The Comfort of Strangers

The Comfort of Strangers

published	1994 by Anchor
binding	Paperback
isbn	0679749845 (isbn13: 9780679749844)
pages	128
literary awards	1981 Booker Prize Nominee
description	As their holiday unfolds, Colin and Maria are locked into their own intimacy. They groom themselves meticulously, as though someone is waiting for the...more [close] As their holiday unfolds, Colin and Maria are locked into their own intimacy. They groom themselves meticulously, as though someone is waiting for them who cares deeply about how they appear. When they meet a man with a disturbing story to tell, they become drawn into a fantasy of violence and obsession.
date added	12-08-06 edit book

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Grant

Grant rated it:

03/07/08

Read in March, 2008

I read The Comfort of Strangers as part of my exploration of travel/expat fiction. I'm interested in the overwhelming tendency of these novels to put the main character in peril simply because he or she is abroad. The inherent premise of the "genre" is that one somehow loses an important bit of equilibrium when traveling, or that a new country's otherness is fundamentally threatening—so the characters seesaw back and forth between these two antagonistic forces.

The Comfort of Strang...more

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Jamie

Jamie rated it:

01/17/08

Read in January, 2008

The most obvious comparison is Thomas Mann, Death in Venice, but it also envoked some "gothic" novels: Rebecca, one of my favorites, with that dark, mysterious melodrama, opulence, ruin and utter lack of specifics. Manderly is a charred disaster with rhododendrons grown-wild, Robert's "flat" seems to be one level of a once-grand mannor, now a museum to his father and grandfather.
It's Venice, but it's never named as such, just as DeMaurier never reveals her narrator's fir...more The most obvious comparison is Thomas Mann, Death in Venice, but it also envoked some "gothic" novels: Rebecca, one of my favorites, with that dark, mysterious melodrama, opulence, ruin and utter lack of specifics. Manderly is a charred disaster with rhododendrons grown-wild, Robert's "flat" seems to be one level of a once-grand mannor, now a museum to his father and grandfather.
It's Venice, but it's never named as such, just as DeMaurier never reveals her narrator's first name, only that of Mr. De Winter's first wife, Rebecca.
There are homosexual inclinations--(the housekeeper seems oddly "enthralled" with her previous mistress while Robert openly tells the villagers that Colin is his lover.), murder, violence and some undefined relationship that keeps you reading--for pages and pages in Rebecca, for only a few in The Comfort of Strangers.
But, TCoS also provides some sort of abstract notion, as well. It's not as defined as Shelly or DuMaurier, but no less evolved or intentional. Having just finished a book last week I can only describe as "sloppy," this book is decidedly neat: no doubt, McEwan, if asked, could easily explain his choices, motives and decisions, they were carefully embedded within his story from the very begining.
And, as is McEwan's signiture, naturally, the character development was astounding, albeit limited--but the very nature of it's limitation seemed so very purposeful. There was a great deal to both Mary, Colin, Caroline and Robert, however, McEwan, for whatever reason (the over-all contribution of darkness, it seems), simply doesn't reveal everything. Colin was once a singer. Now he is not. What he does? Who knows?
Given McEwan's careful omission of details, it seemed very avante guard abstract--purposefully sparce in the name of mystery. Typically I might call such a tactic thoughtless but I truly cannot say that about this book. No, it wasn't "perfect," but it was masterfully done--it just is what it is.
In school I read Eonesco, Les Chaises: The stage is black, the furniture non-existant, the characters unexplained: You can turn it into what ever you like, but the destinguishing characteristic is this: I think McEwan knows. He absolutely owns the characters--they DO have lives and intentions and they do not simply go dark once a page is turned. There's a reason they do what they do, but we might not figure it out as readers...but then again, we might.
I will say this: two things really "got" me in this novel, well, three if you count Caroline as just, a character. But, one, Colin and Mary's "pillow talk:" she wants to chop his arms and legs off to have a torso to have her way with and lone out to friends, while he wants to build a machine of mechanisms, screws and gears to erotically please her for not just days and weeks, but years...(I love the morbid, dirty, sexy mix-mash and muddle of this, so decidedly American/British, since I think Italians and French and others probably wouldn't find it that appauling but probably just cool...but I also love that McEwan isn't afraid to admit that he concieved such a notion...I might hesitate, ancestor of puritans that I am, to even write that in my journal...)
And, the second was, as always, not JUST the descriptions of places and setting (nothing will compare to Tallis house): but the sparcely tiled bathrooms, the pillowless beds, the cold feel of the marble floors under Mary's naked back...all of it, you're there, really and truly, even more so than Rebecca, but in a much more physical way, as apposed to just visuals. McEwan is so tactile. I guess that's it....less

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Steven

Steven rated it:

04/27/08

bookshelves: 1001

Read in April, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Wonderful and quick piece from McEwan that so captivated me that I was able to finish it in less than one day. Of all of McEwan’s works that I have read thus far, the common theme is the impending feeling of dread that something pretty bad will happen (or at least come close to happening), and no book made me more nervous than this one.

