The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek, Joachim Neugroschel (2002, Paperback)

Erika Kohut is not your ordinary classical piano teacher. She has a lot of secrets: hidden perversions, abnormal fantasies, a desire to explore her sexuality with her young and gifted student. Despite her age (close to 40), she still lives with her overpowering and overbearing mother, who is never given a name by Jelinek - perhaps to make her a universal Mother identifiable by every reader. This novel follows Erika in her every-day life, and provides occasional glimpses into her past. The plot does not move quickly; many pages are dedicated to providing insight into the character's individual traits, opinions, and consequent behaviors. However, there is truth and humanity in every section of the novel. It is not easy to read because Jelinek offers harsh descriptions of society and the world at large. These descriptions, nonetheless, are never misleading or irrational in their veracity.
"The Piano Teacher" is a dense novel that will make any conscientious reader think twice before falling pray to stereotyping or prejudice.