Killing Stella by Marlen Haushofer (Book Review)

Marlon Haushofer's 'Killing Stella' delves into the claustrophobic world of Austrian bourgeoisie comfort, where an unreliable narrator grapples with feelings of guilt and regret. Anna recounts the events leading up to the death of Stella, the daughter of her long-term friend, revealing a tale of hidden truths and societal expectations. The book explores the conflict between one's true feelings and the pressure to maintain appearances, portraying a modern confession of someone who feels trapped by their own circumstances. Through Anna's introspective narrative, Haushofer exposes the underlying tensions within a seemingly normal household, marked by infidelity and unspoken desires. The tragic transformation of Stella highlights the destructive power of societal norms and the inability to break free from habitual patterns.

Pale Fire is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, published in 1962. It consists of a long poem titled 'Pale Fire' by the fictional poet John Shade, along with a foreword, lengthy commentary, and index written by Shade's neighbor and academic colleague, Charles Kinbote. The poem is a masterpiece in heroic couplets, while Kinbote's commentary reveals his own delusional narrative, believing himself to be the exiled king of Zembla. The novel is a brilliant parody of literary scholarship, an experimental synthesis of Nabokov’s talents for both poetry and prose, and is often cited as an example of metafiction and hypertext fiction. It includes profound meditations on death, the afterlife, and the anguish of Kinbote’s madness, as well as the tragic story of Shade’s daughter[2][4][5].