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A review by littlesophie
A Small Revolution in Germany by Philip Hensher
5.0
Hensher's new novel is a political Bildungsroman that is bound to ruffle some feathers on its publication. It follows a group of students from Northern England from the 80s to our present day, charting their ideological and professional evolution through the years.
While they all start from a radical left position, the superficiality of that position and the flexibility of ambitious characters is gradually revealed. Hensher is damning in his portrayal of these characters and his anger shines through the work, giving the novel a gripping urgency. The similarity to actual British politicians is very obvious.
The authors expertise and knowledge of Britain's political landscape are apparent and add authority to the novel. The episode set in Germany was particularly convincing, creating a believable and nuanced picture of the two Germanys before the Fall of the Wall.
In the beginning I found the prose slightly contrived and overly clever, however that might have been due to the protagonist's own precocious and arrogant youth, as the prose relaxed significantly later in the book.
Overall, an intelligent, gripping and refreshingly angry novel, that doesn't pull any punches when dealing with its explosive subject matter.
While they all start from a radical left position, the superficiality of that position and the flexibility of ambitious characters is gradually revealed. Hensher is damning in his portrayal of these characters and his anger shines through the work, giving the novel a gripping urgency. The similarity to actual British politicians is very obvious.
The authors expertise and knowledge of Britain's political landscape are apparent and add authority to the novel. The episode set in Germany was particularly convincing, creating a believable and nuanced picture of the two Germanys before the Fall of the Wall.
In the beginning I found the prose slightly contrived and overly clever, however that might have been due to the protagonist's own precocious and arrogant youth, as the prose relaxed significantly later in the book.
Overall, an intelligent, gripping and refreshingly angry novel, that doesn't pull any punches when dealing with its explosive subject matter.