Gorgeously written, deeply melancholic vignettes told by the dead, all of them buried together in a poorly-tended cemetery. Each gets a turn to share Gorgeously written, deeply melancholic vignettes told by the dead, all of them buried together in a poorly-tended cemetery. Each gets a turn to share what they remember of their life story--what impressions they still remember, even after death. I loved the way these stories intersect. I loved the way some of the voices share memories of a single event told from different perspectives. I especially loved the vignettes that were more a series of vivid life impressions, rather than a story per se. Sometimes the memories of the dead consist of very small, and yet significant sense impression. The touch of a spouse. Seeing the boy who bullied you as a child many years later, while he is in the act of tenderly embracing a woman. The way each voice in turn describes their memories with nearly pointillistic detail, tiny moments that have stuck in the mind even after death, reminded me of the oral-history works of Walter Kempowski....more
Sweet, funny, and full of surprises. This young person's novel wandered in a charming way from one point of view to another. There's the child FriederSweet, funny, and full of surprises. This young person's novel wandered in a charming way from one point of view to another. There's the child Friederike, who is teased and scorned, not only by other children but by their parents as well, until she finds her special talents. There's a color-blind postman, and his wife, who care for one another in tender ways, frequently by refraining from saying the obvious to one another; through these characters the author sneaks a miniature portrait of a happy marriage into the pages of a children's book. There is Friederike's aunt, a woman who has given up on herself until she finds renewed courage through the example of her niece. There is a teacher who wants to do the right thing, then settles for the easy thing. There's a talking cat, of course. Much is left unexplained, and that was just right....more
Loading...
