The Waiter, Matias Faldbakken
The Waiter, Matias Faldbakken
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The Waiter

Author: Matias Faldbakken

Narrator: Jacques Roy

Unabridged: 5 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/09/2018


Synopsis

In the tradition of modern classics The Dinner and A Gentleman in Moscow comes The Waiter, in which the finely tuned balance of a grand European restaurant (that has seen better days) is irrevocably upset by an unexpected guest.

In a centuries-old European restaurant called The Hills, a middle-aged waiter takes pride in the unchangeable aspects of his job: the well-worn uniform, the ragged but solid tablecloths, and the regular diners. Some are there daily, like Graham “Le Gris”—also known as The Pig—and his dignified group of aesthetes; the slightly more free-spirited drinking company around Tom Sellers; and the closest one can get to personal friends of the waiter, Edgar and his young daughter, Anna.

In this universe unto itself, there is scarcely any contact between the tables...until a beautiful and well-groomed young woman walks through the door and upsets the delicate balance of the restaurant and all it has come to represent.

Like living in a snow globe, The Waiter is a captivating study in miniature. Everything is just so, and that’s exactly how the waiter needs it to be. One can understand why he becomes anxious when things begin to change. In fact, given the circumstances, anxiety just might be the most sensible response...

With the sophistication of The Remains of the Day and the eccentricity of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Waiter marks the North American debut of an exciting new voice in literary fiction.

About Matias Faldbakken

Matias Faldbakken is a world-renowned contemporary artist and writer who shows with the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York, and has been hailed as one of the freshest new voices to emerge in Norwegian literature during the past decade. The Waiter is his first novel in nine years and the very first he has written under his own name.


Reviews

Goodreads review by DonnaDavis on January 05, 2019

Thanks go to Net Galley and Doubleday for the review copy. I am sorry to be so late here; the truth is that I kept setting it aside because I didn’t like it, and then returning to it, thinking that I was missing something. I’ve given up on finding the magic, though there are some nice moments here;......more

Goodreads review by Eda on December 29, 2019

150'de dnf. Ne hikaye ne de karakterler aslaa umrumda değil. Bitirmek için kendimi zorladım ama daha fazla devam edemeyeceğim. Durum hikayesi seven okuyabilir pek benlik değil.......more

Goodreads review by Tonstant on May 28, 2019

Matias Falkbakken has written two other novels in addition to The Waiter but is the only one translated into English. I mention this because for a moment, I thought it must be the novel that inspired Pete Buttigieg to learn Norwegian so he could read an author’s other books. Then I recalled it was p......more

Goodreads review by Suzanne on April 10, 2019

I probably wouldn’t have picked this up if it hadn’t been a book club selection, so thanks to Rosie for suggesting this. A light and amusing tale narrated by a fussy waiter in an Oslo restaurant, I found this unexpectedly entertaining. His quirks and tradition-loving prejudices are on full view as he......more

Goodreads review by Emma on December 29, 2020

The Hills eller hvordan sette en stemning når en kvinne bestiller en firedobbel espresso. Morgenen står, som man vet i kaffens tegn......more