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The Valley of Unknowing
“Remarkable…Superbly anchored in place and time…[A] brilliant, evocative and accurate novel.” —The Times (London)
In the twilight years of Communist East Germany, Bruno Krug, author of a single world-famous novel written twenty years earlier, falls for Theresa Aden, a music student from the West. But Theresa has also caught the eye of a cocky young scriptwriter who delights in satirizing Krug’s work.
Asked to appraise a mysterious manuscript, Bruno is disturbed to find that the author is none other than his rival. Disconcertingly, the book is good—very good. But there is hope for the older man: the unwelcome masterpiece is dangerously political. Krug decides that if his affair with Theresa is to prove more than a fling, he must employ a small deception. But in the Workers’ and Peasants’ State, knowing the deceiver from the deceived, the betrayer from the betrayed, isn’t just difficult: it can be a matter of life and death.
This subtle, brilliantly plotted story will remind many readers of von Donnersmarck’s Oscar-winning film The Lives of Others.
In the twilight years of Communist East Germany, Bruno Krug, author of a single world-famous novel written twenty years earlier, falls for Theresa Aden, a music student from the West. But Theresa has also caught the eye of a cocky young scriptwriter who delights in satirizing Krug’s work.
Asked to appraise a mysterious manuscript, Bruno is disturbed to find that the author is none other than his rival. Disconcertingly, the book is good—very good. But there is hope for the older man: the unwelcome masterpiece is dangerously political. Krug decides that if his affair with Theresa is to prove more than a fling, he must employ a small deception. But in the Workers’ and Peasants’ State, knowing the deceiver from the deceived, the betrayer from the betrayed, isn’t just difficult: it can be a matter of life and death.
This subtle, brilliantly plotted story will remind many readers of von Donnersmarck’s Oscar-winning film The Lives of Others.
298 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2012
13 people are currently reading
2648 people want to read
About the author
Philip Sington
3 books40 followersaka Patrick Lynch (with Gary Humphreys)
Philip Sington is an English novelist and playwright. He was born in Cambridge, UK.
He read history at Trinity College, Cambridge. Together with mystery writer Gary Humphreys he co-authored six thrillers under the joint pseudonym of Patrick Lynch, selling over 1 million copies worldwide. The third, 'Carriers', was adapted for the screen in 1998. They also collaborated on the stage play 'Lip Service', which premiered at the Finborough Theatre, London in 2000. His first solo novel, 'Zoia's Gold', was published in 2005. His second, 'The Einstein Girl' was published in 2009. This was followed in 2012 by 'The Valley of Unknowing'. His work has been translated into 21 foreign languages. He lives in London with his German wife and their two children.
Philip Sington is an English novelist and playwright. He was born in Cambridge, UK.
He read history at Trinity College, Cambridge. Together with mystery writer Gary Humphreys he co-authored six thrillers under the joint pseudonym of Patrick Lynch, selling over 1 million copies worldwide. The third, 'Carriers', was adapted for the screen in 1998. They also collaborated on the stage play 'Lip Service', which premiered at the Finborough Theatre, London in 2000. His first solo novel, 'Zoia's Gold', was published in 2005. His second, 'The Einstein Girl' was published in 2009. This was followed in 2012 by 'The Valley of Unknowing'. His work has been translated into 21 foreign languages. He lives in London with his German wife and their two children.
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May 5, 2021
Hoist with his own petard
This is a novel about books and authors. Fictional authors and books. Authors living and writing in the GDR. The underlying themes of this novel are abandonment, jealousy, guilt, betrayal, as well as social issues in the totalitarian state.
Enter narrator and plumber Bruno Krug, middle aged, who enjoyed moderate success with his novels based on which he was named ‘People’s Champion of Art and Culture’. (Originally the title had been ‘People’s Hero of Art and Culture’, but the last ‘hero’ had scarpered to the West.) Krug’s novel ‘The Orphans of Neustadt’ was left with an unresolved ending, open to several interpretations. Fans were hoping for another novel which would reveal what finally happened to the novel’s characters. Fact: Krug is suffering from a serious dose of writer’s block.
