The Granddaughter - Bernhard Schlink (2024)

 

Rating: Admirable

Bernhard Schlink’s renown outside of Germany is based mostly on The Reader (1995), which is considered to be one of the greatest Holocaust narratives, exploring the struggle for the German people to confront the sins of Nazi Germany. The Granddaughter is a reunification novel, exploring the wider impact of German reunification (1989-90) within the microcosm of two family units, one, a couple living in West Germany and the other who live in a Neo-Nazi community in East Germany. The novel begins in contemporary times with the death of Birgit, an elderly East German who fled the communist East Berlin enclave to be with Kaspar, who had got to know her when visiting East Berlin in the mid 1960’s. Kaspar must not only contend with his wife’s tragic death, but also the private life she kept hidden from him for decades; something that is revealed once he gains access to her unfinished novel and journals. Kaspar is shocked to discover that she had abandoned a baby before she joined Kasper in the West. Kaspar’s subsequent search for his step-granddaughter leads him into the heartland of Neo-Nazi society and allows Schlink a narrative vehicle to explore the divide that lies at the heart of German society, stemming from WWII, the Cold War era and reunification.

Told via simple, yet powerful prose, Schlink focusses mainly on the impact that reunification had on his characters. Kaspar, a native West German, finds his rather naïve and idealistic notions about reunification are challenged by his late wife’s secret struggles and his interactions with his step-granddaughter, Sigrun, who has been indoctrinated with Nazi ideology, which includes an outrageous rewriting of German history. It’s mostly fascinating stuff and makes for perfect book club fodder, with weighty themes that are both historical and contemporary. Obviously Schlink’s aim is to raise awareness of the origins of the rise of the right in Germany. He takes a measured approach, the neo-Nazi characters are not painted as one dimensional right-wing nutjobs, rather their point of view is explored with a degree of humanity, although ultimately their world view is rightly rendered incompatible with objective reality. At times there is a problem with pacing, after a slow first third, in which Kaspar reads a long section of his wife’s writing, therefore revealing their back-story, the rest of the novel is dotted with abrupt decisions and some improbable plot devices (huge loans taken out by a 70-year-old bookseller and a minor’s sudden access to an official means of escape). I don’t normally worry too much about realism in novels, but within a novel of serious themes such oversights stood out, although it is still a minor quibble. Ultimately The Granddaughter is an important novel for our times; and, as previously mentioned, a perfect novel for book club discussion, recommended for all those book clubs out there embarking on their endless search for a decent read.

The Last Painting of Sara De Vos - Dominic Smith (2016)

It has been so long since I finished reading The Last Painting of Sara De Vos that I wondered whether I could give it an adequate review, however it is such a fine novel that I thought I must write about it, even if it’s in a limited way. The Last Painting of Sara De Vos was the final novel read for the library’s book club for 2016 and despite some tough competition it was voted by members as the best book of the year. The novel is certainly a deserving winner, featuring a compelling narrative rich in period detail, with convincing and nuanced characters. Dominic Smith is an Australian writer who has lived for many years in Texas, which is perhaps why he is not that well known in Australia, however I’m sure that this novel will reward him with much more exposure in his native country.

The Last Painting of Sara De Vos has three narrative strands, one set in 1950’s New York in which wealthy lawyer, Marty de Groot, eventually discovers that a beautiful painting by obscure Dutch Golden Age artist Sara de Vos, owned by his family for 300 years, has been swapped for a fake. Both de Groot and the painter of the fake, a young Australian called Ellie Shipley, feature in the sections set during the year 2000 in Sydney, Australia. The third narrative strand is set in seventeenth century Holland and features the artist Sara de Vos, the only female painter admitted to the prestigious Guild of St Luke’s at the time (de Vos is an imagined painter based on Judith Leyster, one of only 25 female painters accepted into the guild over all). Male artists dominated landscape painting during that era, so there is a mystery surrounding both how the de Vos painting came to be and the details of her life. Smith weaves these narrative strands together beautifully; there is never a moment of incongruity and he evokes each period setting with great authenticity, in particular 1950’s New York and 1630’s Holland.

Perhaps the main strength of The Last Painting of Sara De Vos is its great thematic depth, exploring notions of personal identity, the significance of cultural circumstance and the sometimes tragic vicissitudes of life. Both de Vos and Shipley struggle to make headway in male dominated professions and take risks that transform their lives in both negative and positive ways. Notions of authenticity and forgery are given an extra dimension when de Groot, in his efforts to locate his stolen painting, creates an alter-ego; creating a fake self to fool Shipley and in doing so ironically presents a real life counterpoint to her own artistic forgery. In one of the novel’s dry comic turns a party at the de Groots residence features a bunch of ‘Beats for hire’ to liven up proceedings and perhaps provide a distraction for swapping over the paintings. The novel is full of such multilayered detail and nothing is wasted, in particular Smith’s portrayal of the art world, with its odd characters, obscure rivalries and the arcane intensity of artistic technique, a subject Smith researched thoroughly.

The Last Painting of Sara De Vos is an almost seamless novel in terms of plot and execution, but perhaps its greatest strength is its characters. The parallels drawn between Sara de Vos and Ellie Shipley, intentional or otherwise, give both characters added dimensions. Marty de Groot plays a fine supporting role, developing from an entitled and vengeful man into a compassionate and forgiving old man. There are also numerous minor characters that shine in their own way, in particular the idiosyncratic private detective de Groot hires when the police fail him. I’m sure that Smith worked long and hard at piecing together such a well crafted novel, but it doesn’t show at all; in fact he has pulled off that relatively rare feat, he has written a novel that is both complex and subtle, yet is also welcoming and rewarding for the reader, just the perfect read for book clubs really.

Book Club Decade

This month is the ten year anniversary of the book club at Subiaco Public Library. When the book club was first started there was an immediate response from the public and we had seventeen people at the first session. Ten years later people from that first session are still coming along every sixth week to talk about our latest book and literature in general. Many other members are still coming along after seven or eight years. As facilitator this is of course very pleasing, but it also indicates that for a certain kind of person belonging to a book club is a very rewarding experience.

What is it about book clubs that is so appealing? The principle benefit of joining a book club is that it forces you out of your reading comfort zone. If you are willing to be dedicated and make the effort to read every book, rather than taking the easy way out and merely reading those with immediate appeal, then the benefits are manifold. A disciplined attitude towards reading assists getting through difficult or challenging narratives that might otherwise be abandoned. Reading with a purpose also means reading with a different perspective. You will learn a great deal and also the ability to critically assess texts is gradually developed; a skill that enables a deeper and more rewarding reading experience.

Facilitating the book club for ten years has meant that I’ve read about ninety books that I know I never would have considered reading otherwise. Some I wished I hadn’t read, but most have been of value and a certain amount have been brilliant. At the moment I’m reading Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook  (1962) and I have to say that it is proving to be a difficult experience. It took me two hundred pages to finally become immersed in the book and I know that once I finish it I’ll be relieved, however I’m also being exposed to a particular world view and a writing style that I otherwise would have not experienced.

If you’ve ever considered joining a book club, or starting one of your own, then don’t hesitate. If you are willing to be dedicated and select mostly challenging literature then it will enrich your life enormously. Also if you are a single middle aged or older man looking to meet someone then join a book club. Book clubs seem to be the domain of middle aged and older women. With only about five percent of members over the ten years having been male, it’s an indication that it is a potential dating trend that for now remains mostly untapped.