When new technology causes him to lose his job at a newspaper’s archive, the unnamed narrator of this novel by the prolific Stamm (
It’s Getting Dark: Stories) takes home folders of clippings that interest him. After reading through them again, he realizes how interdependent one person, or event, is on related topics; any structural change can lead to unpredictable consequences. The narrator reconnects with his childhood sweetheart, Franziska, who has become a popular singer and occupies several folders in the narrator’s own archival collection; during the decades they were apart, he realized that she was his true love. By novel’s end, the narrator discards his entire personal archive and tells Franziska that he is ready to change his life and spend the remainder of it with her.
VERDICT Heartfelt and honest, this poetic and impeccably written short novel takes readers on a deeply thoughtful, realistic psychological journey, admirably translated by Hofmann. Stamm is a writer who deserves a wide audience.
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