Enter Michael Schilling, publisher, with an unnamed, untitled manuscript for Krug to peruse and comment upon.
“‘What is the title?’
Schilling pulled up a chair beside me and sat down, still wearing the raincoat. ‘Originally? The Valley of Unknowing.’”
And this is where the proverbial plot thickens, but perhaps not in the way that you are imagining.
Enter Austrian violist Theresa Aden (complete with viola jokes), young, beautiful, and studying at the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music in the GDR.
Enter Wolfgang Richter, a bright young author.
Aha, now we have a love triangle between two authors from the GDR and a musician from the West. The plot thickens... What can go wrong? Can anything go right? Does the love triangle even exist? My lips are sealed.
#
Life in the GDR is realistically portrayed*, and the characterisation is very good. Krug is not a very likeable person. But Krug suffered abandonment as a child (no, I’m not telling...) and he always seems to think the worst of others. Some of these thoughts reflect a mirror image of himself, and there is a good deal of irony in the novel. At some stage he becomes aware of his shortcomings and tries to make amends; perhaps too little too late, perhaps not. Perhaps he has developed a conscience. Perhaps not.
There are lies within lies, unforeseen betrayals and several unexpected twists. After all, the State lies so why shouldn’t individuals? According to those in command unemployment, alcoholism and prostitution did not exist, yet...
The time frame is from before the fall of the Berlin Wall (1961-1989) or ‘the Anti-Fascist Protection Wall’, and it concludes after the fall.
#
“Would any writer who had laboured to produce a full-length novel really leave it untitled? Symphonies might have numbers, but novels, paintings and children have names. Without a name a book is incomplete and unrecognised. It has no place in the world.”
“‘Even if she is a spy, what’s she going to learn from me? The secrets of punctuation?’”
“After a while Theresa said, ‘I think you like living among all these ruins, Bruno Krug. I think in some strange way you need them.’”
“Perhaps this was rash, but like most men I preferred to keep the twin issues of female sexuality and female fertility as far apart as possible, with preferably a wall and a minefield in between them.”
“Despair is a dangerous state of mind. Anger is much safer. Anger is outward-looking.”
“I got into the habit of drinking a good deal during those two years. If I avoided clinical alcoholism, it was not because alcoholism did not officially exist in the Workers’ and Peasants’ State; it was thanks to my weakened stomach, which had the habit of becoming irritated when pickled.”
#
*The author is an Oxbridge graduate whose wife grew up in the GDR.
This is a novel about books and authors. Fictional authors and books. Authors living and writing in the GDR. The underlying themes of this novel are abandonment, jealousy, guilt, betrayal, as well as social issues in the totalitarian state.
Enter narrator and plumber Bruno Krug, middle aged, who enjoyed moderate success with his novels based on which he was named ‘People’s Champion of Art and Culture’. (Originally the title had been ‘People’s Hero of Art and Culture’, but the last ‘hero’ had scarpered to the West.) Krug’s novel ‘The Orphans of Neustadt’ was left with an unresolved ending, open to several interpretations. Fans were hoping for another novel which would reveal what finally happened to the novel’s characters. Fact: Krug is suffering from a serious dose of writer’s block.
Enter Michael Schilling, publisher, with an unnamed, untitled manuscript for Krug to peruse and comment upon.
“‘What is the title?’
Schilling pulled up a chair beside me and sat down, still wearing the raincoat. ‘Originally? The Valley of Unknowing.’”
And this is where the proverbial plot thickens, but perhaps not in the way that you are imagining.
Enter Austrian violist Theresa Aden (complete with viola jokes), young, beautiful, and studying at the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music in the GDR.
Enter Wolfgang Richter, a bright young author.
Aha, now we have a love triangle between two authors from the GDR and a musician from the West. The plot thickens... What can go wrong? Can anything go right? Does the love triangle even exist? My lips are sealed.
#
Life in the GDR is realistically portrayed*, and the characterisation is very good. Krug is not a very likeable person. But Krug suffered abandonment as a child (no, I’m not telling...) and he always seems to think the worst of others. Some of these thoughts reflect a mirror image of himself, and there is a good deal of irony in the novel. At some stage he becomes aware of his shortcomings and tries to make amends; perhaps too little too late, perhaps not. Perhaps he has developed a conscience. Perhaps not.
There are lies within lies, unforeseen betrayals and several unexpected twists. After all, the State lies so why shouldn’t individuals? According to those in command unemployment, alcoholism and prostitution did not exist, yet...
The time frame is from before the fall of the Berlin Wall (1961-1989) or ‘the Anti-Fascist Protection Wall’, and it concludes after the fall.
#
“Would any writer who had laboured to produce a full-length novel really leave it untitled? Symphonies might have numbers, but novels, paintings and children have names. Without a name a book is incomplete and unrecognised. It has no place in the world.”
“‘Even if she is a spy, what’s she going to learn from me? The secrets of punctuation?’”
“After a while Theresa said, ‘I think you like living among all these ruins, Bruno Krug. I think in some strange way you need them.’”
“Perhaps this was rash, but like most men I preferred to keep the twin issues of female sexuality and female fertility as far apart as possible, with preferably a wall and a minefield in between them.”
“Despair is a dangerous state of mind. Anger is much safer. Anger is outward-looking.”
“I got into the habit of drinking a good deal during those two years. If I avoided clinical alcoholism, it was not because alcoholism did not officially exist in the Workers’ and Peasants’ State; it was thanks to my weakened stomach, which had the habit of becoming irritated when pickled.”
#
*The author is an Oxbridge graduate whose wife grew up in the GDR.
January 4, 2014
Oh I loved this book so much!! A beautiful gentle but powerful read, I was swept along in its current and was mesmerised by the emerging story as it was played out in its paranoia and self-doubt of an older man struggling with a young love which reflects his receding fame and success in East Germany. Highly recommended.
January 1, 2013
This book was not only fascinating in its depiction of the German Democractic Republic two years before it fell, but also in the character of Bruno Krug, the writer at the centre of the story. Although Bruno's character is so flawed in many ways I never lost sympathy with him, I think because his flaws were so very human and primarily motivated by love. He does not come across as an evil man but simply a weak one and even though the prologue has already set the scene for a less than happy ending, the hope is there that he will find one.
Sington's writing is a joy to read, there were so many lines and paragraphs I reread and tried to remember for their wisdom and their beauty and in contrast to the dreary scenery he describes so well, there was a lot of comedy in the book. Bruno's quest for toothpaste in a socialist state, for example had me smiling and this happened often in the first half of the book. The theme of betrayal, however, runs throughout the book: by the state, by informers and by lovers and so ultimately this is a somber book yet I found it a poignant, often exciting and engaging read.
4.5 stars
Sington's writing is a joy to read, there were so many lines and paragraphs I reread and tried to remember for their wisdom and their beauty and in contrast to the dreary scenery he describes so well, there was a lot of comedy in the book. Bruno's quest for toothpaste in a socialist state, for example had me smiling and this happened often in the first half of the book. The theme of betrayal, however, runs throughout the book: by the state, by informers and by lovers and so ultimately this is a somber book yet I found it a poignant, often exciting and engaging read.
4.5 stars
December 6, 2012
Delightful mix of comedy, tragedy and suspense. Reminded me a bit of Milan Kundera (for the setting), Nabokov (for the humour) and Philip Roth (for the sexual/confessional candour). All I can say is, I had a great time and didn't want it to end.
