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Living Underground
A woman's lover from her youth resurfaces in her adult life, and she is drawn into the turmoil surrounding disturbing accusations about his Nazi past. From pre WWI Dresden, Germany to contemporary urban Toronto, the dual point of view narrative crosses continents and moves through time as it explores the ambiguity of human emotion, how our natures can embody both the ideals and delights of love alongside the most base and dispassionate sensibilities.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2012
46 people want to read
About the author
Ruth E. Walker
2 books16 followersThe very first submission by Ruth E. Walker won "Canadian Living" magazine's short story contest in 1998. Since then, she's went on to even more success with poetry, short stories and creative non-fiction published in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.
Her first novel "Living Underground" was published by Seraphim Editions in September 2012 and went into second printing in January 2013. Author Rabindranath Maharaj ("The Amazing Absorbing Boy") called it "an impressive debut" and author Barbara Lambert ("The Whirling Girl") says "'Living Underground' is an astonishing book."
An earlier version of "Living Underground" was a semi-finalist in the Chapters/Robertson Davies ms competition.
Ruth is a partner in Writescape with writer Gwynn Scheltema, offering workshops and retreats for writers. She is also an active volunteer in the arts and culture community in Durham Region, just east of Toronto, Canada.
http://ruthewalker.ca/
http://writescape.ca/writescape/
Her first novel "Living Underground" was published by Seraphim Editions in September 2012 and went into second printing in January 2013. Author Rabindranath Maharaj ("The Amazing Absorbing Boy") called it "an impressive debut" and author Barbara Lambert ("The Whirling Girl") says "'Living Underground' is an astonishing book."
An earlier version of "Living Underground" was a semi-finalist in the Chapters/Robertson Davies ms competition.
Ruth is a partner in Writescape with writer Gwynn Scheltema, offering workshops and retreats for writers. She is also an active volunteer in the arts and culture community in Durham Region, just east of Toronto, Canada.
http://ruthewalker.ca/
http://writescape.ca/writescape/
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 18, 2012
This review is from my book review blog - TRY THIS BOOK ON FOR SIZE - http://trythisbookonforsize.blogspot....
This is a beautiful book. I can't remember the last time a story had such a powerful impact on my day-to-day life. No matter what I was doing throughout my day, I had Sheila and Sigmund on my mind. I felt so emotional for those two weeks, like I was always one step away from tears. I actually had to give myself some time before I could get my thoughts down on paper. Only a handful of times in a reader's life do they come into contact with a book that causes such a rift in their sense of reality. Living Underground is one of those books for me. It left me breathless at every turn.
Sheila Martin's childhood is anything but wondrous. When a new tenant moves into her mother's basement apartment, Sheila is given the maid duties of keeping the apartment clean. Little by little, a communication is created between the tenant, Sigmund Maier, and Sheila. It begins when Sheila loses herself in her radio station one day, while going through her cleaning duties. Soon Sigmund is leaving music out for Sheila to discover and Sheila feels herself opening up to a whole new world she didn't even know existed.
Ms. Walker creates such a vivid picture of this unlikely couple and how they become connected--first as mentor and student, and then as more. The reader will delight in the way Walker seamlessly sews beautiful music into the exquisite and tightly woven fabric of this wondrous story. Sheila's eye-opening to the world of opera and classical music and the finer things she would never have otherwise been exposed to is soul-lifting. The reader is lifted with her, and almost grateful for Sigmund's presence in her young life. And such a proper, well-put-together gentleman is Sigmund...the real key to making this story sing was Walker's ability to make the reader believe in Sigmund Maier and his essential goodness.
Living Underground spans decades. The reader is taken along to Sigmund's childhood in Dresden, Germany, where an even stronger connection to this character is made. We see inside the world in which he grew up--a despicable grandfather, a mother who bends to her father's will and later finds an admirable strength and independence. From there, the reader steps into the adult life of Sheila. She is a wonderful and powerful woman. She is in the midst of building a music store empire (a product of Sigmund's influence on her earlier life), but her personal life seems to be in a state of chaos. Then the reader is taken into the dark world of suspicion and doubt. Could the man who gave the young Sheila a thread of hope when she needed it most...could he possibly be the same man as the monster being accused of heinous war crimes in Nazi Germany?
From the moment you pick up Living Underground, you will be enthralled. It burrows into your heart with a powerful and uncontrollable velocity...and it stays there not just until you reach the end of the story, but long long after you have reluctantly put it down. A book like this comes along every once in a blue moon. I guarantee you, once you get to the end you will want to embrace it. It's that kind of book. In my opinion, Ruth E. Walker has a well-deserved masterpiece on her hands.
