Ditto! We're well into autumn here now, so it doesn't feel quite so appropriate, but I will always enjoy an Aperol and it's very much a SUMMER IS HERE drink for me.
Such clear, crisp prose and a fascinating bunch of characters! And I love the layers that are developing: "However, I also started to think I was in a piece of music or a play, or maybe a film, and that I was interpreting somebody’s mad words into actions and behaviors. Who was writing the script?" It feels like there is so much going on off stage. Excellent.
This reminded me a bit of the feeling I got reading Super-Cannes by JG Ballard years ago - that impression of a sort of rarefied atmosphere that's a bit artificial. Gives a sense of menace and confusion. It really pulls you in. It's fun to be provided with an insight into a walk of life of which you have no knowledge or experience. Rubbing my hands in anticipation of the next instalment!
I like this, Jules. Yes, it's like real life but not, Vienna but not, as if a different layer of reality is all around (although not quite the Matrix!). This could be something I would push more.
Such an intriguing melange of characters who speak different languages and come from different places. There's a clue in the title of Part 1: Xenophobia, but what the cause is has yet to be revealed. And I felt (false?) relief when the British couple showed up, expecting them to explain things. I haven't seen the Third Man yet, Seems like it would add to the atmosphere of the novel.
I highly recommend The Third Man. Although…I still get a bit confused when I watch or read it. I think that’s part of the intention. I like all your musings…have to stay mum on parts of it. :)
Love the development of the descriptions of Vienna up to this point—from the "layers of filth that seemed to surround me in Vienna like a thickening toxic steam," to the history with "several simultaneous occupations of the neutral city, guaranteeing its future as a city of spies," to this present-day account of the UN and the sort of subculture of people who work there. Makes me want to read more and also visit Vienna.
“Like she wanted to be sacrificed”! What an ending. This, the characters, the rising intrigue, the Aperol spritzes (mmmm, I want one) all make me eager to get to the next installment!
There's a lot of great stuff going on here, and I love those moments when we're reminded that this is being delivered to Grégoire. Are we trusting Marie's seemingly perfect memory of their own conversations, or does this somehow play into the plot...? Either way, it's great.
Some lines that I really enjoyed:
*They are middlemen caught between the beauty of the sea and the kitchen.
*...and also had that British sort of humility in the way they held themselves.
*Boat lights reflected off the dirty canal water as if seeking out the secrets of its past.
Yeah, the epistolary aspect as serialization concerned me at first, only because I thought it would be easy to forget about. That's when I started adding in more reminders and it helped with some other aspects. And yes - a reminder that it's her memory! ...
Thanks for the line grabs as well. So nice to know what is working! :)
Hey, I dig that I am one of the others reading this in the future, that others here are doing so. I like that quality of collective.
No idea how many words here, but, like, so MANY layers and nuances and people. I’m delighted the Icelandic barista makes a brief appearance amidst all the murkiness of the others. I hope my faith in his is not unfounded and that he does remain cool. Your writing of Roger and Fred is pitch perfect, its gay voice (or rather its take on one of manY) just introducing a slightly different spin adds yet another dimension on the assembling of characters and confusion and a curious brain foginess: all these people, all these messages…all somehow out of focus. But all presaging anxiety.
The canteen meal is truly awful. Although, maybe Akihiro may prove one of the good guys. That’s the thing, isn’t it, as readers we make our own thoughts on the people you create, live with them for a bit, and then can be confounded by what you do with them as their author.
I appreciate your read on all the characters. Won’t say too much there…don’t want to reveal!
Aren’t canteen lunches just cringy?
Fred and Roger are an assemblage of several people I know; I’m happy they’re popping into 3D! Should we trust them? :)
As for reading…I’m doing a lot of saving and taking intentional time to read/comment on work I’m interested in rather than diving in quickly necessarily. I know online writing is designed for immediacy in some ways, but I’m really not concerned about it in this space and just enjoy the dialogue and appreciate the support as well. I’m not sure if that’s what you meant by reading in the future? Press-ups are important! Off for a hike…
I don’t know whether we should trust Fred and Roger. I’m particularly keen in my writing on making queer men the good guys…but Tom Hollander in both The Night Manager and The White Lotus reminds me that the devil always has the best lines. And I’m particularly keen on giving those to queer men.
Let’s see where you go with them.
And with Akihiro.
And the cool Icelandic barista.
And, like, with everyone.