June 12, 2014
A tale of literary thief, betrayal and loss mainly set in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
I found this book very powerful / moving / complex / gripping. The central character was deeply flawed but utterly believable in his calculated, but paranoid, view of the world. The storyline was not only full of twists and turns, but also contained all the humdrum elements that make up life.
I particularly enjoyed the central character’s (who was a writer) view of the creative process and waning of his artistic powers.
I found this book very powerful / moving / complex / gripping. The central character was deeply flawed but utterly believable in his calculated, but paranoid, view of the world. The storyline was not only full of twists and turns, but also contained all the humdrum elements that make up life.
I particularly enjoyed the central character’s (who was a writer) view of the creative process and waning of his artistic powers.
December 3, 2014
Well I didn't expect to cry at the very last page but I did.
There's humor and mystery and writerly advice and abandonment and informers -or not- and plumbing. I loved it.
To rehearse imaginary conversations on paper is called literature. To do so out loud is called madness.
"Even if she is a spy, what's she going to learn from me? The secrets of punctuation?"
Fictions unfold more naturally when accompanied by exercise. Blood flow invigorates the imagination, as well as the muscles.
Characters do not come alive by conforming to type.
Terror and shrugging were unlikely bedfellows.
Nobody else in my experience was capable of such unselfish devotion to the written word.
"It's been an exercise in literary preservation, necessarily disguised."
Not for the first time I had the sensation of living down to expectations.
... the descent into creative timidity
In that sense it was no different from many thousands of transactions taking place every day in the Workers' and Peasants' State, where the more weighty and significant a need, the more it touched upon the innermost desires and the deepest fears, the more likely it was to remain unspecified.
There's humor and mystery and writerly advice and abandonment and informers -or not- and plumbing. I loved it.
To rehearse imaginary conversations on paper is called literature. To do so out loud is called madness.
"Even if she is a spy, what's she going to learn from me? The secrets of punctuation?"
Fictions unfold more naturally when accompanied by exercise. Blood flow invigorates the imagination, as well as the muscles.
Characters do not come alive by conforming to type.
Terror and shrugging were unlikely bedfellows.
Nobody else in my experience was capable of such unselfish devotion to the written word.
"It's been an exercise in literary preservation, necessarily disguised."
Not for the first time I had the sensation of living down to expectations.
... the descent into creative timidity
In that sense it was no different from many thousands of transactions taking place every day in the Workers' and Peasants' State, where the more weighty and significant a need, the more it touched upon the innermost desires and the deepest fears, the more likely it was to remain unspecified.
February 12, 2013
The Valley of Unknowing is the sort of novel that once you’ve finished reading it you regret having to put it away in the bookshelf. Philip Sington has successfully combined a poignant love story with a seductive thriller.
At first, the story moves slowly, but gradually the tension rises and the plot becomes complex and the pace relentless. If one reads carefully, the clues to this thriller are salted throughout the book. Sington doesn’t miss a step. The story is a haunting one of a flawed man who missteps in a changing world and loses a dream, and the novel continues to surprise up until the last page.
At first, the story moves slowly, but gradually the tension rises and the plot becomes complex and the pace relentless. If one reads carefully, the clues to this thriller are salted throughout the book. Sington doesn’t miss a step. The story is a haunting one of a flawed man who missteps in a changing world and loses a dream, and the novel continues to surprise up until the last page.
April 26, 2013
An extraordinary book, part political thriller, part love story, it narrates the life of a popular East German author during the last years of the GDR. It is both a fascinating story and philosophical tale about life under dictature and creativity, the role of the artist in such a society, the compromises made in order to survive. A wonderful read.
August 31, 2012
‘Deceit was dangerous, but the truth was suicidal.’
