Our narrator is held in complete darkness and isolation. His endless thoughts are turned into the book we are reading-Schattenfroh—directed by none other than the narrator's mysterious jailer by the same name.
Comes with plenty of what even an advanced and adventurous reader might consider obstacles. It’s 1,000 pages long. It’s translated from its original German, brilliantly, by Max Lawton. Its title is a complex pun that can’t be translated accurately ... But Schattenfroh is not nearly as head-spinning or brow-furrowing as it all implies. Somehow, Lentz (via Lawton’s translation) renders this impossible-sounding project legible and organized ... I implore you: If you’ve lately felt too occupied with social media, if you’ve worried over the products of AI, or if you just want to deepen the mysteries of existence with an open and patient mind — pick up Schattenfroh and dedicate some time and effort to it. It couldn’t be any further from our current typical modes, but it functions as a refreshing immersion rather than escapism.
Monumental ... A novel of titanic ambition, Schattenfroh draws on the esoteric, overlooked corners of human history to trace the thoughts of one man wrestling with existence.
Arcane and delirious ... The teeming narrative compiles Boschean visions of damnation, Nobody’s family history, biblical apocrypha, folk tales, and much more, including an extended description of printing technologies both real and imagined. Along the way, Lentz takes readers on a deep exploration of the relationship between art, language, suffering, and redemption. For those willing to go the distance, this monumental and taxing work offers rich rewards.