The novel concerns an English couple, named Colin and Mary, who are vacationing in a city which is never mentioned, though one that sounds an awful lot lik...more Wonderful and quick piece from McEwan that so captivated me that I was able to finish it in less than one day. Of all of McEwan’s works that I have read thus far, the common theme is the impending feeling of dread that something pretty bad will happen (or at least come close to happening), and no book made me more nervous than this one.

The novel concerns an English couple, named Colin and Mary, who are vacationing in a city which is never mentioned, though one that sounds an awful lot like Venice, Italy. Mary and Colin have been together for quite awhile and “often forget that they are two separate people” and their lovemaking often climaxes or is interrupted by sleep. Still, despite the familiarity between the two, it seems like they still love one another very much. Mary is a divorced mother of two and sounds like she is pretty hot and Colin is also apparently quite the catch.

They are having a decent time on vacation, though you sense that things are just a little too touristy and a little too hot and they are looking forward to going home soon. One evening, they linger too long at the hotel and get lost while looking for a place to eat and are befriended by a local named Robert. Robert takes them to a bar and shares a bit of his rather odd life story. He later comes to their rescue and brings them to his house where they meet his wife, Caroline. As a reader, you are definitely weirded out by the Robert/Caroline relationship, especially when it is clear that there is some physical abuse going on. Robert is also quite a bit of a misogynist and makes all sorts of crazy pronouncements on the role of men and women in the world.

Anyway, it becomes increasingly clear that Robert and Caroline are even creepier than it might initially appear and they have formulated a really unhealthy attachment to Colin. Mary and Colin eventually happen upon Robert and Caroline again and you know that things are definitely going to get worse. Caroline shares with Mary that the physical abuse is necessary for sexual enjoyment between her and Robert and drugs Mary with some tea. (How very English.) Bad things happen, which McEwan in his mastery is intentionally vague about.

A few things I found really great about the novel were as follows:
• McEwan does an incredible job of describing that feeling that you can occasionally have during a vacation or when you are traveling when you have just sort of had enough, and you are tired of getting lost and the maps are confusing, and you don’t know where to eat and you just kind of want to go home.
• So much sexual depravity in the book. Obviously you have the Robert and Caroline situation in which sexual gratification comes through physical abuse and you also a pretty weird dynamic with the two good guys, Colin and Mary. After a renewed sexual attachment, Mary notes that she would like to chop off Colin’s arms and legs and leave just a torso for her and her friend’s enjoyment. Colin wants to build a machine where Mary is pleasured until her death. Yeah, pretty wild stuff there.
• Great use of that ominous feeling throughout the book. The moment you meet Robert, you know something bad is going to happen and you cannot stop reading until you find out what it is.
• Great use of being intentionally vague in the use of background information on the characters. We know they do all of these things, but we are really never given enough background to fully know why, especially with Mary and Colin.
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Bart

Bart rated it:

01/01/08

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: Ian McEwan fans

The Comfort of Strangers is the closest thing to an average book that I've read by Ian McEwan. It is quite short and not particularly well developed. There are stretches of it that, in retrospect, do not fit the size of the book properly.

The conclusion makes little sense, too. At the end of Chesil Beach, to choose a timely and equally short counter example, a reader is left feeling he's inferred more than is written - though largely through the author's encouragement. At th...more

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Samia

Samia rated it:

03/09/08

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Samia by: Cate

I am very tempted to give this book five stars, but I'm a little hesitant for some reason. Maybe because I haven't figured out how often one can give a book five stars and still have people remotely trust what you are saying. So I'll remain stingy with the stars.

McEwan's characterizations of the main protagonists and his descriptions of an unnamed Southern European city in which they are spending their vacation lead me to recommend this book. The city, with its knotted, labyrinthine alley...more

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Margaret

Margaret rated it:

(review of isbn 0099754916)

08/16/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2007

This was a very surprising and well written story. I could not put this book down. I finished it in one evening! On the contrary to my own experiences, I learned that traveling can be a very lonely and terrifying experience. You have to read it believe it! I wonder if there was a ever a movie based on this novel? If not, it certainly should be.

