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jin_september's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Deportation, and War
arunendro's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
really comes together at the end
yabibliobard's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
madscha's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jnelsontwo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
srm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Xenophobia
Minor: Death, Suicide, and Medical content
naddie_reads's review
4.5
"Transit" by Anna Seghers shows the purgatory that is the life of refugees who are in transit from one place to another through the lens of a narrator who is himself stuck in a limbo of wanting something to live for (to leave) vs. wanting the comforts of his solitude which is all he has known (to stay).
On one hand, these refugees were admitted to one place where they all congregate to get all sorts of visas, where they will only be granted a grace period to stay so they can get all their visas in order. On the other hand, the process of getting such visas is often so tricky that most people would have to extend their transitory existence in a hell-like place where they're neither allowed to stay nor leave. The monotony and smug politics behind such bureaucracies that will grant the refugees either their exile or relief are brilliantly portrayed through the mundanities of the narrator's observations, which can sometimes be grating, thus portraying the real-life frustrations of having to deal with such things day after day without an end in sight. The narrator's understandable ennui only comes to an end almost by chance as he drifts from one scene to another, and one wonders by the end if it is better to coast through life with indecision littering your steps or if it's worth taking that risk to cross the seas and die for the cause of your dreams.
A bleak read at times, but also a relevant one for our current times when climate refugees and war refugees will keep on increasing due to world politics and the people who control it.
On one hand, these refugees were admitted to one place where they all congregate to get all sorts of visas, where they will only be granted a grace period to stay so they can get all their visas in order. On the other hand, the process of getting such visas is often so tricky that most people would have to extend their transitory existence in a hell-like place where they're neither allowed to stay nor leave. The monotony and smug politics behind such bureaucracies that will grant the refugees either their exile or relief are brilliantly portrayed through the mundanities of the narrator's observations, which can sometimes be grating, thus portraying the real-life frustrations of having to deal with such things day after day without an end in sight. The narrator's understandable ennui only comes to an end almost by chance as he drifts from one scene to another, and one wonders by the end if it is better to coast through life with indecision littering your steps or if it's worth taking that risk to cross the seas and die for the cause of your dreams.
A bleak read at times, but also a relevant one for our current times when climate refugees and war refugees will keep on increasing due to world politics and the people who control it.
mishasw's review against another edition
4.0
Another banger from the civilian ww2 era. Very similar in its vibe to Balcony in the Forest, All for Nothing, and I assume the Tartan Steppe. This genre is hard to read; pretty dark, especially the German lit from this era. The sense of loss and confusion is shocking. Hard to even conceptualize what living in these times was like. :(