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A review by anusha_reads
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck
slow-paced
4.0
BOOK 5: KAIROS, JENNY ERPENBECK, TR. MICHAEL HOFMANN, LONGLISTED FOR #INTERNATIONALBOOKER2024
QOTD: HAVE YOU READ BOOKS BASED ON INFIDELITY/ EXTRA MARITAL AFFAIRS?
AOTD: I have read Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier), Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy), Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera).
This book also deals with infidelity. The story delves into a complex labyrinth of love, morality, and deceit. This labyrinth unfolds against the backdrop of the collapse of the GDR.
Hans is a fifty-something married writer who falls in love with nineteen-year-old Katharina. Hans has a son who is fourteen years old. Hans was brought up in the fascist times before GDR was formed. She was born 34 years later.
"...THE BUS MOVED OFF, AND SHE FELT FOR A HANDHOLD. AND THAT’S WHEN SHE SAW HIM. AND HE SAW HER."
They see each other on a bus. The two feel connected. Was this the moment of Kairos? In ancient Greek, Kairos meant the right or the critical moment. Kairos is also the God of Fortunate moments. They fall in love and share a common taste for music, discussing Greek gods and goddesses. They both like going to the movies.
Hans is very possessive of Katharina. He has had many other affairs earlier. He expects Katharina to be faithful to him, though he commits adultery. He expects utmost loyalty from her even though he cheats on his wife many times.
From the beginning till the end, I wanted Katharina to be free from the relationship she had with Hans.
"STRANGE, SHE THINKS, THAT TIME, WHICH IS INVISIBLE, BECOMES INDIRECTLY VISIBLE IN TERMS OF UNHAPPINESS. AS THOUGH UNHAPPINESS WERE THE COSTUME OF TIME."
The story unfolds against the backdrop of Germany's significant changes, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, widespread chaos, unrest, and social upheaval.
What about the sanctity of marriage in the context of this extramarital affair? What about morals? Why couldn't Katharina think straight at the first instance?
"HE TAKES HER COAT DOWN FROM THE HOOK, HOLDS IT OPEN FOR HER, SHE SLIPS IN FRONTWISE, AS BEFORE, AS ALWAYS, QUICKLY HUGS HIM, THEN SLIPS OUT AGAIN AND PUTS IT ON RIGHT WAY AROUND." These lines, repeated throughout the book, symbolize her deep affection for him.
I found the book a tough read as it is rather fragmented, and I am not very fond of this topic. I enjoyed reading all the rhetorical questions sprinkled all over the novel. The translation maintains an elegant style, narrated in the third person. The writing is brilliant, and it’s a remarkable novel.
"THE DEAD HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD, BUT HOW MUCH TIME HAVE THE LIVING GOT TO DEAL WITH TRUTH WITHOUT BEING CONSUMED BY IT?"
QOTD: HAVE YOU READ BOOKS BASED ON INFIDELITY/ EXTRA MARITAL AFFAIRS?
AOTD: I have read Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier), Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy), Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera).
This book also deals with infidelity. The story delves into a complex labyrinth of love, morality, and deceit. This labyrinth unfolds against the backdrop of the collapse of the GDR.
Hans is a fifty-something married writer who falls in love with nineteen-year-old Katharina. Hans has a son who is fourteen years old. Hans was brought up in the fascist times before GDR was formed. She was born 34 years later.
"...THE BUS MOVED OFF, AND SHE FELT FOR A HANDHOLD. AND THAT’S WHEN SHE SAW HIM. AND HE SAW HER."
They see each other on a bus. The two feel connected. Was this the moment of Kairos? In ancient Greek, Kairos meant the right or the critical moment. Kairos is also the God of Fortunate moments. They fall in love and share a common taste for music, discussing Greek gods and goddesses. They both like going to the movies.
Hans is very possessive of Katharina. He has had many other affairs earlier. He expects Katharina to be faithful to him, though he commits adultery. He expects utmost loyalty from her even though he cheats on his wife many times.
From the beginning till the end, I wanted Katharina to be free from the relationship she had with Hans.
"STRANGE, SHE THINKS, THAT TIME, WHICH IS INVISIBLE, BECOMES INDIRECTLY VISIBLE IN TERMS OF UNHAPPINESS. AS THOUGH UNHAPPINESS WERE THE COSTUME OF TIME."
The story unfolds against the backdrop of Germany's significant changes, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, widespread chaos, unrest, and social upheaval.
What about the sanctity of marriage in the context of this extramarital affair? What about morals? Why couldn't Katharina think straight at the first instance?
"HE TAKES HER COAT DOWN FROM THE HOOK, HOLDS IT OPEN FOR HER, SHE SLIPS IN FRONTWISE, AS BEFORE, AS ALWAYS, QUICKLY HUGS HIM, THEN SLIPS OUT AGAIN AND PUTS IT ON RIGHT WAY AROUND." These lines, repeated throughout the book, symbolize her deep affection for him.
I found the book a tough read as it is rather fragmented, and I am not very fond of this topic. I enjoyed reading all the rhetorical questions sprinkled all over the novel. The translation maintains an elegant style, narrated in the third person. The writing is brilliant, and it’s a remarkable novel.
"THE DEAD HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD, BUT HOW MUCH TIME HAVE THE LIVING GOT TO DEAL WITH TRUTH WITHOUT BEING CONSUMED BY IT?"