Judit Berki: Sitting on the Mattress* (Scholar Kiadó 2013)
Have you ever broken up with someone who really seemed to be perfect for you? The protagonist of our story is just getting over such an experience and once again turns to the group of friends from high school and to the movies. Of course, everyone has an idea about why this happened the way it did, and what should be done now. However, none of them are reliable advisors, as they all have their own problems. Our heroine is therefore asks for help from matchmakers, fortune tellers, clairvoyants and psychologists for answer to the question why she can’t be normal ?
The book disguises with humor that it seeks answers to such important questions as what it means to be normal and whether we should deal with the demands placed on us by the society. The story’s nameless protagonist narrates in first person the minor and major events in her life that brought her to where she is right now: sitting on the mattress. There are no dialogues in the stream of thoughts, it’s just like having an endless intimate conversation with a friend we’ve known since childhood. The language of the book is raw and honest, heavily interspersed with profanity, but they all serve to better illustrate the mood. Despite all their faults, the characters are likable, and we are happy to peek into their lives.
The author Judit Berki – like her protagonist – has a doctorate in English literature and currently works as a translator. This is her first book, for which Budapest provides the background, where the streets, squares, and party places seem to become characters themselves. This book was a defining experience for me, and I recommend it to everyone who likes to read about life. A must read for naive people!
*my translation
