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A review by mirandatamsin
Herkunft by Saša Stanišić
3.0
This is an imaginative piece of autofiction that ultimately failed to resonate with me.
Interrogation of origin, of individual multiplicity, and of memory are three key themes in “Herkunft” - all of which began to feel increasingly drawn out and overwritten over the course of this book. “Herkunft” could have packed a lot more punch had it been 150 pages shorter.
Whilst I was quite taken with the surprising style and inventive/indulgent approach to storytelling (especially the “Choose your own Adventure” at the novel’s end), I ended up viewing these quirks as essentially just a welcome distraction from the general slog of the book. Even though the book’s characters are based on real people, I found their stories very monotonous, consistently falling flat. I felt that the characters lacked in internal worlds, depth and personal plot, which made them honestly quite difficult to read about. On the other hand, the several moments of complicated emotion that played out in real-time - for example, when Saša is embarrassed about his family’s BBQ at the park - I found touching and far more poignant.
Overall, I think “Herkunft” falls into the trap that autofiction and memoir often does, in that most of the main characters seem to be mostly immune to criticism or negative traits- either because they are based on real people who might be offended, or because they are based on deceased relatives who are in some way sacrosanct. This characterisation issue seems a real shame, because there are moments of “Herkunft” which spark with incredible stylistic and formative potential. I would still read other books by this author - just preferably books that aren't based on his own life.
Interrogation of origin, of individual multiplicity, and of memory are three key themes in “Herkunft” - all of which began to feel increasingly drawn out and overwritten over the course of this book. “Herkunft” could have packed a lot more punch had it been 150 pages shorter.
Whilst I was quite taken with the surprising style and inventive/indulgent approach to storytelling (especially the “Choose your own Adventure” at the novel’s end), I ended up viewing these quirks as essentially just a welcome distraction from the general slog of the book. Even though the book’s characters are based on real people, I found their stories very monotonous, consistently falling flat. I felt that the characters lacked in internal worlds, depth and personal plot, which made them honestly quite difficult to read about. On the other hand, the several moments of complicated emotion that played out in real-time - for example, when Saša is embarrassed about his family’s BBQ at the park - I found touching and far more poignant.
Overall, I think “Herkunft” falls into the trap that autofiction and memoir often does, in that most of the main characters seem to be mostly immune to criticism or negative traits- either because they are based on real people who might be offended, or because they are based on deceased relatives who are in some way sacrosanct. This characterisation issue seems a real shame, because there are moments of “Herkunft” which spark with incredible stylistic and formative potential. I would still read other books by this author - just preferably books that aren't based on his own life.