Book Review #37
The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick
by Peter Handke
As much as I wanted to like Handke's short novel, which is reminiscent of "The Stranger," "Metamorphosis," "Crime and Punishment" and even Antonioni's "Red Desert," I was disappointed. His protagonist, Bloch, is insane from the opening pages and becomes even more unhinged as his journey progresses and his mind deteriorates. The world, as seen through Bloch's eyes, is bleak, drab, ugly and mundane. The language flows but is also fragmented and stultifying. I often found my mind wandering. Also, there is very little suspense until the final quarter of the book which ends with a soccer game. The last sentence of the novel is breathtaking. But it's too little and too late.
by Peter Handke
As much as I wanted to like Handke's short novel, which is reminiscent of "The Stranger," "Metamorphosis," "Crime and Punishment" and even Antonioni's "Red Desert," I was disappointed. His protagonist, Bloch, is insane from the opening pages and becomes even more unhinged as his journey progresses and his mind deteriorates. The world, as seen through Bloch's eyes, is bleak, drab, ugly and mundane. The language flows but is also fragmented and stultifying. I often found my mind wandering. Also, there is very little suspense until the final quarter of the book which ends with a soccer game. The last sentence of the novel is breathtaking. But it's too little and too late.
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