A Perfect Waiter: A NovelErneste is the perfect waiter-and his private life seems to embody the qualities he brings to his profession. But inwardly this polite and dignified man is in the grip of a violent passion, aroused thirty years before, when he fell in love with a young waiter-in-training named Jakob. Jakob broke his heart when he fled Nazidominated Europe for a new life in America with his lover, Julius Klinger, a celebrated German intellectual. Nursing his wounds, Erneste slinks even deeper into his well-ordered world, hardening into what had only previously been a role. And then, after decades of silence, he receives a letter from a distraught and penniless Jakob asking for help. And Ernest must decide if he will finally take action. Set against the backdrop of a genteel Swiss hotel, and moving skillfully between two time periods, this exquisitely written story of a lifelong passion is rich in tension and emotion, exploring the nature of love and betrayal, memory, and regret. |
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Page 5
... later , but he didn't respond or attend the funeral . Her image had faded long before . He hadn't acknowledged the death notice . Nobody knew who he was . No one was interested , no one cared about his private life . When diners asked ...
... later , but he didn't respond or attend the funeral . Her image had faded long before . He hadn't acknowledged the death notice . Nobody knew who he was . No one was interested , no one cared about his private life . When diners asked ...
Page 9
... later on . In the room they shared , the rushing waters of the Giessbach had drowned all other sounds . Erneste could still hear them after all this time . " Monsieur Erneste ! " Erneste hurried over to the table with the check . He ...
... later on . In the room they shared , the rushing waters of the Giessbach had drowned all other sounds . Erneste could still hear them after all this time . " Monsieur Erneste ! " Erneste hurried over to the table with the check . He ...
Page 13
... later . Would the letter contain a photo of Jakob ? He had preserved the few photos of Jakob he possessed , snapshots with serrated edges , so carefully that he'd almost forgotten about them . He had stowed them away in a box and ...
... later . Would the letter contain a photo of Jakob ? He had preserved the few photos of Jakob he possessed , snapshots with serrated edges , so carefully that he'd almost forgotten about them . He had stowed them away in a box and ...
Page 17
... later , in May 1935 , the beginning of a sojourn abroad to which Jakob probably owed his life . The young German's spell of employment in Switzerland had saved him from being drafted into the Wehrmacht , as he inevitably would have been ...
... later , in May 1935 , the beginning of a sojourn abroad to which Jakob probably owed his life . The young German's spell of employment in Switzerland had saved him from being drafted into the Wehrmacht , as he inevitably would have been ...
Page 18
... later on the terrace or in the hotel bar . Particular interest was devoted to those who ate alone , especially on the first night of their stay . It was tactless to stare but impolite to ignore them . Those who benefited 18.
... later on the terrace or in the hotel bar . Particular interest was devoted to those who ate alone , especially on the first night of their stay . It was tactless to stare but impolite to ignore them . Those who benefited 18.
Contents
Section 1 | 42 |
Section 2 | 72 |
Section 3 | 114 |
Section 4 | 127 |
Section 5 | 156 |
Section 6 | 174 |
Section 7 | 180 |
Section 8 | 213 |
Section 9 | 215 |
Section 10 | 221 |
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Common terms and phrases
Alsatian America asked asleep beside body bottle breath cable car clothes Cologne death dining room door dreamed employees envelope Erneste and Jakob Erneste felt Erneste hadn't Erneste's Erstein everything eyes face feel Frau Adamowicz Frau Moser front German Giessbach Giessbach Falls glasses Grand Hotel grasp guests hand happened he'd heard Herr Direktor hurried Interlaken jacket Jakob's letter Julie Julius Klinger kiss knew lake later light living looked lover managed Maxi's Maximilian's memory Monsieur Flamin morning never night Paris perfect waiter perhaps person Philippe possessed remained Restaurant am Berg Schweizer Illustrierte seemed seen shirt silence someone speak stared stood Swiss francs Switzerland talk tape measure terrace things thought told took touch trousers truth turned voice waited table walking wanted wardrobe watch white airliner wife words write young Zurzach