I quite enjoyed this, but maybe as a bit of a guilty pleasure in the end. The real shining positive point of this novel is the back stories for each of the murder victims. They tend to go into some details covering their adolescence, through to adulthood, which encompasses the rise of the nationalists, the war and then the direct aftermath. In some regard, this novel is really just a collection of short stories about women of various social standing, living in pre and post war Prussia. The detail in their stories is outstanding, even if a little cliched or just a bit difficult to believe in places.I've seen some negative reviews, suggesting that the goings on in these back stories are too convenient and that the choice of women is also too obvious. However, I don't think any of the women are in positions which are totally unbelievable. They are all very different, which seems fair enough to myself, as otherwise we might have just had four middle/working class housewives to read about. I admit that some of the story aspects are far fetched and some of it falls together a bit neatly, but I don't believe any of it is beyond the realms of possibility.However, that is where the positives end really.The overarching storyline is that of a serial killer and the detective trying to apprehend him. This area of the story is incredibly weak. If anything, the most difficult aspect to believe of the entire novel is the killer. We are introduced to him early on and given the briefest of motives for his streak, but it feels like a formality. We find out in the second chapter that he kills women (horribly, I might add), simply because one laughed at his trousers' contents. That's a fairly wispy premise. The eventual unveiling of the killer is absolute nonsense too, with the detective having already solved it, but for some reason doing little about it and then just quickly explaining himself right at the end.The real issue with the killer plot line is that it only serves to link the women and their back-stories together. Their stories do briefly intertwine in places, but the serial killer aspect is purely linkage. On its own, it's not interesting and doesn't stand up to any scrutiny.Similarly, the sub-plot which involves the detective's son is entirely superfluous. I suppose it adds another short story to the pile, but his is a bit dull. He just craves for material possessions in a deprived time, which while fleshing out the idea that he was just a normal child in strange times, adds absolutely nothing to the story.The translation has also taken a bit of a beating in the reviews too. The phraseology throughout is very repetitive, with certain words just seeming to clash. I don't agree with what some reviewers have pointed out here, but it certainly does read a bit peculiarly at times. I couldn't possibly read the German version, so I'm unsure whether the translation is a fair representation or not.My final issue is a bit left field, given the subject matter. The sheer volume of sex here and the sexual attitudes of primarily the women are very surprising. Every woman involved (including some as young as 14) are completely sexually open and will take a man whenever they fancy. They are very much the main drivers of it in any of the scenes when something unpleasant isn't happening. While it would be nice to believe that they could be so empowered, it's difficult to resolve with the period in which the story is set. To be honest, it's difficult to resolve as a concept in 2014. The final scene involving the detective's son and the tailor's daughter being a case in point. The girl is meant to be 14, which makes the whole thing seem very unlikely. If this is a true reflection of Germany's attitude towards sex, then I'm surprised they're recognised as being so industrious. I just don't know how they get anything done. Well, apart from each other....Finally, I never ever want to see or hear the phrase 'mound of Venus' ever again.
