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A review by notthatcosta
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck
challenging
dark
sad
tense
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? Yes
1.75
I desperately wanted to like this book, but the more I tried to get into it the more difficult it became to pick up, because I fundamentally didn't enjoy it.
Kairos has been lauded with accolades, including the International Booker prize, and was even gushed upon by the shopkeeper who was checking the book out when I bought it. Naturally, I was very excited to get into it and expecting to be blown away. Unfortunately, I was almost immediately disappointed by how dense, meandering and downright baffling the prose were.
I think the book suffers from a few flaws, but above all, the protagonist feels uninteresting and anonymous throughout the book, making it difficult to engage in her plight or feel anything for her at all beyond a dull pity. I think a lot of this is down to it being written in the third person, whereas a first person account of the events would have given us a bit more insight. The detachment I felt from the main characters made Katherina's determination to stay with Hans despite him seeming awful with no redeeming characteristics and her living in another city and having a present support system (who knew about how fucked up Hans was???) even more baffling.
Another issue is the sheer span of time the book covers (seemingly 5 or so years), and how poorly that was handled. The pacing was atrocious, with months passing within the span of a few lines despite other parts lingering on micro moments within a day.
It wasn't all bad, though, I thought the world building of East Germany was really successful and made me wish the storytelling was done better.
Kairos has been lauded with accolades, including the International Booker prize, and was even gushed upon by the shopkeeper who was checking the book out when I bought it. Naturally, I was very excited to get into it and expecting to be blown away. Unfortunately, I was almost immediately disappointed by how dense, meandering and downright baffling the prose were.
I think the book suffers from a few flaws, but above all, the protagonist feels uninteresting and anonymous throughout the book, making it difficult to engage in her plight or feel anything for her at all beyond a dull pity. I think a lot of this is down to it being written in the third person, whereas a first person account of the events would have given us a bit more insight. The detachment I felt from the main characters made Katherina's determination to stay with Hans despite him seeming awful with no redeeming characteristics and her living in another city and having a present support system (who knew about how fucked up Hans was???) even more baffling.
Another issue is the sheer span of time the book covers (seemingly 5 or so years), and how poorly that was handled. The pacing was atrocious, with months passing within the span of a few lines despite other parts lingering on micro moments within a day.
It wasn't all bad, though, I thought the world building of East Germany was really successful and made me wish the storytelling was done better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Gaslighting