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A review by jbash_lo_fi
Stasiland by Anna Funder
5.0
Stasiland reminded me of Christopher Isherwood's Berlin Novels. Both authors are similar in the way they draw upon their personal experiences living in Berlin to construct a finely detailed narrative, capturing the people and atmosphere of the city (and country) - albeit 60 or so years apart. The narrative style was a very compelling way to present the various stories in the book.
I've heard about the Stasi's tactics and antics and seen them in movies where they often seem slightly ridiculous. Reading the detailed, personal stories recounted to Anna in the book is chilling. It was ridiculous, but it was real and Stasiland takes things out of the abstract and shows us the actual human costs.
A great and captivating record of a surreal part of history.
I've heard about the Stasi's tactics and antics and seen them in movies where they often seem slightly ridiculous. Reading the detailed, personal stories recounted to Anna in the book is chilling. It was ridiculous, but it was real and Stasiland takes things out of the abstract and shows us the actual human costs.
A great and captivating record of a surreal part of history.