Cinematic and confessional ... Daphne’s narration is riddled with omissions and reversals that intensify the mystery of the broken window ... The sensuality of Setton’s prose and the electric atmosphere of suspense that envelops Daphne’s Berlin undermine the novel’s important critique, however ... Setton risks casting these issues as costs of freedom for women living and traveling alone, rather than illuminating the ways in which they limit the scope of said freedom ... Daphne hungers for human connection even as she physically deteriorates. A look inside her mind reveals the force of danger thinly veiled behind the romantic glow of youth.
Highly entertaining ... In the course of this witty and unsettling romp, Setton locates the humor and pathos in personal crisis while nimbly sidestepping the perils of the coming-of-age travelogue ... It’s true that Berlin probably couldn’t sustain much more action than it has; the promise and suspense in the writing aren’t quite rewarded by incident or revelation. But it scarcely matters: It’s written in funny, punchy vignettes perfect for consumption between U-Bahn stops, and a few hours in the presence of Daphne Ferber pay generous spiritual dividends.
Setton is good at conveying the anxiety of millennials confronted with endless possibilities. She writes perceptively about the destabilising effects of vulnerability and loneliness in an unfamiliar environment. There’s also plenty of humour in Daphne’s overthinking and her cynical approach to dating ... Things take a darker turn when she becomes convinced she is being stalked by a rejected boyfriend. Daphne’s not a particularly sympathetic character, but we begin to care about her when we realise just how off-kilter her life has become. Setton builds her growing paranoia and sense of dread to terrific effect in this unsettling, compelling read.
Enjoyable and astute ... There is something enduringly attractive in the youngster abroad setup: we witness a world of heightened perception, stoked by the romance of life in a new, exotic location, burnished by youth’s glamour, the proximity to sex and various picturesque troubles. Daphne initially seems to conform to type ... Flirts with the psychosexual claustrophobia of an early Roman Polanski film, but its wry tone and fidelity to the comedy of manners motif mean it never quite goes full Repulsion.
This tension gets pushed further by some light psychological suspense elements and Setton’s anxious, stream-of-consciousness style, which turns everyday life into a landmine. Berlin is well suited for those looking for a darker take on the aimlessness of young adulthood.
A moving and rollicking tale ... Her charming narration gradually becomes more obviously unreliable ... Well-plotted while still capturing the meandering feeling of Daphne’s unbound life, and with deliciously handled foreshadowing, Setton’s sharp novel of stunted plans is compulsively readable and ultimately devastating. This isn’t one to miss.
Dark and twisty ... While most of the book eschews thriller genre conventions, replacing usual plot beats with rumination and drifting (and the occasional footnote), the novel never lags. Daphne’s youthful despair and loneliness are horror stories in and of themselves—ones from which it is hard to look away, especially when coupled with the evocative German setting. Raw thriller meets darkly funny coming-of-age for an enjoyable, unsettling debut.
