Peter Terrin

I spotted this book looking new and unread on the library shelf. When the blurb informed me that it was a dystopian fable, how could I resist? I should add that I read a translation from the Dutch by David Colmer, but goodreads did not seem to have the edition listed.

'The Guard' shares a name with an extremely funny film starring Brendan Gleeson but, although it has moments of amusement, the novel is mostly unsettling and creepy. It centres around Michel and Harry, two security guards seemingly imprisoned in the basement of an expensive gated development. They have no idea what is happening outside the basement and their isolation breeds paranoia, which breeds madness. I was variously reminded of [b:Lord of the Flies|7624|Lord of the Flies|William Golding|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327869409s/7624.jpg|2766512], [b:High-Rise|70256|High-Rise|J.G. Ballard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459665227s/70256.jpg|2270643], and [b:The Year of the Flood|6080337|The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam, #2)|Margaret Atwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327906873s/6080337.jpg|6257025]. The back cover also describes it as ‘Pinter-esque’, but I can’t comment on that. The structure is of many short chapters, which give it a disjointed feeling and reinforce the unreliability of the narrator.

I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed this novel as such, as it is in places truly horrific and disturbing. I appreciated it as a microcosm of wealth inequality, competitive individualism, and fear of the other combine to psychologically toxic effect. The mysterious quasi-apocalypse hanging over much of the narrative created a high level of tension, which kept me reading avidly.… (more)

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annarchism | 8 other reviews | Aug 4, 2024 |

Monte Carlo by Peter Terrin

well written, but not very unlikely (who is so smitten by an actress that he would act like the main character in this book?) I really like the characters at the side line (Ronny, the simple boy, the farmer at the end) and don't understand why the wife of the main character had to be(come) a sex addict, it didn't add anything to the story.

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mslourens | 3 other reviews | Dec 27, 2020 |

The Guard by Peter Terrin

This is one of the strangest books I have read in a while.

It concerns two guards in an exclusive apartment block who see almost all the residents leave. They are sure that there is one left, but not certain. They continue their routines, of patrolling the basement, and stock checking whilst still not know what is happening outside. They have supplies delivered erratically, and.later in the book are joined by a third guard who disturbs the status quo.

The author (and translator) manage to build the suspense and the growing paranoia of the guards all the way through the book, and there is always a feeling of dread and confusion that the author conveys.

But at the end, I didn't quite get the final conclusion. Maybe it was delusion, or maybe not. And perhaps that is the the point.… (more)

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