Customer Reviews

The Dolphin People: A Novel (P.S.)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great novel, if your taste is in the imaginative, "old fashioned" type of fiction. Krol writes in a way which is very easy to read, and is a born storyteller, with some rather bizarre and surprising twists along the way. The story of a German family ending up in the Amazon jungle amongst a local tribe after WW 2 is quite innovative, and keeps your interest up to the last pages. It's rather difficult to categorize this novel in any genre. It's part of an adventure novel, part of "a boy growing into manhood" story. There are elements of satire in it, and Krol has quite an interesting - amusing, too - way of relating the so-called "civilized, western" culture habits into the "primitive" Amazonian tribal way of life. If I should compare this book to some other writer's works, then Kurt Vonnegut is a name that pops up for me. The way Krol tells the story by a young, teenage German boy's point of view reminds me somewhat of Mark Twain's Huck Finn. All in all, Torsten Krol is a name that is definitely worth to keep in mind for his future works.

Thorsten Krol's incredible talent to show creative writing at it's best is executed in his latest novel The Dolphin People. This novel is so unique, peculiar, odd to say the least, yet thought provoking, horrifying, shocking and yet at times humorous as well. The book is a fantastic literary achievement with much panache and style not seen in others too often. I'll definitely put it on my "doozy" list, for this tale is a whopper. Putting it down for a second is not going to happen, I promise you.

Shortly after the end of WWII, Erich Linden, a 16 year old German boy is enroute to Venezuela with his mother, brother and new stepfather. After his father died in the war, his uncle Klaus offered to marry his mother and move the family to his home in Venezuela where he owned a successful business. While traveling, their airplane crashes into the ocean and all miraculously swim to safety. Finding themselves alone in the Amazon jungle, with no food, water or supplies, the situation becomes critical until they are found by the Yayomi tribe. Taken to the tribal village, they find another German there, an anthropologist that has been living with the tribe for 11 years working on a book chronicling their culture.

They are told that rescue is slim, and getting out of the jungle alive due to weather, violent natives and no boat to take them away, was impossible. Their only choice was to begin living with the Yayomi until circumstances changed. The Yayomi don't know what to make of these white people that emerged from the river, and call them the Dolphin People. From their historical legend it is said that there were dolphins that transformed themselves into people and were to be revered as gods. Playing along with this charade seemed logical as to not anger them and cause a dangerous life threatening situation. Erich and his family assimilate into the village until secrets, betrayals, jealous feuds, murders and mischief being to cause the unraveling of this unusual freakish family slowly going mad. Each member of this family has skeletons in their closets and inner demons waiting to burst free, and here in their jungle prison, all hell breaks loose!

Frightening, horrible events breathe evil into Krol's writing, allowing the reader to perch on the edge of their seats as scenario's of love, hate, racial injustice and gender issues bring thought provoking passages for the reader to ponder on. There are tender moments between two brothers struggling to adjust in a world foreign, insanity for a mother who can't cope, bitter rivalry between two men of science and intellect, and an introduction to the world of the Amazon jungle, all wrapped up in tense and emotional scenes that keep those pages flying. Intense, this is a very very intense book. One minute heartwarming and touching as two races from two countries entwine, the next minute you will find yourself cringing in horror as you struggle to breathe and attempt to turn the next page in fear. Standing ovation for this unusual novel. I loved it!

I checked this book out from the library and loved it. When I needed to think of a gift for my 20 year old son, I thought he'd like this read - I was right.
He took it with him on a short trip and finished it that weekend.

I don't often read books twice, but I think I will read this one again. There are so many angles to the story, yet it is easy reading.

Recommend!

