Night School is hard to pin down. The chapters in Hungarian author Zsófia Bán's book are short stories, philosophical excursions and meta-textual experiments. Called "A Reader for Grownups," the book, translated by Jim Tucker, is funny, daring and heartbreakingly tragic, as if Bán is trying to cram all aspects of human life into Night School's pages. It is immensely rewarding for anyone who is interested in diving into hard topics with a distinctive literary voice.
Each chapter is framed as a lesson, with subjects like "Geography/History." There are prompts such as "IF IT TAKES ONE SECOND for you to hit five targets without reloading and you don't get interrupted, then what time in the afternoon does the water change color?" Sometimes these subjects and prompts are merely absurd, but in other cases they provide a fitting context for the chapter and deeper understanding of the story or exegesis that Bán has cooked up.
The chapters themselves are a bit scattershot: one is a presentation about Gustave Flaubert; another a fairytale-like depiction of a rape and murder; and another a modern sequel to Les Liaisons dangereuses. But this diverse subject matter does not mean Bán has lost control. If anything, her ability to shift so quickly and confidently across the arc of human time and subject matter resembles a gymnast performing a virtuosic feat on the balance beam. Reading Night School has that same breathtaking quality as Bán pivots and twirls, covering everything she believes "A Reader for Grownups" should have. --Noah Cruickshank, adult engagement manager, the Field Museum, Chicago, Ill.