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challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Puuuuhh, für dieses Werk, für das die Autorin Jenny Erpenbeck im April den International Booker Prize erhalten hat, habe ich fast 4 Wochen benötigt. Gestartet mit dem Hörbuch bin ich Recht schnell umgeschwenkt auf das gedruckte Buch, da ich Passagen teilweise mehrmals gelesen habe und auch wirklich viel angestrichen habe.
Aber es hat sich gelohnt.
Die Erzählung startet im Jahr 1986 in Ost-Berlin, die 19-jährige Katharina verliebt sich in den 34 Jahre älteren verheirateten Hans, mit dem sie eine Liebesaffäre beginnt, die sehr schnell sehr toxisch wird, aber dennoch parallel zur untergehenden DDR bis ins Jahr 1992 anhält.
Jenny Erpenbeck hat einen gewöhnungsbedürftigen, aber dennoch großartigen Schreibstil, die Personen und ihr Innenleben werden sehr gut gezeichnet, man fühlt sehr die Atmosphäre der Wendezeit und gewinnt einen guten Eindruck, wie sich die Menschen damals gefühlt haben, die mehr oder minder lange die DDR und, wie Hans, noch in Teilen, die Nazi -Zeit erlebt haben.
Das Buch ist anstrengend und anspruchsvoll zugleich, auf jeden Fall keine leichte Kost. Dennoch: Absolute Leseempfehlung für alle, die sich darauf einlassen wollen.
Aber es hat sich gelohnt.
Die Erzählung startet im Jahr 1986 in Ost-Berlin, die 19-jährige Katharina verliebt sich in den 34 Jahre älteren verheirateten Hans, mit dem sie eine Liebesaffäre beginnt, die sehr schnell sehr toxisch wird, aber dennoch parallel zur untergehenden DDR bis ins Jahr 1992 anhält.
Jenny Erpenbeck hat einen gewöhnungsbedürftigen, aber dennoch großartigen Schreibstil, die Personen und ihr Innenleben werden sehr gut gezeichnet, man fühlt sehr die Atmosphäre der Wendezeit und gewinnt einen guten Eindruck, wie sich die Menschen damals gefühlt haben, die mehr oder minder lange die DDR und, wie Hans, noch in Teilen, die Nazi -Zeit erlebt haben.
Das Buch ist anstrengend und anspruchsvoll zugleich, auf jeden Fall keine leichte Kost. Dennoch: Absolute Leseempfehlung für alle, die sich darauf einlassen wollen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Abortion
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“beauty as a trojan horse? as a sugared pill? that’s not enough. and it’s a trick. the contents are not cut-and-dried, art is a process, not a product. beauty needs to be interwoven with truth. what you see at a glance and whatever lies beneath needs to be one and the same. as for that beauty, the poet said it is only the beginning of terror anyway.”
whoa
whoa
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Abortion
challenging
dark
sad
tense
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
I'm giving it 3 stars because it was well written and a good insight into an abusive and toxic relationship, but I can't say I enjoyed reading it.
It felt quite relentless to me, in the early chapters I was alienated by the main characters obsessive romanticising of their relationship. As it progressed, I just felt increasingly uncomfortable with the power dynamic and desperate for Katharina to get free. I had far less sympathy for Hans, but I also wanted him to just cut his losses. It was stifling. I was baf led by the blurb and "read this book" quotes that implied fault on both sides. I thought it was very clear that Hans was grooming and abusing Katharina from a position of far more authority and whilst she made poor choices, she was very much the victim.
The blurb also suggested it was an allegory for the political situation in East Germany at the time. I did find the sections on living under the communist regime and through reunification interesting. They're not the focus of the story though.
The epilogue didn't have much impact on me.
It felt quite relentless to me, in the early chapters I was alienated by the main characters obsessive romanticising of their relationship. As it progressed, I just felt increasingly uncomfortable with the power dynamic and desperate for Katharina to get free. I had far less sympathy for Hans, but I also wanted him to just cut his losses. It was stifling. I was baf led by the blurb and "read this book" quotes that implied fault on both sides. I thought it was very clear that Hans was grooming and abusing Katharina from a position of far more authority and whilst she made poor choices, she was very much the victim.
The blurb also suggested it was an allegory for the political situation in East Germany at the time. I did find the sections on living under the communist regime and through reunification interesting. They're not the focus of the story though.
The epilogue didn't have much impact on me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abortion, War
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
teils schwer zu lesen, hat mich ziemlich mitgenommen aber wahnsinnig gutes buch
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautiful writing style but a very hard read - deserving of the international booker prize nonetheless. However, for reading this you definitely need to understand the context of setting and time - the impending fall of the GDR. Even as a GDR/German language nerd, a lot of the references to the 80s, classics, music, academia etc went over my head. I wish I could have connected more to the book but this isn’t the fault of the book, apart from some of the niche and perhaps inaccessible cultural references.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence
Minor: Abortion
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-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
Excellent! Social criticism at its best. Took off 0.5 stars because the language and scenes are quite crude and violent at times, and I'm getting increasingly sensitive to that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Police brutality, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail