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The Box

Tales from the Darkroom
by Günter Grass
The Box: Tales from the Darkroom. Houghton Harcourt. Nov. 2010. c.208p. tr. from German by Krishna Winston. ISBN 9780547245034. $23. F
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Originally written in 2008 and translated here into English for the first time, this work continues Grass's attempt to capture his autobiography in fiction. His first, Beim Häuten der Zwiebel (Peeling the Onion), describes his life before literary fame, from his preteen years to his thirties. Here, he is in his eighties, reconstructing his life through the memories of his eight children. The children use family photographs to foster memory and mediate the stories of their distant writer-father. The main character in this autobiography is, surprisingly, not Grass but the family photographer, Maria Rama. It is her camera, after which the novel is titled, that proved to be the surrogate constant in the lives of the children, endowed with seemingly magical qualities.
VERDICT Heralded by some critics as Grass's finest work, this piece of experimental literature will appeal to his fans while alienating readers unfamiliar with the famed author. As with the majority of Grass's novels, the simplicity of the prose makes for quick reading but leaves the reader with more questions than answers. Recommended for those interested in magical realism along the lines of Gabriel García Márquez and Jorge Luis Borges. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/10.]
Reviewed by Joshua Finnell, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH , Sep 01, 2010
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