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The Waiter Matias Faldbakken Books

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The Waiter Matias Faldbakken Books

The Waiter, both the book and the person, delighted me. I admire writing of this sort where words, those simple but wonderful words, are capable of stirring the imagination in a special way. I was there dining at The Hill. I was sorry when it ended as I looked forward to my evening visits. A bit of Romanesque perhaps?


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The Waiter Matias Faldbakken Books Reviews

I had not seen any reviews on this but picked it up because the dust jacket said it was reminiscent of "A Gentleman in Moscow." It is not. I don't know if this was translated to English, but the prose is thematically repetitive. The characters are not especially interesting. Including the narrator, who comes across as sardonic and sarcastic. Which is a shame because the concept seems a good one for character studies. Also on the dust jacket, a Kirkus review says it is "understated." That itself is understated. This is understated to the point of ennui. Glad I got this from a library because if I bought it I would have been very annoyed.
Thanks go to Net Galley and Doubleday for the review copy. I am sorry to be so late here; the truth is that I kept setting it aside because I didn’t like it, and then returning to it, thinking that I was missing something. I’ve given up on finding the magic, though there are some nice moments here; I also have a strong hunch that there may be a cultural barrier in play. Those that spend time in Europe, possibly with some Scandinavian background, may enjoy this in a way that I didn’t.

The setting is a fine restaurant in Norway, and the protagonist is of course the waiter. The author pokes fun at the pretensions of everyone present. I like satire and dislike pretension, and so I expected to like this book. There are some clever character sketches, and that’s where I am able to engage, but a character sketch is by definition a brief thing, and so I am quickly disengaged again. I feel like the same joke is being made a different way a great many times, and the “neurotic waiter whose wit is sharp as a filleting knife” (to quote the teaser, more or less) seems not just sharp or witty, but downright vicious. And here it isn’t just a lack of connection that gets in my way; I recoil at some of the passages.

The book is supposed to appeal to everyone that likes food and wine, spends time in restaurants, or has European sensibilities. Food and restaurants are a match; but I don’t keep wine in the house and have no European sensibilities at all, apart from a few Irish habits passed down over generations. So maybe foodies that spend time in Europe will respond better than I have. In order to see print in other languages than the original, the novel must have met with acclaim locally, and this is why it confuses me that my own response is so negative. But a reviewer can only write her own viewpoint, and mine is that this book isn’t funny, and I don’t recommend it.
The Hills Restaurant in Oslo,Norway dates back to the mid 1800's. Steeped in tradition, diners experience Old World ambiance despite the restaurant's run down condition. The staff of waiters, bar managers, maitre d's and in-house pianists follow the old Ben Franklin quote, "A place for everything, everything in its place". We spend time in this finely-tuned, well ordered eatery as seen through the eyes and actions of the waiter. The waiter feels "it's all about eating here, and I'm a facilitator...I wait... I please".

The middle-aged waiter has worked for the Hills Restaurant for the past thirteen years. The tables are set "just so". A waiter is "supposed to have a comfortable degree of invisibility...to make objects come and go without [the waiter] being noticed." The routine never changes. The waiter provides impeccable service especially to the regular customers.

Graham aka "The Pig" and his entourage sit at table 10. The Pig is a wealthy introvert who is always dressed "to the nines". Tom Seller's group can be drunk and disorderly. This behavior is overlooked since Sellers has secured artwork for the restaurant from various Contemporary artists. These gems are pleasantly interspersed on the walls between older works. Each table is its own universe, that is, until an unexpected guest disturbs the balance.

A waiter should have "a blank but obliging face to the guests...A poker face". For our waiter, this is no longer possible. Mistakes are made. Can you believe one of the tables ordered their meal in reverse order starting from dessert? The waiter is beside himself.

"The Waiter" by Matias Faldbakken is a quirky, humorous novel displaying crumbling behavior in a well worn establishment. It seems that the waiter and regular staff have been living under a rock. The absurd happens when change occurs. I found the first half of the novel to be delightful, that said, the second half did not work as well for me.

Thank you Gallery/Scout Press for the opportunity to read and review "The Waiter".
Difficult to follow. Disjointed.
Take a few shifts with a well seasoned waiter in an interesting restaurant with some trenchant observations. Limited cast of characters with limited plot but achieves something nonetheless.
Like several other reviewers, I bought this book based on the comparison to 'A Gentleman in Moscow' and my love for modern Scandinavian authors - however, I was terribly disappointed. The novel starts off on the right foot, interesting characters, evocative descriptions of the hotel and the intricacies of the dining room. But then unfortunately, it goes off the rails rather quickly. This is one of those books that when you reach the final page, you can't believe the story is over because, quite frankly, nothing has happened.
The Waiter, both the book and the person, delighted me. I admire writing of this sort where words, those simple but wonderful words, are capable of stirring the imagination in a special way. I was there dining at The Hill. I was sorry when it ended as I looked forward to my evening visits. A bit of Romanesque perhaps?