Saturday 2 December 2023

Book Review: Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb (Fiction)

Title: Journey by Moonlight
Author: Antal Szerb
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Publication Date: 5 March 2024
Pages: 304
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Fiction
Source: ARC via Edelweiss

Mihály and Erzsi are on honeymoon in Italy. Mihály has recently joined the respectable family firm in Budapest, but as his gaze passes over the mysterious back-alleys of Venice, memories of his bohemian past reawaken his old desire to wander.

When bride and groom become separated at a provincial train station, Mihály embarks on a chaotic and bizarre journey that leads him finally to Rome, where he must reckon with both his past and his future. In this intoxicating and satirical masterpiece, Szerb takes us deep into the conflicting desires of marriage and shows how adulthood can reverberate endlessly with the ache of youth.

 

Journey by Moonlight was an interesting study of two people trying to ascertain where their personal desires sit amongst societal obligation and the need to attain adulthood. It was at times psychological, at times satirical, but it certainly held my interest from start to finish as I wondered how events would play out. This is my first time reading anything by Antal Szerb, but I would definitely pick up other books by him in the future. I am giving this book four stars.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

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