Unser geteilter Sommer (Confession with Blue Horses in German, translated by Ulrike Sterblich; List / Ullstein Buchverlage 2022)
Languages are good for us (A book about languages and the people who love them; Non-fiction; Head of Zeus, 2021)
Confession with Blue Horses (Novel; Head of Zeus, 2019)
Shortlisted for the 2019 Costa Novel Award
Of Love and Other Wars (Novel; Simon&Schuster, 2013)
The Registrar's Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages (Novel; Simon&Schuster, 2011)
Of Love and Other Wars (Novel; Simon&Schuster, 2013)
The Registrar's Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages (Novel; Simon&Schuster, 2011)
I was going to write separately, but I thought the email I just sent to a Swiss friend covers it all.
ReplyDeleteGreat book. Just finished it. Here is the email
‘Confession with Blue Horses’
By Sophie Hardach.
I MUST recommend this book to you.
It’s a description (fiction, but based on what happened) of the East/West divide in the early 80’s, in Berlin, and its effect on families, some of whom escaped to the West, and some that could not. It describes thoughtfully how things were and the Stasi world, and imprisonment in the Stasi prison. (Sharon and I visited the prison and old Stasi HQ when we were in Berlin last time.)
The book flashes between 2010, where former East Germans are now living in London, and describes their efforts to get information from the Stasi files. That is exactly what Anne told me she was doing. And in the process, finding out who was betraying them. Their teachers? Neighbours? Or even family?
It’s a mind blowing read. Truly powerful.
Even I as a Brit can identify with a lot of this story.
For you of course, it will be much closer, and much more a part of your life. But you will find no surprises in this book. Even I didn’t. It’s just a beautiful description of the ugly history (and yet to some, of ‘safe’ history) of Eastern Germany. And so beautifully and sensitively written.
Throughout the whole story I am reminded of Anne, and her escape. And her previous life. And her parents, whom I’ve never met. Her escape was much earlier of course, but things were basically the same I think.
The book is so vivid. And as someone who was ‘guarding’ the border on the Western side as early as 1966, looking across with binoculars into the ‘empty’ strips and into the ghostly villages beyond them where people were not allowed to live, or had to have special clearances and permits to go, all this brings back many memories. And then too, later on for me, my trips into East Berlin before the wall came down. It all comes sharply into focus again.
It’s only a short novel. It won’t take long to read.
It’s actually the sort of book I imagine you could have written yourself. And might yet.
That was the email. But it describes perfectly this fantastic book I think.
Well done Sophie. Very very well done.
David Fisher
I was going to write straight to this blog, but then realised an email I just sent to a Swiss friend covered my thoughts nicely. Here it is:
ReplyDelete‘Confession with Blue Horses’
By Sophie Hardach.
I MUST recommend this book to you.
It’s a description (fiction, but based on what happened) of the East/West divide in the early 80’s, in Berlin, and its effect on families, some of whom escaped to the West, and some that could not. It describes thoughtfully how things were and the Stasi world, and imprisonment in the Stasi prison. (Sharon and I visited the prison and old Stasi HQ when we were in Berlin last time.)
The book flashes between 2010, where former East Germans are now living in London, and describes their efforts to get information from the Stasi files. That is exactly what Anne told me she was doing. And in the process, finding out who was betraying them. Their teachers? Neighbours? Or even family?
It’s a mind blowing read. Truly powerful.
Even I as a Brit can identify with a lot of this story.
For you of course, it will be much closer, and much more a part of your life. But you will find no surprises in this book. Even I didn’t. It’s just a beautiful description of the ugly history (and yet to some, ‘safe’ history) of Eastern Germany. And so beautifully and sensitively written.
Throughout the whole story I am reminded of Anne, and her escape. And her previous life. And her parents, whom I’ve never met. Her escape was much earlier of course, but things were basically the same I think.
The book is so vivid. And as someone who was ‘guarding’ the border on the Western side as early as 1966, looking across with binoculars into the ‘empty’ strips and into the ghostly villages beyond them where people were not allowed to live, or had to have special clearances and permits to go, all this brings back many memories. And then too, later on for me, my trips into East Berlin before the wall came down. It all comes sharply into focus again.
It’s only a short novel. It won’t take long to read.
It’s actually the sort of book I imagine you could have written yourself. And might yet.
So that's what I sent to my friend. It's a truly great novel Sophie. Thanks so much for writing it!
David Fisher