Reviews

Transit by Anna Seghers

Only show reviews with written explanations

naddie_reads's review against another edition

4.5

"Transit" by Anna Seghers shows the purgatory that is the life of refugees who are in transit from one place to another through the lens of a narrator who is himself stuck in a limbo of wanting something to live for (to leave) vs. wanting the comforts of his solitude which is all he has known (to stay).

On one hand, these refugees were admitted to one place where they all congregate to get all sorts of visas, where they will only be granted a grace period to stay so they can get all their visas in order. On the other hand, the process of getting such visas is often so tricky that most people would have to extend their transitory existence in a hell-like place where they're neither allowed to stay nor leave. The monotony and smug politics behind such bureaucracies that will grant the refugees either their exile or relief are brilliantly portrayed through the mundanities of the narrator's observations, which can sometimes be grating, thus portraying the real-life frustrations of having to deal with such things day after day without an end in sight. The narrator's understandable ennui only comes to an end almost by chance as he drifts from one scene to another, and one wonders by the end if it is better to coast through life with indecision littering your steps or if it's worth taking that risk to cross the seas and die for the cause of your dreams.

A bleak read at times, but also a relevant one for our current times when climate refugees and war refugees will keep on increasing due to world politics and the people who control it.

mishasw's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Another banger from the civilian ww2 era. Very similar in its vibe to Balcony in the Forest, All for Nothing, and I assume the Tartan Steppe. This genre is hard to read; pretty dark, especially the German lit from this era. The sense of loss and confusion is shocking. Hard to even conceptualize what living in these times was like. :(

andysoto's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

spadeano's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

foggy_rosamund's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Written in the 1940s, following Seghers' flight from Germany to Mexico, this novel is narrated by a nameless narrator in Marseilles, who is one of thousands of refugees desperately fleeing Europe. Essentially, this is a novel about the cruelty of bureaucracy: terrified people are frantically trying to obtain visas and travel permits from one country after another, and being refused mainly for technicalities. The novel shows the fear and hopelessness of being a refugee, and the inhumanity of government officials who will not help those who are fleeing for their lives. It feels brutally relevant to Europe today. While the style is stilted at times and the characterisations rather flat, I found the novel compelling and important.