One Friday morning in the month of August 1984, while he was on his way to the bathroom, Jonathan sees a pigeon outside the door of his room and goes into panic. He is afraid that pigeons will overtake the apartment and he does not dare kill it. The pigeon causes a revolution in the main character's life that is baffling, but the metaphor is hard to miss. Jonathan embarks in a series of crazy plans to evade the object that causes his strain, going as far as moving into a hotel, even though he cannot afford it.

Once more Suskind shows his ability for delving into the psyche of his characters and providing his readers with awesome insight. When we add to this author's writing ability to the mix, the result is more than satisfactory. This book in particular reminded me of the works of my favorite writer, Dostoevsky, since the Russian's main characters often enter a vicious circle in which they thinking something bad will happen and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, which can only be prevented through great determination and effort. For those that have not read Suskind before, this is a good a place to start as any, and of course, make sure to not disregard his masterpiece "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer". Those that do know him already understand what I am talking about!


A journey into the paranoia of a lonely man   July 12, 2002
 16 out of 19 found this review helpful

Having read Perfume some years back I was intrigued by Pigeon would it be as memorable ? Having devoured it in one sitting I can say his work is just as visually intense as Perfume and from an emotional viewpoint you wonder about the earlier parts of our security guard's life as the story although good could have been longer... or is that just greedy?


small and beautiful   August 18, 2000
 8 out of 15 found this review helpful

A short novel which can be read very quickly. It's funny, imaginative and well written.


Such elegant writing   May 18, 1999
 10 out of 13 found this review helpful

I fell across this book by accident but am I glad i did, it is such a moving account of a short period in one man's life, a man who doesn't have much at all, but proves to hold your interest intensely. Read it and feel like your there.