I finally had a chance to see the movie based on this book. It was interesting but disappointing in comparison to the book. It failed to convey the ...more

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3 comments

Julia

Julia rated it:

01/29/08

Read in January, 2007

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Molly

Molly rated it:

03/05/08

Read in January, 2004

this book is bizarre in the best possible sense of the word. mcewan's usual air of general strangeness descends into complete madness. playing one of the four main characters in the film version, christopher walken said that he'd never wanted a shoot to end so much, because he found the character creepy. and if christopher walken finds something creepy, you know it's gotta be off the charts.

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Christian

Christian rated it:

04/18/08

Read in April, 2008

Intriguing book, McEwan is a master of language, and manages for me, to toe the line between the right amount of description and narrative trajectory to keep me completely involved in the story. The Comfort of Strangers is a fascinating exercise in subtle, psychological horror without the ridiculous unmotivated spectacle sometimes found in the contemporary genre.

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Julie

Julie rated it:

04/02/08

Read in January, 2008

I was very eager to read this book since I loved Atonement. It is a super quick reading. The writing did not disappoint - the descriptions at the beginning were powerful and real however by the end of the book I was very ready for it to be finished. I immediately had to read something uplifting to dispel the nightmarish feeling that the book instilled.

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Jessica

Jessica rated it:

02/01/08

Read in January, 2008

recommended to Jessica by: Hannah Cevoli

This was a tough book to rate...throughout most of it, the reader has this unexplainable feeling that something disturbing is bound to happen... Once the vacationing couple meets Robert, the whole mood of the book is altered, and the book continues to darken. I finished reading this last night, and feel as if I will be contemplating it for some time.

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Hannah

Hannah rated it:

05/03/08

Read in May, 2008

Wow, this one is really really really what he's doing, really really well. Now I only have Chesil Beach left, and the story collections. But he is not dead! Huzzah to awesome authors who can still provide me with more awesomeness!

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Anne

Anne rated it:

02/08/08

Chilly, shocking, succinct, and beautifully written. This is McEwan at what he does best: getting away with an almost unbelievable plot angle while laying bare the deadly and often banal emotional core of intimates. A good counterpart for anyone who likes the terrific movie Don't Look Now, also set in Venice.

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Kristine

Kristine rated it:

10/11/07

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: adults

This novel was very strange and quirky, but I kept reading due to my desire to read all of Ian McEwan's novels. Most of it deals with a couple on holiday and this very weird other couple they meet who they end up spending some time with. The ending made no sense to me. It's a short book and easy to read.

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Sheila

Sheila rated it:

10/14/07

You've got to watch the film version of this it is great - Chris Walkern, Helen Mirren, Rupert Everett, Natasha Richardson....the only film I ever knew to quieten/disquieten the audience discussion at the Film Club of the Psychoanalytical Socity of St Louis! Something not even Tarantino's Pulp Fiction did!

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Marina

Marina rated it:

05/15/08

Read in January, 2008

This is a HAUNTING book. I couldn't get through Atonement, but I have only heard good things about the author, so I picked this short book (127 pages) up before boarding an airplane. It is VERY well written and truly will linger with you. I am not one for scary books, but this one is worth the read.

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Allison

Allison rated it:

01/24/08

Read in September, 2007

One of McEwan's earliest (it may actually be the first) works, you can definitely see the tenets of his writing in place here: wrong place, wrong time, bad decision, disaster, etc. It's more novella than novel, a really quick read that shows how the man who penned Atonement and Amsterdam started out.

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Stephanie

Stephanie rated it:

01/02/08

Read in July, 2004

Pretty disturbing. The imagery was amazing, and I really couldn't put it down, but the whole time I was reading I had this terrible foreboding feeling that something horrible was going to happen. I was uncomfortable with how it ended. Not terrible, but certainly not my favorite by McEwan.

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Carolyn

Carolyn rated it:

04/15/08

This is a dark, gothic, short book and a fast read. Sentences are incredibly well structured and beautifully written. Creepy, disturbing and intense. It’s a good book, not a great one since occasionally I lost interest in all the pedantic details about places. Nevertheless worth a read.

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James

James rated it:

02/13/08

WOW! I read this entire book aloud to my girlfriend on a snowy Sunday morning not too long ago. It lasted through breakfast and lunch and wrapped up just in time to make dinner. I can't think of a more delightfully sinister novella... vicious and tender. RIYL The Sheltering Sky.

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avg rating (all editions): 3.57 (557 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.59 (515 ratings)
number of reviews: 67

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