I get absolutely what you say about online writing and its lean into immediacy. And I also get your point about not being concerned about it in this space. It has taken me a while to get cool with that - the risk of format subconsciously driving one - and to apply how I read books or other material in analog to how I come here. It feels a very deliberate act, and one that I think can save one from the mess of social media.
And, finally, there is nothing worse than a workspace canteen lunch.
I think you know Vienna so well that you will be guessing the next moves quite well :) Cool that you were at Strandbar when it opened! Had a fun experience watching the Euros there one summer on a big screen, children making sand castles...not the Vienna you see every day.
I am sure many surprises are waiting! And yes, Strandbar was/is a great concept. I checked their website after reading this, they are still in business.
Oooo! The plot thickens. Enjoying the new settings and characters. I suddenly have a taste for an Aperol spritz. . . 🍷
Wouldn't that be lovely? An immersive experience with refreshments...
Thanks Julie!
Ditto! We're well into autumn here now, so it doesn't feel quite so appropriate, but I will always enjoy an Aperol and it's very much a SUMMER IS HERE drink for me.
Very nice. Grüner Veltliner (green wine) is also very popular in Vienna for this feeling!
Googles...
I'm going to have to try some of that!
You're allowed in autumn, too 😆
Even better hehe.
Such clear, crisp prose and a fascinating bunch of characters! And I love the layers that are developing: "However, I also started to think I was in a piece of music or a play, or maybe a film, and that I was interpreting somebody’s mad words into actions and behaviors. Who was writing the script?" It feels like there is so much going on off stage. Excellent.
Thanks so much, Jeffrey! That's an interesting way to put it - "off stage." How lovely. It's something one could add explicitly to a manuscript.
Cliffhanger! 😯
This reminded me a bit of the feeling I got reading Super-Cannes by JG Ballard years ago - that impression of a sort of rarefied atmosphere that's a bit artificial. Gives a sense of menace and confusion. It really pulls you in. It's fun to be provided with an insight into a walk of life of which you have no knowledge or experience. Rubbing my hands in anticipation of the next instalment!
I like this, Jules. Yes, it's like real life but not, Vienna but not, as if a different layer of reality is all around (although not quite the Matrix!). This could be something I would push more.
Thanks so much! Kind and helpful :)
Kathleen,
Such an intriguing melange of characters who speak different languages and come from different places. There's a clue in the title of Part 1: Xenophobia, but what the cause is has yet to be revealed. And I felt (false?) relief when the British couple showed up, expecting them to explain things. I haven't seen the Third Man yet, Seems like it would add to the atmosphere of the novel.
Thanks so much, David!
I highly recommend The Third Man. Although…I still get a bit confused when I watch or read it. I think that’s part of the intention. I like all your musings…have to stay mum on parts of it. :)
No expectations on any replies given the serialization. But it's fun for me to muse as we go.
This is very gripping: good writing!!
Thank you, Leomhann! Appreciate it.
Welcome!!
Love the development of the descriptions of Vienna up to this point—from the "layers of filth that seemed to surround me in Vienna like a thickening toxic steam," to the history with "several simultaneous occupations of the neutral city, guaranteeing its future as a city of spies," to this present-day account of the UN and the sort of subculture of people who work there. Makes me want to read more and also visit Vienna.
Thanks a lot, Colin! Yes, Vienna is certainly a fascinating place. Would love to hear how it compares with reading about it in my novel.
“Like she wanted to be sacrificed”! What an ending. This, the characters, the rising intrigue, the Aperol spritzes (mmmm, I want one) all make me eager to get to the next installment!
That was a fun line 😄
Thanks Holly!
The ending - so suspenseful! Must find out more...
Thanks Nadia!
What a cliffhanger!! Such great lines
evoking the atmosphere, like this one: “Staying in a safety zone of international camaraderie; existing to make it to the next drink out.”
Thanks so much, Stephanie!
The literal and metaphoric "on the edge" sets up the mystery of what's to come. Complex and layered --well-done.
I missed this comment, Mary. Thank you! Yes, the edge :)
Uh oh, did Marie get roofied? ALREADY??! :D This bodes very well for twists and turns to come.
Haha let’s see this week!! She is really pretty naive isn’t she? 🙈💜
Cracking cliff-hanger ending, Kate!
There's a lot of great stuff going on here, and I love those moments when we're reminded that this is being delivered to Grégoire. Are we trusting Marie's seemingly perfect memory of their own conversations, or does this somehow play into the plot...? Either way, it's great.
