One thing that was interesting in this book (and in some places it made me giggle too) was the america vs europe conflict. The most striking instance was the medical conference Dick was suppossed to participate in. I like how the narrator describes Dick's thoughts on the matter. How the european professors seem to run the show and make all the decissions and suggestions, expecting valid input from european doctors only (like america has nothing to offer) but the americans are the ones with the necessary funds
so the snotty european professors yield in the end.
Or when the flood of american tourists is described. They are literally everywhere..and especially when Dick goes to Rome and we view the natives from his point of view..he even calls them stinkers (ok, he's in a very bad period of his life so the reader can excuse him).
Another striking example is Franz and his wife. They need Nicole's american money to buy the clinic..and as we keep reading we realise that they don't even like Nicole (Franz's wife at least). Nicole cringes at any personal contact with that woman and she on her part thinks that Nicole shuns her because she smells bad
(and here the unseen narrator says something about american women who are more materialistic than european - that could be true at that particular era since the biggest part of europe was greatly damaged by the war).
Oh and the incident with the french drunkard cook who is caught drinking Dick's expensive wine? She is at fault and instead of apologising she starts swearing the american couple and their money and how they get to drink France's best wines.
Or when Franz admits that he thought (when he first met Dick) that Dick was a british guy (because he couldn't believe that such a genious could come from the US).