Een schrijfster in Boedapest kijkt terug op het leven van haar excentrieke huishoudster.

Magda Szabo really makes the reader work hard with this book and I for one found the characters and the story unconvincing

The Door is a novel by Hungarian writer Magda Szabo. The novel documents two decades of life in Budapest after the Communist takeover in 1948, The novel tells the story of a developing and complicated relationship between a young Hungarian Writer and her housekeeper and is partly autobiographical.

Having visited Hungary only last year I was up to date on the history and was glad of that when reading this novel. The book started out promising but the further along I read the more I became frustrated with the character's actions and the repetitive nature of the novel. I know this is a favorite of many but I just couldn't relate to Emerence's rages and tantrums and never felt I understood her or indeed her employer or their actions and while the book is very readable and there are moments where it captured my imagination but I cant honestly say I enjoyed the novel and hence my 2.5 Rating. ( )

Regret. Failing those we love when they need us most, despite our good intentions, and having to live with it.

A young writer employs a housekeeper to help her while she focuses on her literary work. A complex relationship develops between them, one that is complicated by their experiences. Emerence is formidable, a person who has faced tragedies and pains of all kinds since childhood and managed to develop a system of values that she carries into her aging years that expresses kindness for vulnerable people and animals while at the same time keeping a distance between herself and others, giving small and different versions of herself to the few that she loves.

In the beginning, mystery enshrouds Emerence, she's been affected by the two world wars as well as the political upheavals in Hungary. At first it is unknown what role she played in the second world war and the narrator speculates about this, thinking the worst because Emerence shuts her door to everyone never admitting anyone into her house. Information trickles into the story slowly and halfway into the story, the truth is revealed. A trust is established between the narrator and Emerence who entrusts her with a task that she thinks will uphold the image she's constructed for those that know her, which the narrator fails to execute.

Others have already mentioned the symbolism of the door, what and who is kept in, and what and who locked out. I am thankful for the reviews by Cheryl and Tamara for introducing me to this wonderful book; their reviews together with reviews by Teresa, Candi and Kinga shaped my reading experience, and naturally this review as well. ( )

Magda is a writer and needs a housekeeper. Her neighbors recommend Emerence, an older and somewhat inscrutable older woman who works on her own terms, but soon becomes indispensable. The two form a strong bond, as Magda recounts the twenty or so years that they knew each other, but Emerence remains an enigma, never letting anyone past her front porch.

One of those character studies that asks, "How well can we know another person?" And in this case, readers have two to figure out, not just one, in Magda and Emerence. Do we trust our narrator, or do we think she isn't always aware herself of what's going on between them? What does Emerence keep behind closed doors? Magda is troubled by dreams, and the whole narrative has a dreamlike quality where we're not sure exactly how much time passes where in the story, until the very end where we know about twenty years has passed since the women first met. They have a very strange relationship, but at the same time, I found myself remembering a friendship I had with an older patron for many years, and the ways in which we knew or didn't know each other up until her death. An interesting story on the surface with much to ponder for readers willing to take up the challenge. ( )

A revelation; I’ve known about this book for years and for no good reason kept putting it off. Among other achievements, I think Szabo has created one of the most singular, most indelible characters I’ve ever encountered. The story of a young writer and the old woman she hires to clean her house. That’s it. But the old woman (whose name is Emerence) is used to having things done her way. The book, in brief, is about their relationship. The writer is often so obsessed by her interactions with Emerence that she can’t work. There are times that the writer wonders whether Emerence is insane. Indeed, to describe Emerence as a force of nature is likely insufficient. But the book is so much more: about life, about dying and how to die, about memory. To say much more would be too much. But make no mistake: if I haven’t made it clear already, this is an extraordinary book. ( )