I HAD to add this in reaction to the published review. It might be hard for Americans to admit that all the depicted hopelessness, sexism and pointlessness exists in relationships, not only in Austria. We WISH it wouldn't, but it does. And the fact, that we have such a hard time admitting it is all the more reason for this book exist and be read.
I have come across the very same relationship patterns in the U.S., it's just the way this culture deals with it, that makes it hard for writers like Elfriede Jelinek to get the appreciation they deservre.

Although there are interesting issues brought up in this book, (among them, a suffocatingly intimate mother-daughter relationship) the writing is so insufferably stilted that I could barely read the book.

The story centers around a piano teacher in her late thirties (often melodramatically described as "decaying" and "old") who lives with her controlling mother. She mutilates herself whenever she feels sad and lonely.

A virile young student with conventional ideas of romance falls in love with the her. However, the teacher's concept of love is of the S&M variety. The handsome student misunderstands her intentions towards him and interprets them as rejection. His wounded pride eventually leads him to beat her up and rape her, breaking her nose and rib. The teacher walks around in a short dress afterwards, carrying around a knife to mutilate herself further.

This book tries too hard to be disturbing and the results are over-the-top and irritating.

I was first exposed to The Piano Teacher by way of film, which is excellent, but it left some lingering questions about the psychological mindframe of the leading characters. The book offers a very twisted glimpse into the minds of Erika, her Mother and Walter Klemmer, and does so with incredible dexterity.

If anything, I was impressed by the fluidity of the text, of the author's ability to integrate all three voices into one and still sound impartial with every character. Her language might bore some people as it is filled with curious metaphors and details, but she has an amazing ability to go on many tangents from something very trivial to something quite absurd.

This book is very psychologically disturbing. There is a constant power struggle within the Mother-daughter-intruder triangle and the roles are constantly switching off, with the rarest of outcomes. Sexual roles are also misplaced, with the woman the violent and rapeful while the man is cast into the submissive and traditional type.

If you could look past the violence and insanity of this book, you would find it highly enjoyable and thought provoking.

This book is not for everyone -- I was disturbed by all the graphic violence in it, particularly in the last quarter. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars, in fact, is that I think the author went a bit farther than necessary with the violence.

That one point aside, the novel is a good one. The characters of Walter, and Erica in particular, are tragic. Their relationship is twisted, but I could understand how he got caught up in her web, and why she acted the way she did. Erica is absolutely fascinating. Her relationship with her mother is oustandingly portrayed. What was interesting was that the author was able to make me empathise with all the characters, no matter how depraved their actions were on some level.

The book was somewhat like seeing a car wreck -- I wanted to turn away, and yet I was compelled to keep reading. The quality of the imagery, be it a bird singing or a theatre showing a pornographic film, was stunning. Jellinek was also extremely deft in her use of symbols -- the book is rife with symbolism.

If you can handle the graphic violence, this book is definitely worth taking the time to read.

2 frauen. eine fabriksarbeiterin, eine die schneiderin lernt. eine will einen mann und ein kind haben um zu haben, die andere will mann und kind haben um dabei ihr glück zu finden. beiden ist gemeinsam, daß sie sich nicht vorstellen können, ohne mann und kind glücklich zu werden, ohne mann und kind als frau wertvoll zu sein, ja, ohne mann und kind überhaupt leben zu können. die sprache ist, dem milieu der hauptpersonen angepaßt, einfach. die geschichte authentisch, mitnehmend. die hoffnungslosigkeit der hauptpersonen überzeugend. die hauptpersonen sind aber keine heldinnen, sie sind nicht einmal persönlichkeiten. sie sind klischees. und als solche werden sie von jelinek ohne gnade behandelt. das ist es denn auch, was abgeht: ein bißchen menschlichkeit, ein bißchen mitgefühl. ein etwas weniger hartes urteil über diese "klischees" die menschen sind. und damit auch ein recht darauf haben, als solche behandelt zu werden. denn schlußendlich fällt jelinek mit diesem buch zwar ein urteil über die gesellschaft, die dieses milieu geschaffen hat, aber ebenso über die menschen, die diesem milieu angehören. ein auf jeden fall lesenswertes buch, das nachdenklich macht. aber als "statement" eines, mit dem ich persönlich nicht ganz einverstanden bin.

This book is a great collection of Nobuyoshi Araki's Photographs. I believe this book is worth buying if you are the die-hard fans of Araki or you like his very special/alternative representation style to present the Japanese culture.

Also, if you are interested in the lives of atypical teenagers. THere were parts of this book that were too, too violent. The style is very intense, objectified, and the author keeps her distance from the grotesque actions and words of her subjects. If you were riveted by A Clockwork Orange, you will like this book.