A review by foggy_rosamund
Transit by Anna Seghers

3.0

Written in the 1940s, following Seghers' flight from Germany to Mexico, this novel is narrated by a nameless narrator in Marseilles, who is one of thousands of refugees desperately fleeing Europe. Essentially, this is a novel about the cruelty of bureaucracy: terrified people are frantically trying to obtain visas and travel permits from one country after another, and being refused mainly for technicalities. The novel shows the fear and hopelessness of being a refugee, and the inhumanity of government officials who will not help those who are fleeing for their lives. It feels brutally relevant to Europe today. While the style is stilted at times and the characterisations rather flat, I found the novel compelling and important.