Marzahn, Mon Amour
Author: Katja Oskamp, Translated by Jo Heinrich
Published by: Peirene
Pages: 141
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★★★
Published by: Peirene
Pages: 141
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★★★
A woman approaching the ‘invisible years’ of middle age abandons her failing writing career to retrain as a chiropodist in the East Berlin suburb of Marzahn, once the GDR’S largest prefabricated housing estate.
From her intimate vantage point at the foot of the clinic chair, she observes her clients and co-workers, listening to their stories with empathy and curiosity.
Part memoir, part collective history, Katja Oskamp’s love letter to the inhabitants of Marzahn is a tender reflection on life’s progression and our ability to forge connections in the unlikeliest of places. Each client’s story stands alone as a beautifully crafted vignette, but together they form a portrait of a community.
From her intimate vantage point at the foot of the clinic chair, she observes her clients and co-workers, listening to their stories with empathy and curiosity.
Part memoir, part collective history, Katja Oskamp’s love letter to the inhabitants of Marzahn is a tender reflection on life’s progression and our ability to forge connections in the unlikeliest of places. Each client’s story stands alone as a beautifully crafted vignette, but together they form a portrait of a community.
My thoughts:
In her mid-forties and following a major upheaval in her life, Oskamp decided to take a break from her career as a struggling writer and retrain as a chiropodist.
Here she not only details her work friendships with her boss and the manicurist but also her interactions with various customers. She enjoys her work and offers a caring service to her clients. Her true enjoyment of her work and the special care she gives their feet invite the clients to open up about their lives, their worries and wishes, which in turn allows her to make them the stars of her book. Katja Oskamp knows how to capture the essence of people beautifully. They really come to life in her portraits.
This short novel totally drew me into the lives of the people of Marzahn in East Berlin. Every one has a story to tell, with warmth, humour and nostalgia. I'm a big fan of this kind of book. It's largely the true life of the author and others, but wrapped up in a book of stories. The set of stories are skilfully drawn together to form a whole that is beautiful and life-affirming, showing the little joys that can exist in normal mundane human interactions. I also feel I have learned about life in the GDR and the impact of reunification. Small, but perfectly formed.
Marzahn, Mon Amour is a character study, a memoir, and just a magical, gentle, book about everyday life. Written elegantly and captivatingly, with real joy and humour. I loved it.
Overall reaction:
In her mid-forties and following a major upheaval in her life, Oskamp decided to take a break from her career as a struggling writer and retrain as a chiropodist.
Here she not only details her work friendships with her boss and the manicurist but also her interactions with various customers. She enjoys her work and offers a caring service to her clients. Her true enjoyment of her work and the special care she gives their feet invite the clients to open up about their lives, their worries and wishes, which in turn allows her to make them the stars of her book. Katja Oskamp knows how to capture the essence of people beautifully. They really come to life in her portraits.
This short novel totally drew me into the lives of the people of Marzahn in East Berlin. Every one has a story to tell, with warmth, humour and nostalgia. I'm a big fan of this kind of book. It's largely the true life of the author and others, but wrapped up in a book of stories. The set of stories are skilfully drawn together to form a whole that is beautiful and life-affirming, showing the little joys that can exist in normal mundane human interactions. I also feel I have learned about life in the GDR and the impact of reunification. Small, but perfectly formed.
Marzahn, Mon Amour is a character study, a memoir, and just a magical, gentle, book about everyday life. Written elegantly and captivatingly, with real joy and humour. I loved it.
Overall reaction:
