A friend introduced me to this writer, I must admit I have never heard of him before and I think I will read more of his books.This was a quick and exciting read.I started of thinking it will be yet another story of a cruel, possessive brother and a sister who can't get away because she is torn between her love for her brother and the burning desire for her lover and somehow she can't have both (a cliche by now I am sure) but because I did not know what to expect at all, I was pleasantly surprised with everything that was thrown at me as a reader: interesting characters, good writing, lots of suspense (a real page turner), some mystery - a kind of psychological thriller at its best where everything gets tied together nicely at the end. And it did not bother me at all that around the middle of the book - I did see it coming! And there were some beautiful and witty passages worth remembering:"Ah yes, write. For at that time in my life I felt capable of everything. Having attempted nothing, I had no sense of my limitations; having dared nothing, I knew no boundaries to my courage. During the years of fatigue and dulling rote in medical school, I had daydreamed of a future confected of two careers: that of the brilliant and caring doctor and that of the inspired and inspiring poet. And why not? I was an avid and sensitive reader, and I made the common error of assuming that being a responsive reader indicated latent talent as a writer, as though being a gourmand was but a short step from being a chef." (love this one)or"It was, of course, the accuracy of his evaluation that irritated me. We all desire to be understood, but no one enjoys being obvious. I am afraid my annoyance was not well concealed, for he smiled in a way that told me he took pleasure in baiting me."or"There was a café frequented by the lady patients, as it offered a thin pallid liquid that claimed to be English tea (then quite fashionable) served with small cakes which, as they were dry and tasteless, were assumed to be quintessentially British. I suggested that we take some refreshment there, after her long walk."or "I realize that your intentions are of the best. You lack the imagination required to be genuinely evil."
It is the summer of 1914 on the eve of the Great War. Jean-Marc Montjean is a recent medical school graduate. He takes a job for the summer in the French Basque Village of Salies working for the aging Dr. Gros.Jean-Marc spends his working hours primarily doing lab work for Dr. Gros, whose medical practice centers around aging ladies who come to him for "women's problems".As Jean-Marc lays daydreaming under a tree one summer day, he is approached by a young woman who has been sent to him by Dr. Gros. She want Jean-Marc to home to her home to treat her twin brother's broken arm.Through the summer Jean-Marc becomes very involved with the family, which includes Katya, the brother Paul, and father, the aging Mr. Treville. Paul's behavior toward Jean-Marc is bizarre. He is friendly, then antagonistic, always on the verge of anger. Katya is moody, sometimes warm and at others stand offish. Mr. Treville, previously a professor, stays mainly in his office reading his texts.Jean-Marc falls in love with Katya, but is warned off by Paul, and the behaviour of the twins becomes more bizarre as the summer passes. Of course there is a secret to be revealed. This is a fascinating book. I have not read Trevanian since the 70's. I read Shibumi again, and decided to try some of his other books also. This is one I do not remember reading before. Trevanian (who now lives in the French Basque) captures the reader.
What do You think about The Summer Of Katya (2005)?
As formative as Shibumi (and Trevanian) have been for me, I realized just a few days ago that I hadn't read another Trevanian novel and set about changing that. Out of sheer randomness, I chose The Summer of Katya -- and was not disappointed at all.Having been away from Trevanian's writing for so long, it was brisk and rewarding to find again his incisive, edgy, but always well-crafted writing. I had trouble putting the book down, and the equivalent of 288 pages on my Kindle melted away in less than a week. Trevanian's austere world-view bites even more than when I read Shibumi many years ago, but his characters and his latent love of Basque life are rich rewards for your time. It's hard for me to stop thinking about this elegant love story.
—Jim
This book attracted me because of how precisely Trevaynian handles the relationship between Katya and her foolish young lover Jean-Marc. He is all emotion and hope, living for his first love, and she is vivacious but essentially cold; an unattainable joy. Much like Great Expectations, the theme might be that you start with an expectation that love conquers all, but end up learning that such romantics get flattened by the steamroller of feminine calculation. As for plot, Jean-Marc bounces back and forth between his cheerful lecherous mentor who encourages him, and a bizarre triangle with Katya's twin brother who decidedly does not. The atmosphere seems to go from sun to gloom as he physically travels back and forth, and at every turn, more devious plot evolutions are revealed. At the end, a bizarre twist
—Mark
Final dönemim olmasına rağmen bir türlü bırakamadım okumayı. Çok akıcı bir anlatım, zekice planlanan bir kurgu ve aynı şekildeki karakterler... İlk başta sanki bir aşk hikâyesinden ibaret gibi duruyor; ancak sayfalar ilerledikçe öyle olmadığını anlıyorsunuz. Kitap boyunca acaba ne oldu gerçekte sorusunun cevabını arıyor, bir sürü seçenek belirliyorsunuz. Cevaba ulaşmanız için dikkatlice okumak gerekiyor. Aklımda daha değişik bir son vardı, daha farklı bir ihtimal... Böyle bir son değildi tahmin ettiğim; ama okuduğum çok vurucu, çok çarpıcı bir sondu. Kitap Jean-Marc Monjean'un hayatını değiştiren yazı anlatmasıyla başlıyor. Katya'nın Yazı'nı. Okulu yeni bitiren ve mezuniyet sonrasında yaşadığı birtakım olaylar nedeniyle iş bulmakta biraz zorlanan genç bir doktorun bir doktor tarafından bir kasabada işe alınmasıyla başlıyor. Bir gün bir kadın kardeşi için yardım istiyor kendisinden ve bu kadına daha ilk anda aşık oluyor Montjean. Bu kadın Katya. Katya, kardeşi Paul ve babasıyla kasabadan biraz uzakta, bir gizem içinde yaşıyor. Montjean o günden sonra Treville ailesiyle ve doğal olarak Katya ile daha fazla vakit geçirmeye başlıyor ve giderek aşkı güçleniyor; ancak Treville ailesine dair gizem aşkının önünde büyük bir engel oluşturuyor. Daha fazla bahsetmeyeyim ben gidişattan.Çeviriyi çok başarılı bulduğumu da belirtmeliyim. Çevrilmesi zor bir roman bence; ancak Belkıs Çorakçı çok başarılı bir çeviri sunmuş bize.Altı çizilesi birçok yerin olduğu, esasen hayata dair birçok sorgulamanın yapıldığı, aşkla, gizemle dolu bir roman. Mutlaka okunmalı.
—Cemre
