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A review by brenticus
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This didn't feel like my thing. In theory I appreciate mirroring the relationship with the background events around the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of East and West Germany, but in practice Hans is outright repulsive and Katharina is frustrating to read about after a while. I get that it's abusive, and victims often end up like Katharina, but it's still just painful to keep going on with and there is significantly more nuance in the way the setting is drawn than in the depoction of the relationship.
I appreciate the view of East Germany before the fall of the Wall, the snippets of life and how they compare and contrast with the West. It gives a feel for living under the socialist government—at least in the context of people who are on its good side and doing well. The idea that Katharina had never seen a homeless person until she visited West Germany was mind-blowing.
I feel like the epilogue weakened things a bit, although in some respects it probably needed to do so. It feels like an ending twist of "actually East Germany sucked and Hans was also struggling" which probably could have been handled with more grace. The general framing of Katharina reading through old documents feels unhelpful, as it establishes little of the perspective she's viewing the stoey from. She has a husband who is barely mentioned and... That's it? She may as well not be a character beyond the pages in the boxes.
Generally I think this was a well-told story that I just didn't enjoy. There are so many things that just kind of grate on me, but I also have to admit they either don't matter or are well done, just not to my taste.
I appreciate the view of East Germany before the fall of the Wall, the snippets of life and how they compare and contrast with the West. It gives a feel for living under the socialist government—at least in the context of people who are on its good side and doing well. The idea that Katharina had never seen a homeless person until she visited West Germany was mind-blowing.
I feel like the epilogue weakened things a bit, although in some respects it probably needed to do so. It feels like an ending twist of "actually East Germany sucked and Hans was also struggling" which probably could have been handled with more grace. The general framing of Katharina reading through old documents feels unhelpful, as it establishes little of the perspective she's viewing the stoey from. She has a husband who is barely mentioned and... That's it? She may as well not be a character beyond the pages in the boxes.
Generally I think this was a well-told story that I just didn't enjoy. There are so many things that just kind of grate on me, but I also have to admit they either don't matter or are well done, just not to my taste.