Akanksha Arora Arora من عند Dhori, باكستان من عند Dhori, باكستان

This man could do everything!

My reaction to this book probably says more about me than it does about the book itself. While I at times found Nothomb’s prose witty and the story in general to be consistently fast-paced and breezily written, the events it depicts frustrated me beyond belief. This autobiographical novel is about the horrible abuse Amélie suffers at a Japanese company where she’s originally hired as a translator and eventually demoted to bathroom attendant. You know how some people have an embarrassment squick, where they can’t stand to read about or watch people humiliate themselves—making the enjoyment of sitcoms rather tricky? I have an unfairness squick. Amélie’s treatment is just so appallingly out of line—and she puts up with it! I, on the other hand, squirmed in my seat and couldn’t enjoy this book at all. I might be interested in reading Nothomb on another topic, but this one made me vastly uncomfortable.