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I'm sorry I cannot. I tried really hard to get to the end because I don't like leaving books unfinished but this book unleashed an inhuman fury within me, that I cannot control. Jenny, you must be a man in disguise. And also, the booker needs to stop doing cheap drugs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Torture
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have really mixed feelings about this book. The prose is gorgeous, and I found the book very compelling - I couldn't stop reading. On the other hand, though, the subject matter left me feeling pretty gross, so it wasn't exactly an enjoyable read.
I think each reader's understanding of what the book is trying to do will significantly affect their rating. If it's a story of a woman reflecting nostalgically-but-with-complex-feelings on a former love affair, it's a miss because of how problematic that affair is. If it's a book about a toxic and abusive relationship and its ultimate breakdown, set against the backdrop of the simultaneous breakdown of East Germany, it's a success. I'm inclined to think it's the latter; however, because Erpenbeck presents no straightforward or easy answers, it has shades of the former. I appreciate the ambiguity - this is part of what makes it a brilliantly written book! But it also makes it difficult to rate it higher.
I think each reader's understanding of what the book is trying to do will significantly affect their rating. If it's a story of a woman reflecting nostalgically-but-with-complex-feelings on a former love affair, it's a miss because of how problematic that affair is. If it's a book about a toxic and abusive relationship and its ultimate breakdown, set against the backdrop of the simultaneous breakdown of East Germany, it's a success. I'm inclined to think it's the latter; however, because Erpenbeck presents no straightforward or easy answers, it has shades of the former. I appreciate the ambiguity - this is part of what makes it a brilliantly written book! But it also makes it difficult to rate it higher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Pregnancy
Age gap relationship with power imbalance
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We're supposed to be moving through a pivotal point in German history while walking with two people who absolutely should not be together. From the start I had no hope for Katharina and Hans, and it was especially drilled and stretched out to read about their essentially abusive dynamic. I was bitterly bored.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, War
Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy
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
A relationship between a young woman and an older man that adapts sexual torture as punishment for transgressions against the male ego is hardly original. You've read this before, only this has a thin veil of East/West Germany tensions in the background. Katharina is simply insufferable and boring until she finally starts thinking of things other than Hans. And Hans is what you'd expect from a male character who centres himself in everything and has no ability to criticise himself – if Erpenbeck was looking to write a male lover who has no appeal, and leaves the reader baffled as to why he is pursued at all, then she did a fantastic job.
I had hoped the tensions of their location and the shifting politics would play more of a role, but they're really just a background to an abusive relationship. This is neither a 'doomed romance' or a 'story of love and betrayal', as the accolades on the cover state, and I wish abuse and obsession would stop being labelled as love. A lot of this could also be skim read because it's stuffed with self-indulgence that adds nothing to the experience. Erpenbeck clearly has talent, but this story is just repetitive and so contrite that it becomes farcical.
I had hoped the tensions of their location and the shifting politics would play more of a role, but they're really just a background to an abusive relationship. This is neither a 'doomed romance' or a 'story of love and betrayal', as the accolades on the cover state, and I wish abuse and obsession would stop being labelled as love. A lot of this could also be skim read because it's stuffed with self-indulgence that adds nothing to the experience. Erpenbeck clearly has talent, but this story is just repetitive and so contrite that it becomes farcical.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting
Minor: Rape
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think the relationship between Hams and Katharina is supposed to parallel the breakdown of the GDR and then somehow reunification with FDR, but god knows how. So confusing. In the main, an abusive relationship between a 19 year old and a 50-something year old. Massive power imbalance. A lot of words that didn't seem to mean anything, fairly sure I skimmed for the most part. Still cannot figure out their initial meeting and I re-read that 3 times.
Like other prize winners it tries too hard to be clever.
In saying this, I wonder what it would've been like reading it in German...
Oh, and I am sure I read that she commited murder of 3 people but can't for the life of me figure it out - may have been a weird hallucination or fantasy sequence
Like other prize winners it tries too hard to be clever.
In saying this, I wonder what it would've been like reading it in German...
Oh, and I am sure I read that she commited murder of 3 people but can't for the life of me figure it out - may have been a weird hallucination or fantasy sequence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Gaslighting
Minor: Abortion
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship
Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy
It has good writing, the artistic value of it is high. However, i hated the characters throughout the book and at some points I felt disgusted. I couldn't really relate to any of their problems and I didn't understand why they were even together. Despite loving the narration style and the description of societal issues at the end of 80s, it wasn't enough to make me love this book. It's not a bad read, if you don't mind reading about people who are being really annoying. I'll probably read some other books from the author later, because she's talented, this just wasn't it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content
Minor: Abortion
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found the last third of this book very engaging and thoughtful about the impact of the reunification of Germany on the citizens of the East, especially those nearing the end of their careers.
The first third was engaging in a different way, creating a vivid picture of life in East Berlin and the beginnings of an intense and unhealthy relationship.
However, the middle third needed heavy editing in my opinion! The toxicity of the relationship and the despicable character of Hans, alongside descriptions of reaching adulthood in East Germany dragged in this section and could have been conveyed alongside the content of the first third in a way that was as engaging as the start and end of this novel.
While it’s left me plenty to reflect on, and lots of disgust for Hans, this isn’t a novel I will return to or remember fondly.
The first third was engaging in a different way, creating a vivid picture of life in East Berlin and the beginnings of an intense and unhealthy relationship.
However, the middle third needed heavy editing in my opinion! The toxicity of the relationship and the despicable character of Hans, alongside descriptions of reaching adulthood in East Germany dragged in this section and could have been conveyed alongside the content of the first third in a way that was as engaging as the start and end of this novel.
While it’s left me plenty to reflect on, and lots of disgust for Hans, this isn’t a novel I will return to or remember fondly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship