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A review by seoltang
Die Wut, die bleibt by Mareike Fallwickl
4.0
Big exhale. Die Wut, die bleibt (in engl. "The Anger That Stays" or alternatively "That Anger, It Stays" – there is no official translation and the difference is subtle yet important in my opinion) is a novel that was recommended to me by a friend who, unlike me, reads mostly in German and, also unlike me, makes a conscious effort to read female authors only. Otherwise, and I am being brutally honest, I never would have read this. German literature usually leaves a strange taste on my tongue, maybe hitting too close to home, and reading in English might be my way of escapism.
Shortlisted for the German Book Prize (which went to Blutbuch by Kim de l'Horizon, congratulations), Die Wut, die bleibt surprised me with it's honesty. It's a story set during the pandemic and begins shortly after the suicide of Helen, a married mother of three, and lets Lola, her teenage daughter, and Sarah, her best friend without children and a younger boyfriend, narrate the chapters. While it deals with grief, especially in the first half, the author centers the discussion around the themes of motherhood, sexism, emotional labour of women, rape culture and internalized misogyny.
This sounds very radical, I know. Radical feminism is not a topic I breach without my own preconceived notions considering that many radical feminists exclude trans women in their work which, ironically, defeats the purpose of feminism. However, I do think that Fallwickl managed to illustrate discussions that are desperately needed with a work of fiction without creating a manifesto. I liked Sarah and especially Lola, who were complex and spiteful and meagre and submissive at the same time as they were loud and boisterous and violent and completely at loss with one person suddenly missing from their lives.
Lola did have the tendency to sound like an intersectional feminist handbook, meaning she did sound stilted at times, but given that Lola had educated herself from a very early age on I thought her characterisation to be pretty fair. I also enjoyed her friendships to the other girls in the novel so much and considered the critique of heteronormativity to be what made the novel much more well-rounded. It's important to at least mention that this novel's male characters (there were two in the main cast, Lola's step-father and Sarah's boyfriend) were hilariously well-written in their uselessness and I don't want to hide the fact that I practically bathed in this particular aspect.
All in all a worthwhile read despite its heaviness. Content warnings are not limited to but include suicide, disordered eating, fatphobia, physical and sexual assault.
Shortlisted for the German Book Prize (which went to Blutbuch by Kim de l'Horizon, congratulations), Die Wut, die bleibt surprised me with it's honesty. It's a story set during the pandemic and begins shortly after the suicide of Helen, a married mother of three, and lets Lola, her teenage daughter, and Sarah, her best friend without children and a younger boyfriend, narrate the chapters. While it deals with grief, especially in the first half, the author centers the discussion around the themes of motherhood, sexism, emotional labour of women, rape culture and internalized misogyny.
This sounds very radical, I know. Radical feminism is not a topic I breach without my own preconceived notions considering that many radical feminists exclude trans women in their work which, ironically, defeats the purpose of feminism. However, I do think that Fallwickl managed to illustrate discussions that are desperately needed with a work of fiction without creating a manifesto. I liked Sarah and especially Lola, who were complex and spiteful and meagre and submissive at the same time as they were loud and boisterous and violent and completely at loss with one person suddenly missing from their lives.
Lola did have the tendency to sound like an intersectional feminist handbook, meaning she did sound stilted at times, but given that Lola had educated herself from a very early age on I thought her characterisation to be pretty fair. I also enjoyed her friendships to the other girls in the novel so much and considered the critique of heteronormativity to be what made the novel much more well-rounded. It's important to at least mention that this novel's male characters (there were two in the main cast, Lola's step-father and Sarah's boyfriend) were hilariously well-written in their uselessness and I don't want to hide the fact that I practically bathed in this particular aspect.
All in all a worthwhile read despite its heaviness. Content warnings are not limited to but include suicide, disordered eating, fatphobia, physical and sexual assault.