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A review by olya_hakob
Die Geschichte von Herrn Sommer by Patrick Süskind
First, you may wonder whether it's really Patrick Süskind you're reading: charming childhood stories, light-hearted humor, colors and sounds. Then with a masterful lightness, he drops you in the middle of an existential crisis.
We never learn why Mister Summer had this unsatiated urge to always walk, what was it that he was trying to escape? Every now and then we get some hints of his sorrow, like when he's walking alone in the storm and just wants to be left alone, when he sighs in the forest or when we hear rumors that his wife has died. His unusual coping mechanism gives rise to all kinds of speculations (he might be claustrophobic and that's why he can never stay at home), yet nobody directly asks him. This might be read as a story portraying society's indifference and that would be true to some extent. Yet, the people in the story are not evil or mean, they are just regular people who may not know how to handle unusual behavior. Mr. Summer is left alone, as he had asked.
As sad as the whole situation was, I liked how the story ended. Not the fact that Mr. Summer walked into the lake to meet his end (that was very sad) but the fact that the author maintained the character's agency. There was something that was to heavy for Mr. Summer to bear any longer and his end was as dignified as his patience was.
We never learn why Mister Summer had this unsatiated urge to always walk, what was it that he was trying to escape? Every now and then we get some hints of his sorrow, like when he's walking alone in the storm and just wants to be left alone, when he sighs in the forest or when we hear rumors that his wife has died. His unusual coping mechanism gives rise to all kinds of speculations (he might be claustrophobic and that's why he can never stay at home), yet nobody directly asks him. This might be read as a story portraying society's indifference and that would be true to some extent. Yet, the people in the story are not evil or mean, they are just regular people who may not know how to handle unusual behavior. Mr. Summer is left alone, as he had asked.
As sad as the whole situation was, I liked how the story ended. Not the fact that Mr. Summer walked into the lake to meet his end (that was very sad) but the fact that the author maintained the character's agency. There was something that was to heavy for Mr. Summer to bear any longer and his end was as dignified as his patience was.