I really didn’t know what star rating to give this. I enjoyed reading it, and there were some astute observations, some of which made me smile or chuckle, but as far as actual plot goes, there really wasn’t one. This book has been inaccurately likened to A Gentleman in Moscow, but it reminded me more of Nicholson Baker than Amor Towles.

The Waiter shows us a slice of life in the shabby yet historic restaurant, The Hills. The regulars come in at their usual times, and the waiter passes the time with his observations of their motives and facades of personality. There is also an endearing little girl, Anna, whose father frequently dumps her at the restaurant who charms the waiter and brings some joy into his mundane life.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the patrons, the wry humor, and nods to Old World sensibilities. It was an interesting book, but one I wouldn’t recommend to a casual reader as it is more about nuanced character interaction than plot.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Gallery / Scout Press for this advance copy in exchange for my review.

I was looking forward to reading this but just could not get into it. A bit too slow for my tastes but I am sure others will enjoy.

REVIEW
The Waiter by Matias Faldbakken is an intriguing book that revolves around one idiosyncratic character, a waiter at the centuries-old restaurant called The Hills. At this restaurant, nothing ever changes, until it does. Our narrator, lives his life within the walls of the restaurant and his relationships with the patrons there. This is also a study in anxiety and neuroticism. As things start to change with the arrival of a new patron at the restaurant, things begin to unravel for the waiter.

PRAISE
“[A] droll, understated debut novel by a Norwegian artist and writer... Bringing to mind Mervyn Peake and Wes Anderson, with some of Nathanael West's deadpan grotesque, this is a beguiling, quirky entertainment.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

AUTHOR
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.

Many thanks to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really wanted to like this book. I was curious due to the description. However, while the writing was good and the waiters descriptions of the things that happened were well written, this book left me wanting something more in it. It didn't really feel as if anything happened. This was an okay read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review of it.

It is a shame when such a pretty cover hides such a useless book. My reaction when I was finished with the book? "What in the world did I just read??"

​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...

Sure, the synopsis sold me on this book, even though I was already so intrigued by the beautiful cover, but did the book deliver? Absolutely not.

It wasn't a study in miniature, it wasn't study of chaos as it erupted around an anxious waiter - it was a mess of neurotic thoughts, random encounters, angry and derogatory ramblings and bunch of "important" names thrown around. Add the unresolved ending on topped all you have is a big floppy mess of nothing.

​My first problem with this book was that it made you feel left out - the waiter would ramble on about things, and places and names that I knew nothing about, or barely knew, and honestly a person who hasn't ever been to Europe probably wouldn't know either. It felt as if the book was written for a very small, specific audience, and at times it even felt as if the reader wasn't necessary at all.

​Surprisingly, there were things that I really liked. I liked waiters views on clothing - how we like to wear brand clothing because we think it makes us original, that it creates our own personal style, but in reality we are just parading somebody else's ideas, specifically a designers who made the clothing. So instead of being original and distinguished we are no more than just a walking commercial for those clothes. I thought that was absolutely brilliant way to look at it and I definitely agree with it.

I decided to read the whole thing because I wanted to see how it would play out. Now that I did, I wish I just abandoned it (I had to skim the last 30% - I was quite bored). The ending didn't wrap anything up, didn't close any loops or holes, and it did't explain anything at all. Which made the whole reading experience pointless to me.

​Big thanks to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket books for providing an advanced e-ARC for a review. All opinions are my own, honest and come from the heart.

I suspect readers will either cautiously like this book or really dislike it. I admit, this was not at all what I expected. The food descriptions were tantalizing. While there were elements of humor and keen observations on human behavior, they were couched in snobbery and disdain. The narrator’s behavior became borderline psychotic, rather than “neurotic” and mainly questions raised were left unanswered. With that said, I still found the pages turning quickly.