A review by alisonburnis
The Land of Green Plums by Herta Müller
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Dark and spare, The Land of Green Plums is harsh and unflinching in its portrayal of life in Romania under Ceausescu. The unnamed narrator, after spending four years in university, is sent to work in a factory by the state. While somewhat cushioned in university (comparatively), once working and separated from her friends, she is caught up in attention from the state even as her crimes are non-existent.
Müller’s style is short, using very quick breaks in the text to capture a scene or a thought. The narrator is skeptical and damaged by the world and her heritage, and she observes the absurdity of communist Romania with cold detachment. This was a very thoughtful book - honestly, it did remind me of the way a professor I had described her own life as a young woman in communist Romania - sent to work in a shoe factory by the state, after university, and the harassment by the state, overt and also covert.
Müller’s style is short, using very quick breaks in the text to capture a scene or a thought. The narrator is skeptical and damaged by the world and her heritage, and she observes the absurdity of communist Romania with cold detachment. This was a very thoughtful book - honestly, it did remind me of the way a professor I had described her own life as a young woman in communist Romania - sent to work in a shoe factory by the state, after university, and the harassment by the state, overt and also covert.