Embers

A must read because of its insight into the universal dynamics of friendship, betrayal, and the shadow side of human instinct.

Two elderly men look back on their lives in a way that will keep you spellbound throughout. The writing is of the highest quality. The passage about happiness ( if you have been lucky enough to ever experience it) with stop you in your tracks! The writer tells us the gods will note it in the ledger of living and - "demand repayment at the end of life, with crippling interest".

A masterpiece; a really worthy read.

If the confessional baroque is not yet a literary category, Embers surely instantiates it. The writing (at least in the English translation) is not tight or lean, but it is rich and delightful. I started reading one afternoon and couldn't sleep until I'd reached the story's end. As a foray into Hungarian literature, but also simply a good book, I would highly recommend Embers.

magnificent