734. The Piano Teacher

The Piano Teacher
Elfriede Jelinek
1983
Around 290 pages

There's never been a character in literature like Erika Kohut, which is likely a good thing. This is a disturbing read, but I can't deny that Erika is a fascinating subject.

Erika is a piano teacher in her 30s who teaches at the Vienna Conservatory and lives with her controlling mother. She has some unconventional fetishes, and chooses an engineering student, Walter Klemmer, to participate in her sexual fantasies. Kinkiness ensues.

I've noticed the smut written by women on this List tends to focus heavily on repression as a theme. Erika was a brilliant invention, a character constantly teetering between numb passivity and violent rage. And her relationship with her mother would take years to untangle. I love how Jelinek integrated music into the narrative, as it helped flesh out Erika as a character and provided a fitting backdrop for an Austrian story. 

Harrowing, and likely to stay with me for awhile, so for that it earns its stars easily.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Adapted into film in 2001.

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