Years ago I came across Torsten Krol's eccentric character filled Forrest Gump type tale Callisto, loved it, but at the time there was nothing else published by the author. So when I came across this I grabbed it without hesitation, started reading and was surprised at just how different it was to Callisto, but importantly also that I couldn't stop reading! Can't say I normally read period set fiction, especially immediate post World War II era novels. However this simple tale of a German widow and her two sons deciding to travel to Venezuela where the mother will marry her husband's brother is a good one. He fled there in the final stages of the war but has landed a decent job in a rural location, disaster happening on route to the final destination, the four wonder how they will survive lost deep in the Venezuelan rainforest. Then 16 year old Erich notices a strange painted man staring at him. The Yayomi have found the Germans, however the Yayomi have never seen anyone like them before (although they do have a darker skinned German living amongst them who have been there for 11 years researching a book). The Yayomi are a primitive tribe who would normally just kill intruders, however they mistakenly believe these four are dolphins, who their legends and recent dreams have told them, will one day visit them on land to enrich and benefit their society. However these dolphins aren't behaving the way they expected them to. The male creatures aren't doing what males usually do, have no hunting skills and don't seem to be able to do much at all really. They also have a strange black creature that bites (medical bag) and the female is massive disapointment, she just seems to lie around, does nothing except eat their food, and avoids bathing which is an insult to these people who bathe at least twice a day.

If Erich can't convince his mother to tow the line, shed her clothes, bathe and except the situation that they are not in civilised Germany anymore, he knows she'll soon be made to become the tribal leader's wife, where she'll be forced to fulfil her wifely reproduction activity duties, and the rest of them may be killed. To further complicate matters, his mother has also been hiding a terrible secret about her youngest son Zeppi which to say will complicate the situation, would be a severe understatement.

This is a brilliantly written story, the characters especially the 16 year narrator are very well written. I loved how Erich's naive and childlike assessment of each of his family members as well as the scientist, alters as he learns the hidden truth about each of their characters as he is forced to grow up, extremely fast.

In 1943 on the Russian Front, Erich Linden's father died. Two years later, now sixteen years old, Erich, his widow mom Helga and his twelve years old brother Zeppi flee the ruined Third Reich for Geneva; there they board the Stromboli and sail to Venezuela where Uncle Klaus waits for them. He will marry Helga so he can care for her and her two sons while also using them as a front to dodge war crime prosecution for his work at the concentration camps.

In Venezuela the Brandt family, as they are now called, flies into the Amazon to their new home, but the plane crashes. The Yayomi tribe welcomes the lost Brandt family because they believe they are the dolphins wearing human garb prophesied by a tribesman's dreams. German anthropologist Gerhard Wentzler who lives with the tribe to study them assists the Brandt brood in their temporary not so easy adaptation.

The blood (and other liquids too frequently) flows in this deep dark allegorical historical thriller. Each of the Brandt family member has their civilization attire torn off along the lines of Carlyle's Sartor Resartus Clothing theory of man so that the reader can explore deeply their motivations to include growing up too fast, anti-Semitism, and other racial superiority. Not an easy read, The Dolphin People is a thought provoking Post WW II tale told mostly through the biased filtered lens of Erich as the narrator.

Harriet Klausner

In "The Dolphin People" Torsten Krol has created an unreal situation where a family of four has to survive in the Amazon with a tribe of local natives "The Yayomi" who believe they are dolphins in human form. Set in post WWII, the Erich Linden and family have come to Venezuela to join Uncle Klaus. Their plane crashes in a river, and they are discovered by the Yayomi and are revered as special because of their dolphin status. With little chance of getting back to society they try and assimilate into the native culture with the assistance of Gerhard, another German who has lived with the tribe for eleven years as research for a book. Krol has written this book through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Erich and we observe him grow and change while here. His family has their own issues to take care of. As events unfold we learn more and more about everyone. Some parts are a little disturbing. "The Dolphin People" is a challenging and strange book; yet an enjoyable one.

This is a really great book. I loved it and you will most definitely enjoy it as well.

Since the other 2 reviews tell what it's about I'll just say I loved it. Once you start it you'll have a hard time putting it down.

Not sure why the other 4 people have given this such a great review. In my opinion, this is probably the poorest book I've read all year. Ok, so you probably know what the gist of this tale is so let me just say that what ruined this for me other than the average writing and the rehashing of another "Jew/Nazi/South America" angle. This book was very poorly reaserched. The author has no clue about the tribes and the creatures that live in the rain forest and it really, really drove me nuts. I really wouldn't have cared if the story was original and/or beautifully written but this book was a mess. I wasted enough time with this. If you really feel the need to read this, get it used, don't pay full price for this. I will, though recommend alternative reading choices while you wait for the price to drop. "The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts", "Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord" "The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman " These books are all closely related with the same characters, so get all three. They're dirt cheap used as well.
I'm sure the author of "The Dolphin People" read these titles and tried to come close de Bernieres genius but fell miserably short.