‘Eye of the Monkey’ by Krisztina Tóth (Review)

Earlier this week, I looked at a review copy sent my way by Seven Stories Press, a novel in which an Argentinian man had a rather unusual experience in Berlin, and today’s Women in Translation Month choice is another little present from the same publisher. This time, though, we’re heading slightly further east, and unlike last time, you won’t be finding any foreigners. You see, this is a country where the borders are tightly controlled – whether that’s to keep people out or in is an open question… ***** Hungarian writer Krisztina Tóth’s Eye of the Monkey (translated by Ottilie Mulzet) takes us to an unnamed country, possibly somewhere in Eastern Europe, where university lecturer Giselle is on her way home from work. When she spots a young man following her, one she’s sure she’s seen before, she gets off the train and tries to shake him off in the rain, before she’s eventually forced to confront him: My strength gave out. I turned around to face him; trying to outshout the rumbling of…