Bruno Krug is a writer in East Germany. He is principally known for his novel entitled The Orphans of Neustadt, as well as for his Factory Gate Fables, which portray the country’s working masses. The Valley of Unknowing begins with a discovery by a young journalist in Ireland. Then we are taken into a manuscript produced by Krug, which is now in the hands of this journalist. In this work, Krug recalls the momentous events that shaped his final years in his homeland. He is given an anonymous manuscript to read by his editor Michael Schilling. As he reads it, he discovers that it is brilliant, but that it seems to almost be a sequel to his own very famous work. On discovering that the author is in fact Wolfgang Richter, a younger fellow author, he feels a multitude of emotions. Bruno meets a young musician, Theresa Eden, and an initial longing grows to become something more serious. The relationship will shape the rest of his life.
I love fiction based in Germany, and in particular I find it fascinating to read stories that are based in the former German Democratic Republic. For me, this novel felt authentic and it did not disappoint. The plot is intriguing. The world the author creates is believable. He convincingly brings to life the atmosphere of the state: the secrecy, the fear of being watched and spied upon, needing to take care in your actions. Also the determined people who would keep struggling to try and achieve things, despite shortages of funds or goods – witness Frau Wiegmann and her persistence in trying to get the swimming pool reopened; she ‘battled on like a true socialist heroine: exhorting her followers with visions of the promised land, banishing despair and crushing dissent with her indefatigable energy.’ Similarly, Bruno's persistant yet fruitless pursuit of some toothpaste. And transactions would take place that were never quite openly declared or expressed, just understood enough between those involved.
I enjoyed the comments on the craft of writing fiction that the author was able to express through Bruno’s voice, and further the thoughts on the nature of artistry and creativity under ‘Actually Existing Socialism’ as opposed to the Western world of which the view is that ‘cash was king and the customer was always right.’ Bruno observes ‘how could an artist remain true to his own vision – in effect honest – if he allowed his idea of beauty to be dictated by others? This indifference to Western opinion played well with my ideological overseers, who took it as indicative of loyalty. The truth is that I was afraid of what I might hear.’
One of my favourite passages from the novel involves Bruno’s thoughts which are provoked by Gruna Willy, a man reputed to have once been a border guard, now somewhat of a vagrant wondering the streets. Bruno ponders, ‘To rehearse imaginary conversations on paper is called literature. To do so out loud is called madness.’
Bruno is an interesting, flawed character, this writer and sometime plumber. I could imagine Bruno walking the streets of his town in the GDR, as he often did when his mind was troubled. I accompanied him as he went to the concerts in which Theresa played her viola. The evolving emotions that Bruno feels towards Theresa, and the way in which he gradually comes to a deeper understanding of Richter, is fascinating to read. As Bruno is writing his account in the first person, I really felt his conflicting feelings and his struggles over the best course of action, his fears and anxieties. What would happen, I wondered? The author successfully builds suspense in the storyline as the novel slowly progresses; in one sense I didn't find this a fast-paced read, yet I was always intrigued, always interested in what would happen next, and what fate was in store for Bruno and Theresa. I was enthralled to discover how the decisions Bruno makes would ultimately affect his life.
This is a compelling story of love, risk, writing, fear and betrayal, courage and deception. Philip Sington has drawn on the insights and memories of his wife and her family, who resided in the former GDR, to create a credible, distinctive novel. This author is new to me, but I will look to read his previous novel The Einstein Girl now.
4.5 stars
Bruno Krug is a writer in East Germany. He is principally known for his novel entitled The Orphans of Neustadt, as well as for his Factory Gate Fables, which portray the country’s working masses. The Valley of Unknowing begins with a discovery by a young journalist in Ireland. Then we are taken into a manuscript produced by Krug, which is now in the hands of this journalist. In this work, Krug recalls the momentous events that shaped his final years in his homeland. He is given an anonymous manuscript to read by his editor Michael Schilling. As he reads it, he discovers that it is brilliant, but that it seems to almost be a sequel to his own very famous work. On discovering that the author is in fact Wolfgang Richter, a younger fellow author, he feels a multitude of emotions. Bruno meets a young musician, Theresa Eden, and an initial longing grows to become something more serious. The relationship will shape the rest of his life.
I love fiction based in Germany, and in particular I find it fascinating to read stories that are based in the former German Democratic Republic. For me, this novel felt authentic and it did not disappoint. The plot is intriguing. The world the author creates is believable. He convincingly brings to life the atmosphere of the state: the secrecy, the fear of being watched and spied upon, needing to take care in your actions. Also the determined people who would keep struggling to try and achieve things, despite shortages of funds or goods – witness Frau Wiegmann and her persistence in trying to get the swimming pool reopened; she ‘battled on like a true socialist heroine: exhorting her followers with visions of the promised land, banishing despair and crushing dissent with her indefatigable energy.’ Similarly, Bruno's persistant yet fruitless pursuit of some toothpaste. And transactions would take place that were never quite openly declared or expressed, just understood enough between those involved.
I enjoyed the comments on the craft of writing fiction that the author was able to express through Bruno’s voice, and further the thoughts on the nature of artistry and creativity under ‘Actually Existing Socialism’ as opposed to the Western world of which the view is that ‘cash was king and the customer was always right.’ Bruno observes ‘how could an artist remain true to his own vision – in effect honest – if he allowed his idea of beauty to be dictated by others? This indifference to Western opinion played well with my ideological overseers, who took it as indicative of loyalty. The truth is that I was afraid of what I might hear.’
One of my favourite passages from the novel involves Bruno’s thoughts which are provoked by Gruna Willy, a man reputed to have once been a border guard, now somewhat of a vagrant wondering the streets. Bruno ponders, ‘To rehearse imaginary conversations on paper is called literature. To do so out loud is called madness.’
Bruno is an interesting, flawed character, this writer and sometime plumber. I could imagine Bruno walking the streets of his town in the GDR, as he often did when his mind was troubled. I accompanied him as he went to the concerts in which Theresa played her viola. The evolving emotions that Bruno feels towards Theresa, and the way in which he gradually comes to a deeper understanding of Richter, is fascinating to read. As Bruno is writing his account in the first person, I really felt his conflicting feelings and his struggles over the best course of action, his fears and anxieties. What would happen, I wondered? The author successfully builds suspense in the storyline as the novel slowly progresses; in one sense I didn't find this a fast-paced read, yet I was always intrigued, always interested in what would happen next, and what fate was in store for Bruno and Theresa. I was enthralled to discover how the decisions Bruno makes would ultimately affect his life.
This is a compelling story of love, risk, writing, fear and betrayal, courage and deception. Philip Sington has drawn on the insights and memories of his wife and her family, who resided in the former GDR, to create a credible, distinctive novel. This author is new to me, but I will look to read his previous novel The Einstein Girl now.
4.5 stars
May 12, 2020
This is the best book about life in East Germany that I've ever read. In fact, this is the best book set during the Cold War I've ever read (sorry John Le Carré fans). An absolute stunner.
June 21, 2022
A stunning book.
Some psychological thoughts on the Valley of Unknowing.
His mother walked away; so he could never trust the woman he loved.
He interpreted her actions through a lenses of distrust; her very action was distorted by his lack of trust. Because he was falsely representing himself as the author of the book, and he asked her to pose as the author of the book, he couldn’t feel that her love was real because he wasn’t dealing with her honestly.
Some psychological thoughts on the Valley of Unknowing.
His mother walked away; so he could never trust the woman he loved.
He interpreted her actions through a lenses of distrust; her very action was distorted by his lack of trust. Because he was falsely representing himself as the author of the book, and he asked her to pose as the author of the book, he couldn’t feel that her love was real because he wasn’t dealing with her honestly.
June 6, 2016
Touching and sad. Horrible and, at times, laced with humour. A devastating description of life under Actually Existing Socialism in the GDR and the impact of this brand of socialism distorting human relations, sapping creativity and giving birth to all-embracing paranoia and fear. A love story, a mystery and a historical x-ray. Highly recommended.
