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Revision as of 16:52, 29 August 2020
, 16:52, 29 August 2020no edit summary
And early on in the novel I was struck by Brophy's eloquent style. Michael, the main character, is telling his own story in his own words which gives the narrative a certain immediacy and also poignancy. I could tell that his various discoveries would be painful. He also has a fair few demons of his own to deal with, if he chooses.
But he has more pressing problems. His mother is seriously ill (at the start of the book) and Michael, now at a loose end, decides to be her carer. He's no saint though as he's doing it for largely selfish reasons. He'll have a roof over his head and something to while away the hours. Mother and son had a strained relationship when Michael was growing up. He describes their currentl current living quarters and it's pretty basic. He also acknowledges that, under the old regime, he'd probably still have his teaching job.
And a suitably enigmatic character called Pastor Bruck holds the key to Michael's past, to his father possibly. Whenever he dared to bring up the subject with his mother, she'd clam up and refuse to tell him anything. But now he has a name. It's something. We find out that his search takes him right back to the time of his birth, to 1960s London and to Berlin in the same decade. And the story which unfolds is complex, murky and full of danger.
Brophy tells a fine story. I didn't expect to enjoy the book as much as I did. I've read a handful of fiction books - all about Germany/east/west/the wall etc and this is the best by a mile. It's a terrific story and the characters are credible. Michael is a likable likeable character so I cared about him. The other characters are also interesting and come alive on the page.
If you enjoy a good story with depth and intrigue, I don't think this book will disappoint. I loved it. Thoroughly recommended.
If you enjoyed this then yo you might like to try [[Day by A L Kennedy]].
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