I originally started reading this book in German and boy did that almost ruin it for me. Normally, I wouldn’t even consider reading an English novel in a translation but a colleague had given me her (translated) copy and since she has great taste in books, I decided to give it a try nonetheless. This faith in her taste, and the intriguing narrative shining through the stilted translation, kept me going for about half the book before finally another colleague handed me the English original. Switching editions felt like an epiphany when really it also just confirmed my belief that, whenever possible, you should always read a book in the original language.
Anyway, all this to say that I loved this book, once the characters came alive for me for the second half of the book. I am now considering going back and reading it again but alas, my TBR pile would frown upon that. The book is cringeworthy, heartfelt, honest, at times horrible and at times laugh out loud funny. 4.75*