January 7, 2013
Full disclosure: I received this book as a giveaway. There was no promise of compensation for this review. This book is amazing. I read it in 2 days! The story takes place in Eastern Germany and it has intrigue mixed with a little love story. The character development is superb. I found myself rooting for Bruno Klug...flaws and all. The plot twists and turns with a few surprises, which keeps those pages turning. I recommend this book highly!
August 12, 2012
Really enjoyed this book. It's a gentle, subtle read - unsensational but compelling. I kept turning then pages to see how it was all going to turn out. The author uses language beautifully and the story has been informed by his wife's memories of actually living in the GDR before the Berlin Wall came down. Definitely worth reading.
December 17, 2012
Convincing portrait of the grim and stultifying atmosphere of Communist East Berlin. Some gorgeous writing and a compelling story.
January 13, 2014
Read a rave review of this book in 'The Times' and wasn't disappointed. 'The Valley of Unknowing' is a pretty flawless book. A literary novel, I suppose, but not as we know it: pacey, humorous, and free from self-conscious showing off. It's a personal story, told almost exclusively from one man's point-of-view. This limited perspective is actually vital to the action, which is shaped more by what the characters do not know about each other than by what they do (hence the title). This amounts to a critique/examination of what a watchful modern dictatorship can do to the psyche of its people; but also to an examination of what emotional insecurity can do to any of us, wherever we live. In spite of such themes, and the gritty setting, the book manages to be funny much of the time.
September 13, 2018
This was the best book of my summer vacation. This book is one of a kind. You will NOT be disappointed.
January 21, 2015
The quality of the descriptions about life in East Germany are really good. There is a superb section at the start of chapter 10 where the author describes the colours he associates with the east:
'I have only to close my eyes and there they are, the distinctive hues of Actually Existing Socialism: grey, brown, grey-brown, caramel brown, rust brown, brown ochre, burnt sienna, coffee beige. These were the colours of the apartment blocks and factories, offices and shops, of construction and decay and all points in between'
I liked the interplay between Bruno Krug, the central character through whose eyes most of the story is written, and Theresa provide the core theme. I also found the many other people who we meet through the book to be well formed characters. The sense of time and place really made this part of recent history come to life for me. I rate this book highly, it is well worth reading.
'I have only to close my eyes and there they are, the distinctive hues of Actually Existing Socialism: grey, brown, grey-brown, caramel brown, rust brown, brown ochre, burnt sienna, coffee beige. These were the colours of the apartment blocks and factories, offices and shops, of construction and decay and all points in between'
I liked the interplay between Bruno Krug, the central character through whose eyes most of the story is written, and Theresa provide the core theme. I also found the many other people who we meet through the book to be well formed characters. The sense of time and place really made this part of recent history come to life for me. I rate this book highly, it is well worth reading.
December 7, 2014
Another brilliant novel by Philip Sington. The very well-crafted story had so many interesting and unexpected twists and turns. It was a brilliant piece of story-craft and a plausible, yet not-easily-predictable, resolution.
A literary mystery set at the time of the collapse of East Germany. The differing experiences and values of the East and West perspectives color the perceptions and flaws of the main players. A very engaging read.
I only wish these books were easier to find here in the US and not quite so expensive.
A literary mystery set at the time of the collapse of East Germany. The differing experiences and values of the East and West perspectives color the perceptions and flaws of the main players. A very engaging read.
I only wish these books were easier to find here in the US and not quite so expensive.
January 22, 2013
What a pleasant surprise! Had no idea what to expect as I won this as a Goodreads pre-release book. It's a story of Bruno Krug, a writer living in East Germany, who falls in love with a young cellist from the West. Interesting just how far someone will go for the one they love.
February 1, 2013
A very interesting well written tale of love suspicion and a surptising look into life in East Germany before the wall came down. It is the best book I've read in quite a while.
January 27, 2017
Amazing book.