De novelas ambientadas durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial o durante la postguerra vamos servidos. Me viene en mente la lograda saga creada por ejemplo por Philip Kerr. Aquí el autor es el autor alemán Pierre Frei (de quien no he encontrado ninguna foto). Hablamos pues de un autor que como Pynchon o Elena Ferrante quiere pasar también desapercibido.Esta novela negra nos sitúa en Berlín, en el año 1945. Alemania ha perdido la guerra y la ciudad Berlinesa ha sido dividida y dejada en manos de los Aliados. En ese escenario un asesino irá despachando alemanas rubias y esbeltas. Hablamos por tanto de un asesino en serie. La figura del mismo es prácticamente irrelevante, dado que apenas tiene peso en la historia más allá de ser la mano ejecutora. No sabemos cial es su motivación y no hay apenas retrato psicológico del personaje, porque al autor esto no le debe parecer relevante. El peso de la historia recae en esas cuatro jóvenes que son asesinadas. Se nos irán desgranando sus historias particulares, sus modos de vida, insertas en ese régimen nacionalsocialista que irá emergiendo con Hitler a la cabeza, hasta declarar la guerra con la intención de volver a la situación anterior al Tratado de Versalles.Frei recoge escenas de la vida cotidiana de esas jóvenes, que quieren materializar sus sueños, mejorar sus existencias, rozar algo parecido a la felicidad, y que acaban muriendo estranguladas, con sus existencias vaciadas por el sumidero.La recreación histórica hace aparecer a miembros de las SS, de las SA, de la Gestapo, altos jerarcas nazis, los campos de concentración, los abusos sexuales, la eugenesia, una población alemana que parece no enterarse de nada, o de no querer saber lo que pasa, y otros tantos que deciden alistarse al partido en el poder, a fin de medrar y mejorar su situación.Si la primera mitad del libro me ha parecido irreprochable, luego la cosa cambia y con esa idea de comprimir el universo en unas pocas páginas, el autor genera situaciones que chirrían un tanto, en especial cuando Lene parece no darse cuenta de nada de cuanto sucede a su alrededor, como si el hecho de no querer saber nada de la política, le exima también de saber lo que los nazis estaban haciendo con los judíos, gitanos, homosexuales o discapacitadas (y ahí me da la sensación de estar leyendo El niño de pijama de rayas). Todos se muestra sorprendidos de todo, de lo que hacen los nazis con los judíos, con los niños discapacitados, con los niños de quienes sus maestros abusan, etcétera, pero la gracia está en transmitir con verosimilitud al lector esa estupefacción y eso no me ha sucedido.También hay un crítica para los Aliados y la manera que tuvieron de celebrar su victoria. Ahí los abusos sexuales de los rusos sobre las mujeres alemanas y la forma de vejar a estas, quedan muy bien explicitados.Lo que me llama la atención es como todas las jóvenes que aparecen en el libro y que acaban muriendo desarrollan una gran actividad sexual. Continuamente tienen orgasmos, piensan a menudo en el sexo, y el autor se demora con ciertas escenas sexuales de todo tipo, donde los hombres quedan reducidos a bestias sexuales que no piensan prácticamente en otra cosa.Que el libro se lee con algo parecido al deleite es un hecho, como pasatiempo funciona, pero si además de adquirir cierto barniz histórico el lector quiere profundizar más en el asunto hay libros estupendos como La Tregua o Si esto es un hombre de Primo Levi, las biografías de Goebbels o Heinrich Himmler a cargo del historiador británico Peter Longerich o Después del Reich de Giles Macdonogh, por citar algunos que recuerde.
What do You think about Berlin: A Novel (2007)?
Berlin tells the story of a serial killer in the post WWII American occupied zone of Onkel Toms Hutte in Berlin. The murder mystery convention is mediocre, but the heart of the novel is the back stories of the four women he links together using the mystery. The novel's first couple of chapters are a bit slow, but picks up with the women's stories. Frei does a good job of weaving minor characters in and out of the women's stories and shows the horrors of the Nazi rise, war, and post war occupation through the ordeals each woman faces. It's unfortunate that the woman's lives all seem to be turning the corner when they are killed.