Some lines that I really enjoyed:
*They are middlemen caught between the beauty of the sea and the kitchen.
*...and also had that British sort of humility in the way they held themselves.
*Boat lights reflected off the dirty canal water as if seeking out the secrets of its past.
Thanks, Nathan!
Yeah, the epistolary aspect as serialization concerned me at first, only because I thought it would be easy to forget about. That's when I started adding in more reminders and it helped with some other aspects. And yes - a reminder that it's her memory! ...
Thanks for the line grabs as well. So nice to know what is working! :)
It's working for sure :D
Beautiful summer scene in the Viennese capital, a classic spending time by the canals at the improvised strand with imported sand.
I missed your impressions of the UN building, to us it looks dystopian with its ugly 70s vibe, like one of the stone trolls from Lord of the rings.
I love how you use your own photography in these chapters, it makes the story seem like I’m reading someone’s journal. Very well done!
I’m looking forward to the next chapter!
I like to call the VIC (UN area for others) a non-place. Like it is just concrete and ... no culture.
Thanks so much and thanks for the comment about the photographs, Claudia!
Love it, it does feel like a non-place. I knew you'd come with something good 🤣
It's a pleasure reading your work.
To be fair, I do like that bar up in the tower. My husband and I went there on our first date :) Can't remember what it's called.
It's a bit like Montparnasse tower in Paris...locals go to avoid looking at the building whilst they are in it. 😆
The Donauturm?
That’s it! I worked at the international school just beyond there, so it was on the way home.
Haven’t been inside yet, but now I must try it!
Hey, I dig that I am one of the others reading this in the future, that others here are doing so. I like that quality of collective.
No idea how many words here, but, like, so MANY layers and nuances and people. I’m delighted the Icelandic barista makes a brief appearance amidst all the murkiness of the others. I hope my faith in his is not unfounded and that he does remain cool. Your writing of Roger and Fred is pitch perfect, its gay voice (or rather its take on one of manY) just introducing a slightly different spin adds yet another dimension on the assembling of characters and confusion and a curious brain foginess: all these people, all these messages…all somehow out of focus. But all presaging anxiety.
The canteen meal is truly awful. Although, maybe Akihiro may prove one of the good guys. That’s the thing, isn’t it, as readers we make our own thoughts on the people you create, live with them for a bit, and then can be confounded by what you do with them as their author.
Love it.
Nicolas, thanks for this wonderful comment!
I appreciate your read on all the characters. Won’t say too much there…don’t want to reveal!
Aren’t canteen lunches just cringy?
Fred and Roger are an assemblage of several people I know; I’m happy they’re popping into 3D! Should we trust them? :)
As for reading…I’m doing a lot of saving and taking intentional time to read/comment on work I’m interested in rather than diving in quickly necessarily. I know online writing is designed for immediacy in some ways, but I’m really not concerned about it in this space and just enjoy the dialogue and appreciate the support as well. I’m not sure if that’s what you meant by reading in the future? Press-ups are important! Off for a hike…
All very appreciated 🙏🏽
You’re very welcome.
I don’t know whether we should trust Fred and Roger. I’m particularly keen in my writing on making queer men the good guys…but Tom Hollander in both The Night Manager and The White Lotus reminds me that the devil always has the best lines. And I’m particularly keen on giving those to queer men.
Let’s see where you go with them.
And with Akihiro.
And the cool Icelandic barista.
And, like, with everyone.
I get absolutely what you say about online writing and its lean into immediacy. And I also get your point about not being concerned about it in this space. It has taken me a while to get cool with that - the risk of format subconsciously driving one - and to apply how I read books or other material in analog to how I come here. It feels a very deliberate act, and one that I think can save one from the mess of social media.
And, finally, there is nothing worse than a workspace canteen lunch.
Agree with all this 👌🏽 ✌🏽
The plot starts to thicken, pulls you in this does. Great piece.
Thanks Jon! 😄
Ahh, Strandbar Hermann! It felt like I was right there with them, eavesdropping (I was there back in June 2005 the year it opened).
Ending it on a cliffhanger, as it should be! One too many Spritz? Drugged?
Enjoyed this, Kate!
I think you know Vienna so well that you will be guessing the next moves quite well :) Cool that you were at Strandbar when it opened! Had a fun experience watching the Euros there one summer on a big screen, children making sand castles...not the Vienna you see every day.
Thanks Alexander!
I am sure many surprises are waiting! And yes, Strandbar was/is a great concept. I checked their website after reading this, they are still in business.