1. My favourite setting (post WWII)
2. Greta plot & engaging story
3. STIRS EMOTIONS.
Found the book by chance, and could not be happier.
1. My favourite setting (post WWII)
2. Greta plot & engaging story
3. STIRS EMOTIONS.
Found the book by chance, and could not be happier.
February 15, 2013
So far, very good read. Really enjoying this book. Good story and well written.
March 7, 2016
Bruno Krug is an East German renowned (but unproductive now) writer who falls in love with Theresa, a music student from West Germany. A young writer who Krug does not like appears to fancy her too, before he disappears. When Krug's agent has him evaluate a manuscript, well, things become tricky. In the end Krug sends the manuscript West with Theresa to have it published under a pseudonym. Years pass, East Germany falls, Stasi files surface, Theresa seeks Krug...who is now teaching creative writing in Ireland. That's the skinny.
The story is for the most part a first person account from Krug's perspective. The grim sense of life in East Germany emerges clearly as the cultural context. Sington, most impressively, gets inside Krug's head and explores his passions and insecurities with a deft hand. A powerful piece of writing with layers of tension worthy of exploration by other writers.
The story is for the most part a first person account from Krug's perspective. The grim sense of life in East Germany emerges clearly as the cultural context. Sington, most impressively, gets inside Krug's head and explores his passions and insecurities with a deft hand. A powerful piece of writing with layers of tension worthy of exploration by other writers.
Read
October 3, 2015Amazing book ..led to great discussions at bookclub
March 29, 2017
A really good read - a chilling, horrifying, fascinating look at life in East Germany. Terrific story!
The audiobook was excellent, however narrator needs to learn the pronunciation of "die" in German. Geez!
The audiobook was excellent, however narrator needs to learn the pronunciation of "die" in German. Geez!
August 24, 2022
Great story. Funny, compelling, sad. By the author of 'Two Storm Wood', writing under a different name. Very different from that historical thriller, but in its own way just as good or better. Would make a lovely little film if the right 'Bruno Krug' could be found.
September 12, 2018
A masterpiece.
All who've rated it as less than 5 stars are idiots really.
All who've rated it as less than 5 stars are idiots really.
December 19, 2024
I’m sure most prolific readers will have read versions of various parts of this story before - the older author stealing the work of a younger one, love across the divide, betrayal, mistrust, the absurdities of life under totalitarianism… but Sington manages to combine them in a way that feels unique and also, given the times, completely plausible. Its descriptions of life in communist East Germany are utterly believable (there’s a lovely little toothpaste sub ‘plot’) and it’s good to have a reminder of just how Kafkaesque the workings of the East German state were and the bizarre effects that that had on its population. There’s a lull in the middle of the book (which weirdly the narrator Bruno Krug does point out is a common problem in literature) but it picks up again and takes the reader in all sorts of directions bumping in to pride, hubris, pettiness, love, jealousy and probably anything else you can think of along the way. The style is that of a slightly pompous older man and a bit reminiscent of some of the ‘big books’ of American literature from the eighties and nineties but personally I found that, as well as the Cold War setting, rather enjoyably nostalgic. If you can put up with that, enjoy a bit of intrigue, but also want something quite literary, this would be a great choice I think.
March 3, 2015
This is not a wildly exciting page turner, but is gripping nevertheless. The story is set in East Germany, mostly before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bruno Krug wrote one very well known book, and is now a "People's Champion" with all the associated privileges. His publisher gives him the manuscript of a novel, which turns out to be by a younger rival, and to be very good and, reading between the lines, somewhat subversive. During this time, he meets and falls in love with an Austrian girl who is studying the viola in East Germany and Bruno is convinced that she really cares for the younger rival. The oppressive atmosphere of the East German state, the spying and the control exerted over the population, the shortages and difficulties of everyday life are wonderfully conveyed. Bruno is a complex, jealous and difficult character. Everyone seems to be lying to cover up one thing or another. Deception is a way of life. Intriguing.
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