Unfortunately, the book was a struggle for me. Although I recognize the author's idea, I believe he failed to convey whatever message he ultimately wanted to convey (what remains if you lose everything??? what is it like to experience loneliness and without genuine love???). I was left with many unanswered questions.

Literarily, it did not attract me at all. The dialogues and the constant repetitions ("OK", "Why?", "Yes?") were irritating, to the point that from the very first pages I was already wondering whether it was a waste of time. I continued reading it with many breaks, just so I could form a complete opinion, but it tired me until the very last page.

The protagonist is taciturn, passive, and incapable of expressing himself except through his body (sex, psychosomatic trauma after Iraq, punching the door, etc.). He simply "exists" in life, he does not live it(!), silently accepts his fate and responds to situations. He leaves the reader to guess his inner world, without giving them the certainty that they are guessing correctly. He did not win me over.

From beginning to end there is a heavy atmosphere, certainly connected to the tragic situations Istvan experiences and certainly to the loneliness he feels deeply within himself, essentially all his life (after all, the last word of the book is "ALONE" - coincidence??).

The ending was very abrupt, as if the thread were suddenly cut, which did not bother me. However, it left me in the void. Here the author disappointed me. He did not leave even a spark of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel, or at least something.

The book left me with a pessimistic and melancholic note, without any trace of hope, which simply does not align with my romantic nature...?‍♀️