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A review by fie07
Child of All Nations by Irmgard Keun
4.0
Another great exile read. Another great story dealing with the consequences of nazism. This one was particularly interesting because it looks at a divided Europe through the eyes of a 9 year old girl. A girl who in some ways is wise beyond her years & understand much more about the world than her peers. But also a girl that is still naive, still innocent. Therefore a lot of the reasons why stuff happen is incomprehensible to her. In some ways the narrator of this book reminded me of the one from Tove Janssons ‘Sommerbogen’ which I also loved.
I must agree with Michael Hofmann in his afterword to this novel: The ending was not satisfying, it felt more like a new chapter we never get to explore than a finished chapter for a finished book. But there might be a point in leaving the story open - because Keun herself (and all of Europe) hadn’t had an ending & solution yet.
I must agree with Michael Hofmann in his afterword to this novel: The ending was not satisfying, it felt more like a new chapter we never get to explore than a finished chapter for a finished book. But there might be a point in leaving the story open - because Keun herself (and all of Europe) hadn’t had an ending & solution yet.