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Hans Fallada survived Nazi Germany, wrote a novel based on the story of Otto and Elise Hampel in 24 days, and then died before its publication. If that wasn‘t tragic enough, his depiction of the grinding away of morality, loyalty, and self-respect to leave a society immersed in fear and loathing is exceptional.

Reviews had me prepared to dislike this #wpf25 title but instead I flirted with loving it. I couldn‘t fully commit because there was so much about her unhealthy relationship with Marlowe which didn‘t add much, just another story of an older male misusing a damaged girl. Nila‘s other relationships and what she hides from herself and others as she struggles with her identity are what made this book special. So many lines made me pause and reread.

On the way home from ballet rehearsal on Sunday I visited 2 different Little Free Libraries. These were my spoils. 5.5 hours of ballet done this weekend ✅. I‘m a bit sore as I had a bit of a rest in the school holidays just gone.

I admire the writing and the akill of this novel. I see why it has made the short list for #womensprize, but it was not a novel for me.

Set in post-reunification Germany, Nila‘s Afghan parents & Nila struggle to find their cultural place in Berlin. Nila is coming of age in techno clubs and a drug-fuelled lifestyle of self-loathing & an obsession with her older American boyfriend. Her struggle to find her place & the cultural expectation that she be a good girl were all excellent. The messy narrative surrounding Nila & Marlowe less so. Overall this is an intriguing, absorbing read

I am beyond frustrated by this book. It has such rich material—fish out of water, racism, stranger in your own land—and it‘s just kind of a mess. Plus, there‘s an explosive event near the end that was so gripping, I really wish the book had been set around it, but instead it‘s squandered. What is this doing on the #WP25 short (or long) list?

This is a soft pick. It is incredibly well written, in parts it was over my head with cultural & historical references, sometimes fascinatingly so & sometimes it began to feel too much & meaningless. It did some truly interesting things with form in the second half of the book - with repetition & alternating pov between paragraphs - giving you real time variances between the two protagonists. But the relationship! I felt so disturbed ⬇️

Read because of the #womensprizeforfiction shortlist, but this one was really not for me. Strong, evocative writing but utter aimless characters and plot.

Halfway through this serious overview of nazism & terrified by the parallels that can be drawn between today & the 30s. On AH's bday, let's remember that he was a good public speaker, but a lazy, incompetent statesman w/ a short attention span who relied on a handful of high-ups + everyday Germans as part of an organic whole. They figured out what needed doing to reach the goals he had set out, then carried it out independently & zealously.