This Room Is Impossible To Eat by Nicol Hochholczerová

“Tereza and Ivan share secrets. Tereza is now in art school away from the town where she grew up. Ivan is a teacher and artist. Tereza is now nineteen, Ivan is fifty-seven. They have known each other for years.

This Room is Impossible to Eat by Nicol Hochholczerová (translated to English by Julia and Peter Sherwood)

“Tereza shares her secrets with her friend Silvia. Ivan does not tell anyone. He constructs memories of Tereza to keep in his bed at night, covering them with sweat and tears.“ (Synopsis from the book)

The above excerpt captures the minimalist vibe of this novel. Honestly, it left me speechless and also, extremely uncomfortable.

Hochholczerová switches between Tereza’s perspective and Ivan’s. He uses unsettling allegories and metaphors to capture the disturbing dynamics where her youthful naivety is intertwined with his stale, immaturity. To me, he feels like a sad, lonely child trapped in the life of an old man who desperately seeks to recapture and drain the future from Tereza. She is held back from living, while he has already lost his life.

This is a book focused on obsession, power-dynamics and dysfunctional relationships. It explores themes prevalent and relatable to all, yet it felt unreal and almost dreamlike.