone you have only known alone begin interacting with other people, for that somebody known to you disappears and is replaced by a different, more complex, person. You watch him revolve in this new company, revealing new facets, and there is nothing you can do but hope you like these other sides as much as you like the side that seemed whole when it faced only you." (page 89)

This next quote was in reference to Tony's death:
"Looking back on it, she saw the moments she spent in the house alone with Lyle and Tony's body as the eye of a storm. There had been the awful activity of Tony's illness and the subsequent difficult period of his mourning, but those hours in between had been so quiet and still, as if a hush had settled on them, on her and Lyle and Tony, momentarily, and then had been blown away." (page 71)

I saw several people die when I worked at a hospital, and this quote is so true, although I never thought about it in this way. I have seen families in this eye of the storm; after the suffering of the deceased, but before the mortuary comes, the organ donor questions, funeral arrangements, and the list goes on and on.(less)

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Sep 10, 2009 Caroline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

from prologue: "Catherine thought, perhaps if we travel together, I shall get to know them at last, for so far I have been all wrong, and they have turned out different to what I thought. How is one to know what people are like?.. Perhaps one can never know; perhaps people are uncapturable, and slip away like water from one's hand, changing all the time." - Rose Macaulay, Staying with Relations

this is why we take advice from novels.

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May 25, 2009 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was expecting a better read after having just finished Cameron's latest novel. Took it along with me on a holiday weekend and it dampened my spirit just a bit. The dialogue was somewhat unnatural and stilted and although I know this tied in with the larger picture, I found the characters to be boring and one-dimensional, dealing with depressing angles of their lives. I'll continue to read this author, but hope this is his worst effort.

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Nov 07, 2008 Ron rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading Andorra by the same author, I was a bit disappointed by this one. While it had a similar interesting combination of journalistic frankness, pity analysis and flashes of poetic description, the context, being upstate New York (as opposed to exotic/glamorous Andorra) didn't evoke the same senses of opprobrium/anticipation. It was more quotidian, and perhaps a bit more psychological, with a more overt gay theme. Which interested me too, as it was about an older, established man and a...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Liana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a nice little book about grief and love and relationships. And art, maybe. I don't know. It didn't really grab me as much as I wanted it to. Maybe if I read it again, in a different mood and in a different place in my life, I would love it. I feel like it didn't go deep enough, but maybe there were depths that I missed. I also feel like it was maybe a little too narrow in its focus. But well written and pretty and engaging nonetheless.

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Aug 17, 2011 Dustin Rhodes rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Dustin by: no one

Shelves: traditional-book, gay-lit

Disappointed - enticed by an intriguing synopsis, but let down by disconnected and chopping dialogue. The dialogue almost made me forget my promise to always read whatever I had started, no matter how difficult of a read it may be. Everything about Cameron's writing was really good until the characters would break out into a conversation. At that point, I would grit my teeth and hope the conversation was minimal. It was like super intelligent intellectuals trying to interact socially with each o...more

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Mar 12, 2009 Aaron rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Saw the movie years ago. A cheap indie film with dramatic overacting and a tied-together-plot. The strings left hanging out all over the place. Also, a vaguely wishy-washy gay-straight tension that left me unsatisfied.

But, the book is well-written, as could be expected.

Oh, so much lost in the translation from book to film.

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Apr 03, 2013 Rosalba rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

E’ molto difficile commemorare i morti, pensò. Evocare il ricordo senza indulgere nel proprio dolore: quasi impossibile. Non li riavremo mai indietro incontaminati dalla nostra sofferenza: non ci è dato di pensarli, vederli in un limpido turbine di sentimenti, ma sempre insieme a questa pena, questo dolore, questo egoista senso di abbandono che riguarda più noi che loro.

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May 18, 2011 Renee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beautifully written. Who would think to compare the colors of a lake at sunrise to a bruise? I was Marian's lone cheerleader (and probably always will be), but to me the most complex characters are Marian and Laura. Robert's ok. Lyle's self-absorbed, and John is too detached.

