MixedThe Guardian (UK)Schlink knows how to tell a gripping yarn, and this novel certainly succeeds at the level of narrative. The events portrayed are satisfyingly surprising and he convincingly illuminates the turbulent history of his country, plus the way a tiny minority cling to the ideas of national socialism. He is also admirably willing to leave questions unresolved, characters unhealed ... Regrettably, in The Granddaughter an excess of plot submerges place and character. The dialogue is sometimes contrived, the language less than fresh. Key scenes feel rushed and underdeveloped. The character of Sigrun is intriguing but not always credible.
RaveThe Observer (UK)Michaels works in short, dazzling snapshot scenes, collage-like and even hallucinatory. Each paragraph is as carefully shaped as a poetic stanza ... While the fluid structure of this work may be challenging for some readers, it’s clear that Michaels’s writing continues to stand head and shoulders above most other fiction.
Samantha Harvey
RaveThe Sunday Times (UK)The strength of this book lies in Harvey’s stunning and rhythmic descriptions of this constantly unravelling world ... Her book may lack traditional plot, but the beauty of the prose engages the reader fully and, overall, this is an uplifting book.
Tan Twan Eng
RaveTimes Literary Supplement (UK)What elevates Eng’s book is the sheer beauty of his writing – restrained, elegant, precise, every detail accurate, every line considered. Pain, loss and disappointment seep from every page, as do beauty and compassion ... Elegant.
Daniel Mason
RaveThe Guardian (UK)Innovative ... Moving ... This is a brave and original book, which invents its own form. It is both intimate and epic, playful and serious. To read it is to travel to the limits of what the novel can do.
Annette Hess, Trans. by Elisabeth Lauffer
MixedThe Times Literary Supplement[The] central narrative is rich in dramatic potential and the pace of Hess’s storytelling never slackens. The Hamburg of the era is vividly portrayed, as are the prejudices and sensibilities of its inhabitants. Hess juxtaposes the horror of the trial and the everyday details of Eva’s life skilfully, employing a large cast of characters and an intricate web of subplots to illuminate different aspects of Germany’s legacy of shame and guilt. The author’s greatest challenge is to enter the mind of a person living in a state of denial. Often Hess navigates this difficult territory successfully, but sometimes she underestimates the reader ... Too often the quality of the writing struggles to bear the weight of the subject matter. A simpler plot, and a slower pace, might have allowed the central psychological drama of the story to shine more brightly. The translation by Elisabeth Lauffer is also sometimes awkward ... To her credit, Hess avoids neat and comforting resolutions. By leaving many questions unanswered, she acknowledges that neither forgiveness nor redemption may be possible.
