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msilkwolfe's review
4.0
4.5 stars - a narrative that needs to be plastered everywhere. A story about human connection and what links us all as citizens of this world.
lucamelion's review against another edition
2.0
Der Protagonist ist rassistisch und sexistisch, sein Frauenbild ist schrecklich, er ist creepy gegenüber Frauen und fühlt sich als white saviour gegenüber den Geflüchteten. Diese werden eindimensional dargestellt und er macht sich nicht mal die Mühe, sie mit ihren richtigen Namen zu bezeichnen. Im Grunde lernt man diese Menschen nur durch die Brille eines sehr problematisch denkenden alten weißen Mannes kennen. Ich dachte erst, dass die problematischen Seiten des Protagonisten noch entlarvt werden, passiert aber leider nicht. Ich konnte dem Buch nicht viel abgewinnen, mich hätte vielmehr die Perspektive einer wirklich geflüchteten Person interessiert, da die Worte, die die Autorin den Geflüchteten in den Mund legt, teilweise nicht sehr glaubwürdig erscheinen und ich frage mich auch, woher sie sich das Recht rausnimmt, auf diese Weise durch einen sehr problematischen main character die Geschichten geflüchteter Personen zu erzählen.
clapton_pond's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
wmbogart's review
Go, Went, Gone is knowingly framed from the perspective of Richard, a concerned classics professor, rather than from the perspective of the asylum seekers themselves. Given Erpenbeck’s background, this is probably necessary. She uses the novel to interrogate the academic’s response and sense of guilt, and the response of German bystanders more broadly.
We see why Richard would get actively involved with the refugees as he comes to understand Germany’s disregard (if not outright disdain) for them. Obviously there’s some moral obligation there. But in fleshing out his backstory, we find other motivations. Loneliness for one, and a vague sense of identification relative to his own experience around German reunification.
The frequent questions he poses to the refugees, though well-intentioned, are initially sociological to an almost gross degree. His perspective and associations are rooted in an older academic canon that has little bearing on the lives these men lead.
We quickly see that perspective’s limits. His “understanding” of the broader situation and the individual refugees is filtered through his prior studies. He assigns new names to asylum seekers to better remember them. He often catches himself making untoward assumptions. The novel is critical of this, without outright condemning his character. We see this too in juxtapositions as the narrative progresses - the opulence of a catered meal or a party is implicitly compared to the harsh “living” conditions “provided” to these refugees as a stopgap for their eventual forced removal from Germany.
A more obvious didactic tone grows throughout the novel; these asylum seekers are mistreated, disregarded, and demonized. They are victims of imperialist aggression and the extraction of natural resources by European colonizers. As Richard grows and continues his research, the letter of the law in Germany (and elsewhere) is shown as a maze of bureaucratic excuses to “justify” an inhumane disregard for these people. This is hopefully obvious enough to the reader already, but a point worth making.
The novel is much more nuanced than a straightforward white savior narrative. Some other interesting ideas here too, related to the collective memory around reunification (as with Kairos), and how that memory is subtly present in objects, architecture, and behavior.
As always, there’s a focus to Erpenbeck’s writing that I really appreciate. Every passage dovetails cleanly and neatly into the novel’s larger themes. Don’t let the tonally bizarre cover fool you.
We see why Richard would get actively involved with the refugees as he comes to understand Germany’s disregard (if not outright disdain) for them. Obviously there’s some moral obligation there. But in fleshing out his backstory, we find other motivations. Loneliness for one, and a vague sense of identification relative to his own experience around German reunification.
The frequent questions he poses to the refugees, though well-intentioned, are initially sociological to an almost gross degree. His perspective and associations are rooted in an older academic canon that has little bearing on the lives these men lead.
We quickly see that perspective’s limits. His “understanding” of the broader situation and the individual refugees is filtered through his prior studies. He assigns new names to asylum seekers to better remember them. He often catches himself making untoward assumptions. The novel is critical of this, without outright condemning his character. We see this too in juxtapositions as the narrative progresses - the opulence of a catered meal or a party is implicitly compared to the harsh “living” conditions “provided” to these refugees as a stopgap for their eventual forced removal from Germany.
A more obvious didactic tone grows throughout the novel; these asylum seekers are mistreated, disregarded, and demonized. They are victims of imperialist aggression and the extraction of natural resources by European colonizers. As Richard grows and continues his research, the letter of the law in Germany (and elsewhere) is shown as a maze of bureaucratic excuses to “justify” an inhumane disregard for these people. This is hopefully obvious enough to the reader already, but a point worth making.
The novel is much more nuanced than a straightforward white savior narrative. Some other interesting ideas here too, related to the collective memory around reunification (as with Kairos), and how that memory is subtly present in objects, architecture, and behavior.
As always, there’s a focus to Erpenbeck’s writing that I really appreciate. Every passage dovetails cleanly and neatly into the novel’s larger themes. Don’t let the tonally bizarre cover fool you.
segue's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
joarfish's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
annieca's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Absolutely beautiful prose but it read very, very slowly. I found myself skimming chapters because not much was happening.
hailsmanning's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I read this book for class and it’s a really interesting read. Well written and informative, it reflects on the refugee crisis in 2015 specifically in Germany.