Mary | 
pickNabokov‘s first novel from 1926 is short, a little slow to start, a little heavy handed on a lost Russia but also a quite beautiful look at memory. Ganin, young, broke, living in Berlin with other broken Russian exiles, gets caught up thinking back to a teenage affair started on his property in Russia, conflating the memory of the woman and the place.
Nabokov is one of my 2020 themes. This was a nice start.
“He was so absorbed with his memories that he was unaware of time. His shadow lodged in Frau Dorn‘s pension [in Berlin], while he himself was in Russia, reliving his memories as though they were reality. Time for him had become the progress of recollection, which unfolded gradually.”
That‘s maybe a first English edition (1970) “borrowed” from my in-laws.
Nabokov‘s first novel, from 1926, but only translated in 1970. He defends it a little weakly, saying, “I feel no embarrassment in confessing to a sentimental stab of attachment to my first book.”
After a few false starts, started reading today. Nabokov is one of my 2020 themes.
I'm a day late, but I have to confess to throwing this across the room. ALL that build-up to that ending. Bah!! #photoadaynov16 #threwitacrosstheroom