—Ryan
Note to self: BE MORE CAREFUL! I made the mistake of not realising I was buying a translation. More than once I had the impression that when the translator didn't know a word, she just picked the top suggestion at leo.org. Awful! "Gauntlet" for a simple bike glove? "Diadem" for a tiara? "Medicament" for a drug or medicine? My worst (and that was used more than once) is: "she carried a tray of vanilla ices on sticks". Please!*What makes translation bungling like this so bad is that one loses one's concentration on the story and keeps watching for more botched language and in the process notices errors in the actual plot. Either the editor was non-existent or extremely sloppy (some details are just not right for the time and the setting, a few time references are wrong, etc.).The sub-plot concerning the police inspector's son is not only predictable but unnecessary. The few instances where it is aiding the plot could be achieved differently.But my biggest gripe is the picture of German women during WWII and the time preceeding it. Apparently they all grew up with sexually healthy attitudes (the one who who didn't wasn't really scarred by her bad upbringing) and appetites and lead a relaxed and satisfying sexlife without any hang-ups. In addition, none of them were Nazis - at best, they conformed without much thought (due to their youth) but objected on a personal and moral level if they weren't actually courageously fighting the fascists. Yeah, very believable.The only reason I'm giving two instead of one star is the plot device that the victims are given a more prominent voice than is usual in who-dunnit's. However, these insertions are too long - I ended up reading them after I finished the book as such.*Since reading this I've checked up on the translator and am pretty shocked about her credentials, I seriously suspected a German translating into English. She must have either hated the book, not understood it/the time it is set in or she translated it in an appalling rush.
—Elke Woll
This one kept me going page by page. It was like going back in time to pre and post WWII. There was a suspicious and mysterious serial killer. A detective was investigating and there are chapters on the victims (and their MOST INTERESTING lives): HELGA, HENRIETTE, MARLENE and JUTTA.There weren't a lot of profound lines that were life changing. However, there were some funny lines intertwined and some erotic ones as well. The harrowing times wartime Berlin were not pretty and very anti-semetic. It was sad to realize the difficult times. IF you're in the mood for a good mystery with some in-depth character studies of some select women in Berlin, Germany you will find it fascinating. I know I did. Here are some excerpt/lines that gave me a few eyebrow raises:“I assume that as a country girl you know the facts of life?”“You mean what happens when the cow’s taken to the bull? Any child knows that.”“Yes, but do you know the difference? The cow has no choice. You do. Choose your first man for love. And from then on choose wisely.”“I hope you like PIMM’s Number One?”“Tell me what’s in it first.”“Well, originally only Mr. James Pimm knew that. He was an apothecary in London around 1840, and he invented this gin-based drink at his customers’ request. The herbs and spices added to flavor it are still the secret of his heirs. Lady Phipps made the lemonade to top it up…the cucumber strips, with a slice of orange and another of lemon, are my personal ingredients.”---Things never turn out just as you expect, and all things considered it had really been very good.In the end it was she who braced herself against his body and took him right into her, so that the pain was kept within bounds and soon gave way to a promising tingling sensation.It was an unforgettable encounter for them both. Amazed as children, they explored their bodies, giving themselves up to this wonderful game.“I get vertigo if I so much as climb on a kitchen stool,” he confessed.When you’re on your own you feel kind of claustrophobic.A wonderful feeling went through her as the tip of his tongue made the tiny bud of her clitoris burst into flower. Little sighs rose in the air, culminating in a cry of delight.“You don’t get anywhere without white tie and tails these days,” he had said.Marlene had been reading a great deal lately. She indiscriminately consumed everything written by STEFAN ZWEIG, HEDWIG COURTHS-MAHLER, THEODOR FONTANE and THEA VON HARBOU.“Working with her matters to me. She gives good advice.”“You like him, don’t you? Watch out, things might get complicated.”“Do all boys masturbate?”“Most of them.”“And men?”“Sometimes.”She went around the table and put her arms round his neck. “Will you show me?” she whispered in his ear. It was the signal for passionate erotic games. She couldn’t get enough of them.Gradually, everyday life began again.She looked down at herself, saw his hard prick parting her blond pubic hair again and again as it thrust in, heightening her desire until it was intolerable and release came—but there was more to come.She took a candle into the bathroom and ran the tub full. The hot water warmed her freezing body and gave her a feeling of safety. She wrapped herself in a big bath towel and went to bed.Suddenly her face was very close. She pressed her lips to his. He wondered how long she would keep them like that without taking a breath. She didn’t go that far, but told him, “If you open your teeth it works better.”He did as she wanted. Her tongue darted out like a little snake and felt for his. He got the idea and let his own tongue wriggle vigorously. It set off a pleasant feeling somewhere else entirely.
—Michael Armijo
