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Herman Koch Tackles Taboo Topics in ‘Summer House’

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Herman Koch Tackles Taboo Topics in ‘Summer House’Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch
Also by this author: The Dinner, Dear Mr. M
Published by Hogarth on January 1, 2011
Genres/Lists: Fiction
Pages: 387
Read synopsis on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links) four-stars


I’ve read a lot of reviews of Summer House with Swimming Pool and the general consensus seems to be that those who read the author’s previous book, The Dinner, enjoyed this one less. I am not one of those people. Maybe it’s because I have a penchant for books that tackle difficult topics in a frank manner or because I’m just an oddity, but I enjoyed this book much more than Koch’s previous book (see my review of The Dinner here).

Set in the Netherlands, Summer House With Swimming Pool is about a doctor (Marc) who befriends a famous stage actor (Ralph) and the complicated relationship that ensues, namely the fateful summer at the house with a swimming pool. From the get-go, we know that Ralph’s time on this earth is limited and that Marc is somehow involved, but we don’t know how or why and it is the beginning and ending of their friendship that provides the bookends for the real story.

Koch is an author known for his direct way of writing and for delving into delicate issues, as anyone who read The Dinner knows very well. This book is no exception and most of the uncomfortable topics were Lolita’esque in nature. That’s not to say that the plot itself parallels Lolita, but the overt sexualization of characters of all ages and marital statuses is not off limits. That said, some of his insights will leave you both grimacing and realizing that, if we’re being totally honest, probably true for a good number of people. Koch loves to raise taboo topics that no one discusses but everyone is thinking.

Herman Koch tackles taboo topics in Summer House with Swimming Pool, & it will remind you of… Click To Tweet

The only problem I had with this book was that it talks about former President Bush throwing back a few shots of whiskey in the White House, which is likely false considering that Bush is a recovered alcoholic and probably not drinking with people lacking proper security clearances, if at all. The policy wonk in me was bothered by this and I’m not sure whether this was an insensitivity assumption on the part of the author or that he just didn’t know. Either way, alcoholism is not something to be toyed with when referring to an actual person, even in fiction.

Recommended for: Anyone who has a stomach for difficult topics and isn’t afraid to be open to lines of thinking that aren’t socially acceptable.

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  • This sounds fabulous. I recently discovered Koch and I love his works. I must add this to my TBR

  • Haha, like Tanya, I think it’s fun that your complaint was about Bush! I like that you know enough to be bothered by that. I’m also happy to hear that this book didn’t disappoint you compared to the previous book.

  • I love that your one complaint was about Bush!
    I agree with most that The Dinner was better, but that doesn’t mean i didn’t enjoy Summer House. I just found it a little more predictable.

  • I read both this one and The Dinner, but read them out of order. There were parts of Swimming Pool that I loved (his brilliant “i’ll say anything” type commentary on human behavior…and the medical industry) and parts of it that I hated (it got sort of bizarre for me at times). I absolutely loved The Dinner..it had all the brilliant stuff that I loved about Swimming Pool, but without the stuff that turned me off.

    And, you’re right on about George W and I totally understand why that would have bothered you. I was a swimming growing up and an egregious mistake about how many laps of a pool make up a mile in The Vacationers totally irritated me!

    • I have no idea how many laps it takes but that sounds like a really simple thing to find out and so I can see how it would drive you bonkers. I enjoyed both books, but maybe I like unlikable and despicable characters 🙂

      • I think the book said like 6 laps = a mile…well, a mile is 1,650 yards or 1,500 meters. So, your pool would have to be 275 yards or 250 meters long. An olympic sized pool is 50 meters long. This vacation home in mallorca would have had to be the longest pool in the world by far! I couldn’t get past it…

        I actually prefer unlikeable characters sometimes and they don’t normally bother me…it was more the really vivid descriptions of grotesque stuff (like what his clients looked like naked or the overweight couple having sex)…it was just too much! But, The Dinner was right on target for me and I didn’t mind those despicable characters at all…I actually kind of liked Paul (in some ways).

        • Yea, that’s WAY off and even though I haven’t read the book I’m distressed on your behalf!

  • Emma @ Words And Peace

    My problem with the book was the very despicable characters

  • I’m pretty sure I would feel the same way you do when an author takes liberties too far regarding real people. Regardless, I haven’t read this author’s previous book, so if I do read this one I wouldn’t be comparing it to his previous successful work. Great review!

    • Thank you! I really liked this one and am looking forward to reading another by the author.

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