It's the summer of 1935 in Switzerland. Erneste is the perfect waiter of the title, polite, dignified and private, he aspires to be nothing other than he is. Then into his small life comes a young, handsome man and he is swept into an overwhelming passion. Erneste trains Jakob in the skills of being a perfect waiter but his love and devotion are betrayed when Jakob, ambitious for more than the quiet life Erneste offers and anxious to escape the growing clouds of war, uses his new found skills to hitch a ride to America. Heart broken, Erneste withdraws into the only life he knows.
30 years later Erneste receives a letter from America that opens old wounds. Jakob needs his help and Erneste risks everything to answer the call.
Gently written in a slow but precise style, this is an elegant story evoking the 1930s beautifully. Not for lovers of fast paced thrillers or convoluted mysteries but, if you enjoy subtlety and style, this is for you.
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