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Jul 21, 2009 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a breeze to read, with some really lovely, poetic passages(especially in the descriptions of natural settings and the complexities of intimate relationships,) and rich, whimsical conversations, interspersed with straightforward, unfettered prose. I was surprised that the plot could be so absorbing, in that it's really just a group of complex people spending time together over one weekend. My only complaint is that three of the main characters are very rich and their beautiful, luxe life...more

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May 05, 2013 Sally Atwell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: I wouldn't recommend it

Recommended to Sally by: no one

I found this book, though short, very strange to read, in spite of the reviews on the back cover by critics. Several times I was ready to stop reading it, but then picked it back up, because I wanted to know the ending, which I found most unsatisfying.

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Dec 03, 2011 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

I didn't get into this one as much as "Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You." I probably should have read them in reverse order. Then I probably would have been more impressed. This is well written and all, but I just don't think it has that flash of amazing that "Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You" does. I don't connect as much with the characters emotionally. It is still good, but "Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You" is just better.

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Jan 14, 2009 Rob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Deceptive in its simplicity but packs a powerful punch. The book does a wonderful job exploring loss, letting go, and being open and available for love. I enjoyed how the gay and straight characters were comfortable with each other in a very natural way.

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Aug 19, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Slow and balanced characterization makes this novel all the more deep when things fall apart. I feel saddened and frustrated by the characters. A true sign of a moving book. Thank you Peter Cameron.

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Apr 26, 2012 Kevin Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A slight novel of manners, good and bad, set in the 90s in upstate NY, Lyle and his new lover go to visit his good friends on the anniversary of his previous lovers death, who is also the brother of the host, etc etc. Hilarity ensues, not really. Well written and reminiscent of an edwardian piece, and to place it in time, one of the characters breaks out her Filofax.

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Sep 26, 2011 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There was something painfully beautiful about this little book, which read more like a novella than a novel. The tenor, or feeling, of it was incredibly realistic - the pervasive sense of loss and longing, the intense awkwardness of bringing together new and old, and the misunderstandings that inevitably take place in new relationships, particularly when there has been such a traumatic loss. I thought the dialogue immensely diminished the power of the book, however; it was strangely sparse and s...more

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Feb 09, 2010 Susan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Picked this up at a weekend rental house with no tv or internet connection--so it was a diversion but not memorable.

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Sep 16, 2010 Sylvia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wonderful book, thought provoking, cleanly written.
"Never press someone for an answer you may not want to hear."
"Keep your hope to yourself. People feel very intimidated by hope. Especially old people like Lyle and me. Besides hope can be awfully boring." (But I liked Obama's Hope!)
"Maybe life is a vacation. You know how on vacations you always pretend you are having such a good time, but especially toward the end you cant wait to get home. Maybe life is like that. Maybe you realize that at the...more

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May 01, 2012 DoctorM rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lavender-hip

Elegant, finely-crafted, knowing, ultimately very melancholy. A lovely, sad take on the country-house novel with wonderful characters. Peter Cameron is one of the neglected treasures in American writing.

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Jan 27, 2009 Ron Mohring rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, in-my-library

I go back to this novel every couple of years. It's one of my favorites.

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About Peter Cameron

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Peter Cameron (b. 1959) is an award-winning novelist and short story writer. Born in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, he moved to New York City after graduating college in 1982. Cameron began publishing stories in the New Yorker one year later. His numerous award-winning storie...more

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Quotes from The Weekend

“It was strange to see someone you have only known alone begin interacting with other people, for that somebody known to you disappears and is replaced by a different, more complex, person. You watch him revolve in this new company, revealing new facets, and there is nothing you can do but hope you like these other sides as much as you like the side that seemed whole when it faced only you.” — 8 people liked it

“Ci sono cose che si perdono e non tornano indietro; non si possono riavere mai più, se non nella carta carbone della memoria. Ci sono cose a cui sembra impossibile rassegnarsi ma a cui rassegnarsi è inevitabile. Lo scorrere dei giorni leviga il dolore ma non lo consuma: quello che il tempo si porta via è andato, e poi si resta con un qualcosa di freddo e duro, un souvenir che non si perde mai. Un piccolo bassotto di porcellana delle White Mountains. Una marionetta del teatro delle ombre di Bali. E guarda: un calzascarpe d'avorio di un hotel a quattro stelle di Zurigo. E qua, come un sasso che porto ovunque, c'è un pezzetto di cuore altrui che ho conservato da un vecchio viaggio.” — 5 people liked it

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The Weekend: A Novel

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