15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A finely constructed, beautifully written novel about the moral complexities of life and survival in wartime, May 31, 2009
Intense content, vivid imagery and meticulous research. The book is rich in historical detail and immerses the reader in two wartime periods: post-WWI in occupied Germany, and end of WW2 during the bombings of London.
The first part of the book forcefully describes the chaotic and surreal nature of events as home forces retreat and foreign forces occupy; the post-war period of starvation and the desolation it brings; the demoralizing arrogance of occupying forces; and the daily bartering of goods and soul needed to survive.
The second part of the book, at the end of WWII, brings to life the shifting emotional response of a population enduring frequent, unpredictable terror -- the impossibility of living in a constant state of fear, the consequent deadening and reawakening of intense emotions, the awareness of imminent danger breaking constantly through to the surface of daily living.
The author is extremely skillful in conveying the passage of time -- the world as described in Part 2 is completely different in feel from that described in Part 1; this is accomplished through countless, detailed descriptions of daily life that enable the reader to feel differences across the two eras -- the milk-carrier's nag; the iron cookstove; a woman sponging off the black line on the back of her leg, drawn to imitate the seam of a stocking; the memory of raspberries in normal times; a child with rickets; a watch ticking on a severed arm. The reader is drenched in the atmosphere of the book's places and times.
Throughout, the day-to-day lives of Kate Zweig and her lover Claus illustrate the difficult practical and moral choices that people must navigate in times of war, or of terror -- some images in the book, and some of the responses to perceived "treason" are reminiscent of reactions in the US post 9/11. Questions of identity -- citizenship vs. humanity, self alone and self in relationship with others, the layers of meaning in how we act and what we choose to reveal of ourselves -- are explored in the context of extreme circumstances.
The book is best read slowly and with attention to detail. It is not a comfortable book -- war is horrible, and the author doesn't spare us. However, the language is beautiful, and the construction of the book is intricate -- a close reading pays off. The comparison to Graham Greene, both stylistically and in terms of the examination of morality and identity, is apt. I was also reminded of themes and preoccupations of C.P. Snow, Anthony Powell, Pat Barker, and early 20th-century British poetry. Though these themes are set in a historical context, I found myself thinking often of what it must have been like in recent years, and today, to live in Baghdad, Mosul, Kabul, and other areas where civilians are affected by war and daily life becomes a surreal combination of normalcy and random terror.
Highly recommended.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mysterious and Deeply Haunting: A Gem of a Book, June 22, 2009
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Paul Griner skillfully writes a mysterious story filled with haunting realism about two individuals who become lovers each of whom had lived what seemed a lifetime before they met. Their lives are complicated by their past histories which proves they are survivors but it also creates conflicts which may become their undoing in the end. The author's sparse prose is strikingly sharp and direct, creating a jarring tension and exciting anticipation in the reader who expects some malevolent force to enter like a cold wind on a dark winter's day. The reader anticipates the unexpected at every turn of the page. Civil wars had broken out in various countries even before the end of World War One and now President Woodrow Wilson had a Fourteen Point Peace Plan. Soldiers who spoke Polish or Lithuanian or German came through Wilno where the small field hospital where Kate Zweig worked as a nurse continued its mission despite limited equipment and barely enough coal to properly sterilize the surgical instruments ...
In part One, Kate Zweig lives in Wilno, East Prussia in 1919 with her mother-in-law and husband who was a surgeon but is now blind from wounds sustained in World War One. The author's descriptions of life after the war are filled with the realities of privation but a sort of lingering optimism exists which only humans who survived the unspeakable horrors of war can manage to sustain. They hold onto the hope of building a better future. The family moved to Hamburg where life was a bit easier but nonetheless still difficult. The description of Kate receiving a nearly new pair of leather shoes from her mother-in-law and Kate's stopping at a soup kitchen which would make her husband feel ashamed were particularly realistic and effective.
In Part Two, it is 1944 and Kate lives in London with a new set of friends one of whom is an American named Claus (Charles) who has German roots. There is a vagueness as to how and why she left Hamburg, then spent time living in France where her husband's family had been from and escaped to London to free herself from the Nazis. Claus had been imprisoned in the past on what appeared to be trumped up charges. Both Kate and Claus had mysterious and complicated past histories each of whom could plausibly explain it away. However, under the current political climate it placed them in jeopardy, given the feelings about anyone with German ancestry or connections. The author manages to create an eery suspense and drama as the lives of these two strangers who become lovers entangle. The reader is taken to a precipice, to a ledge where the author provides a totally surprising and explosive ending which leaves the reader stunned and breathless but completely satisfied. This book is a gem which has many hidden depths and layers that the reader more fully appreciates only at the end. There is a lingering feeling of sadness which remains long after finishing the book. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, Gripping Novel, June 15, 2009
Griner's novel is an amazing read, one of the best contemporary novels I've read in years. As someone who isn't terribly familiar with the history of either World War I or II, I found the historical elements to be easily woven into the plot and in no way distracting or didactic.
The prose is beautiful, the characters are well-developed, and the plot is gripping. I strongly disagree with earlier reviewers who found the two halves of the novel to be disconnected from one another. As far as the claim that the novel is explicit in its descriptions of the horrors of war ---- well, it is, but I found it to be an integral part of the novel's setting and not overkill.
The love stories that tie together the two halves of the novel are poignant and real. I highly recommend this novel as a summer read. It will also make an excellent gift to anyone interested in good writing, WWI/II, or love stories. I plan on gifting it multiple times this coming holiday season.
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