A review by noide127
Dance by the Canal by Kerstin Hensel, Jen Calleja

2.0

The prose is very interesting, however, I couldn't connect with Gabriela, which is a shame, since she is the main character and narrator of the story. Hensel manages to include in very subtle manners references and critiques to both East and West Germany, the treatment of homeless people, classism, and gender roles. However, Gabriela doesn't feel like a person (or a well-rounded character), she feels more like a tool that Hensel uses to convey all of these messages, which made it hard for me to actually care for her and feel for her throughout the book (with some exceptions), and which resulted in the compelling part of the book all the social denounce.