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_booksagsm 's review for:
Kairos
by Jenny Erpenbeck
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck is a powerful story about a young woman who falls into an intense, all-consuming relationship with an older man in 1980s East Berlin. Their personal story unfolds during the final years of the German Democratic Republic, and just like the country, their relationship slowly falls apart. What begins as love turns into control, obsession, and emotional damage—making the book both personal and political at the same time.
The title Kairos comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “the right or opportune moment.” And that’s what this book is really about—how a single moment in time can feel perfect, even if it later turns painful. Years later, the woman receives a box of her former lover’s letters. As she reads them, her memories shift. She starts to question everything: was it love, or just a need to be seen? This idea—that memory changes with time—is one of the most moving parts of the story.
The book won the International Booker Prize for its unique way of blending personal heartbreak with political history. Jenny Erpenbeck’s writing is poetic, thoughtful, and full of emotional truth. With the help of a brilliant translation by Michael Hofmann, Kairos captures how love, time, and power can shape us—and how the past never really lets go.
The title Kairos comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “the right or opportune moment.” And that’s what this book is really about—how a single moment in time can feel perfect, even if it later turns painful. Years later, the woman receives a box of her former lover’s letters. As she reads them, her memories shift. She starts to question everything: was it love, or just a need to be seen? This idea—that memory changes with time—is one of the most moving parts of the story.
The book won the International Booker Prize for its unique way of blending personal heartbreak with political history. Jenny Erpenbeck’s writing is poetic, thoughtful, and full of emotional truth. With the help of a brilliant translation by Michael Hofmann, Kairos captures how love, time, and power can shape us—and how the past never really lets go.