THE BATHROOM is the kind of book that will change the way you write, if you read it and you’re a writer. It’s the kind of brain-knocking book that doesn’t even need to build on itself until you realize how great it is. It’s very short, a novella I would say, and the stylishness and brevity of it make for powerful reading. Along the lines of Camus, Toussaint presents a languishing man who seems to be able to remember how to have feelings, but unable to express or have them still.
The most amazing part of this book was a description of octupi. I couldn’t get over how beautifully Toussaint described the scene in which two men attempt to prepare octupi for dinner. I couldn’t be squeemish because of my admiration for the fluidity and perfection of this scene- even though it was pretty gross.
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