I got this book for two reasons.
1) it was advertised quite heavily in the national press, and anyone who says that it doesn’t work is deceiving only themselves, and
2) I read an interesting piece about it in The Guardian Review a few weeks back, which recommended it.
The book was first published in Hungarian in 1942, and then was reissued a few years ago in both Italy and Germany, where it sold by the bucket load.
I quite enjoyed it, but wouldn’t say that it was anything special. It’s quite a short novel, and basically is set over the course of one evening, as two old men meet for the first time in 40 odd years.
Most of the second part of the book is the ensuing conversation, meaning that it’s highly readable, if slightly rambling. But I got fed up with the one-sided nature of the conversation.
Not bad, and a quick read.