Reviews

Brodeck's Report by Philippe Claudel

nihilistmermaid's review against another edition

4.0

قديمًا انتابني شعور بالإنفصال تجاه كل الحروب والمجاعات والكوارث التي لم أشهدها، كنت أعي قسوة حدوثها ولكنها اختُزِلَت عندي في مجرد حدوثها، كفعل ماضي، تحت عنوان {أحداث مؤسفة}، بقيت على هذه الحال ثم لعب التعاطف ألاعيبه الماكرة معي حيث كان يزداد شعوري بالقسوة والبطش وكثير من الألم كلما قرأت عن مثل هذه الأحداث، وضعني التعاطف ومن أحب محل من تدمرت حيواتهم وإنسانياتهم، كانت النتيجة الطبيعية هي تجنبي لكل ما له علاقة بالحروب والكوارث، لم أعد أتحمل أوجاع بطني ولا عقلي.
مؤخرا تعلّمت أنّ فعل التجنب يجب أن يُرى بالنظرة النقدية وأن يخضع لها، ففي كثير من الأحيان ما يكون آلية دفاعية هدفها الهرب من الألم، وتلك النظرة هي ما أحاول الإستدعاء الآن، أحاول التمحيص فيما يؤلمني، بمواجهة ما أستطيع أن أُحمِل نفسي على مواجهته تكون الأمور أفضل معي.
هذه الكلمات قطعًا ليست مراجعة للرواية، بل شاهدًا على محاولاتي.

selenyigini's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

serge81's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ruth_v's review

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

3.75

letta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kurmismedituoja's review against another edition

5.0

„Idiotybė – lyga, kuri labai gerai dera prie baimės. Viena ir kita abipusiškai tunka, sudarydamos puvinį, kuriam tik ir maga plisti.“
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“Tiesa yra tai, kad minia jau savaime yra pabaisa. Ji pati sukuria save – milžinišką kūną, sudarytą iš daugybės kitų sąmoningų kūnų. Ir dar žinau, kad laimingos minios nebūna. Kad nėra taikios minios. Ir net už juoko, šypsenų, muzikos, refrenų slypi kraujas, kuris užverda, kuris nerimsta, kunkuliuoja ir eina iš proto taip šėldamas, įtrauktas į savo paties verpetą.”
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“Net esų regėjęs vieną žmogų, nuo to mirusį. Mirusį iš baimės, kai vieną rytą sargybinių žaidimėlių jis buvo išrinktas kandidatu į pakaruoklius. Ir kai vienas sargybinis sustojo prieš jį ir juokdamasis tarė: “Du!” – tas žmogus nė nekrustelėjo. Jo žvilgsnis nerodė jokio susijaudinimo, jokio sumišimo, jokios minties. O kai sargybinio šypsena ėmė blėsti ir jis užsimojo lazda, žmogus staiga krito negyvas, anam dar nespėjus jo nė paliesti.”
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librarian09's review against another edition

5.0

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. I have read Brodeck twice now and it was as excellent the second time as it was the first. Actually, it was better. This is novel set in a small town in an unnamed location during an unnamed war. It is certainly implied that it is during WWII. In that town, there is a man named Brodeck who is denounced by a friend and sent to a concentration camp. Also being told is the story of a stranger who appears in the town. He is unwelcome, to say the least. I will go no further and hope that I haven't given away too much as it is. This story focuses, not on the war as a whole, but on one town, one set of people, and one man. It is the story of what we will do to survive and if surviving is worth it once we lose who we are and what we value in the process. It is a story of guilt and forgiveness and of how far each and every one of us WILL fall given the right situations. An exceptional work of art. I highly recommend this be read again and again. I give the translator much credit as well for his translation as it is a joy to read. I have sought out other of Philippe Claudel's works and was not as impressed by the writing or, perhaps, the translation. Read this book it will change the way you look at others as well as yourself.

mbrkfld's review against another edition

5.0

I work at an institution that collects books and archival material related to the Holocaust and genocide, so I often find myself avoiding anything to do with those topics in my personal, non-work hours. It is enough to be surrounded by them during the day. However, this book came highly recommended and so I gave it a chance. I am so glad I did. Claudel deals with a very tricky moral topic--and depicts some truly horrific scenes of human suffering--but he does so with such poetry, such grace and such delicate ambiguity that I found myself completely absorbed, unable (as the cliche goes) to put the book down. I was drawn into the story completely and its characters and spaces, however fantastical and unreal at times, were completely believable and tangible. I finished the book both satisfied and conflicted, as I'm sure was the author's intent, full of ambiguous feelings of horror and beauty. I was unsure how to pass judgement on the characters I had become acquainted with and, indeed, wondered if it was my place to pass judgement at all. I cannot recommend 'Brodeck's Report' enough, especially to those who, as a rule, shy away from books on this topic.

kelby14's review against another edition

5.0

This book is poetic, mysterious, full of amazing metaphors, and is one of the best stories with an unreliable narrator that I have ever read!

perfectly_reasonable's review against another edition

5.0

Brodeck was painful and exhausting and emotionally crushing, but still I place it among the most memorable and beautifully written books I've ever read. It just grabs hold of you and doesn't let go.