EXPECTATION: I could NOT have expected what would happen to me as I read this book. To give you an example--At one point, my wife walked into our family room to find me in pieces. She was a bit skeptical as to how a book could hit somebody so powerfully. I read about 20 pages out loud to her. When I was finished, I looked over at her...and found her in pieces. I'm not exaggerating when I say this story got inside me. Even knowing Walker's ability to write beautiful prose and poetry--even knowing her mastery of the language and the subtlety of her pen--I was not expecting this. You can't expect a book like this one. You can love it, once you find it...but you can't expect it. GET THIS BOOK!
This is a beautiful book. I can't remember the last time a story had such a powerful impact on my day-to-day life. No matter what I was doing throughout my day, I had Sheila and Sigmund on my mind. I felt so emotional for those two weeks, like I was always one step away from tears. I actually had to give myself some time before I could get my thoughts down on paper. Only a handful of times in a reader's life do they come into contact with a book that causes such a rift in their sense of reality. Living Underground is one of those books for me. It left me breathless at every turn.
Sheila Martin's childhood is anything but wondrous. When a new tenant moves into her mother's basement apartment, Sheila is given the maid duties of keeping the apartment clean. Little by little, a communication is created between the tenant, Sigmund Maier, and Sheila. It begins when Sheila loses herself in her radio station one day, while going through her cleaning duties. Soon Sigmund is leaving music out for Sheila to discover and Sheila feels herself opening up to a whole new world she didn't even know existed.
Ms. Walker creates such a vivid picture of this unlikely couple and how they become connected--first as mentor and student, and then as more. The reader will delight in the way Walker seamlessly sews beautiful music into the exquisite and tightly woven fabric of this wondrous story. Sheila's eye-opening to the world of opera and classical music and the finer things she would never have otherwise been exposed to is soul-lifting. The reader is lifted with her, and almost grateful for Sigmund's presence in her young life. And such a proper, well-put-together gentleman is Sigmund...the real key to making this story sing was Walker's ability to make the reader believe in Sigmund Maier and his essential goodness.
Living Underground spans decades. The reader is taken along to Sigmund's childhood in Dresden, Germany, where an even stronger connection to this character is made. We see inside the world in which he grew up--a despicable grandfather, a mother who bends to her father's will and later finds an admirable strength and independence. From there, the reader steps into the adult life of Sheila. She is a wonderful and powerful woman. She is in the midst of building a music store empire (a product of Sigmund's influence on her earlier life), but her personal life seems to be in a state of chaos. Then the reader is taken into the dark world of suspicion and doubt. Could the man who gave the young Sheila a thread of hope when she needed it most...could he possibly be the same man as the monster being accused of heinous war crimes in Nazi Germany?
From the moment you pick up Living Underground, you will be enthralled. It burrows into your heart with a powerful and uncontrollable velocity...and it stays there not just until you reach the end of the story, but long long after you have reluctantly put it down. A book like this comes along every once in a blue moon. I guarantee you, once you get to the end you will want to embrace it. It's that kind of book. In my opinion, Ruth E. Walker has a well-deserved masterpiece on her hands.
EXPECTATION: I could NOT have expected what would happen to me as I read this book. To give you an example--At one point, my wife walked into our family room to find me in pieces. She was a bit skeptical as to how a book could hit somebody so powerfully. I read about 20 pages out loud to her. When I was finished, I looked over at her...and found her in pieces. I'm not exaggerating when I say this story got inside me. Even knowing Walker's ability to write beautiful prose and poetry--even knowing her mastery of the language and the subtlety of her pen--I was not expecting this. You can't expect a book like this one. You can love it, once you find it...but you can't expect it. GET THIS BOOK!
December 31, 2012
The powerful messages that I got from this well crafted novel are that we are all flawed by our circumstances, that we will go to extremes to survive, and that we will continue to perpetuate our flaws unless they can be sublimated by the power of love and forgiveness.
Sheila is fifteen and Sigmund fifty-two when they meet in Scarborough in 1967, when he rents her family’s basement apartment. He seems to be a man with no past, meticulous in his habits; he interests the young girl in classical music, releasing a passion in her that she carries to great lengths in her adult years. Both have tyrannical caregivers in their formative years—Sheila’s harried mother and Sigmund’s prejudiced grandfather—they have absentee fathers, and both share a passion for music that lifts them out of their loveless worlds. Sheila falls madly in love with this older man who suddenly disappears when he receives a visitor bearing revelations about his past.
The second half of the book fast-forwards to the present, where Sheila is in a marriage of convenience, is the proprietor of a burgeoning music business, and has a rebellious teenage daughter herself. Sigmund contacts her out of the blue and wants her to attest to his character because he is being “investigated” as a suspected Nazi who worked the death camps.
The story moves at a relentless pace, hard to put down, and Sheila is forced to confront the fact that this kind and generous man she loves could have been a ruthless killer, if only to save his own life. Would we make the same decisions if our life would be spared only if it meant the taking of another’s? What makes this book stand out is that there are no perfect endings: both Sheila and Sigmund are scarred and they can only behave in ways in which they have been conditioned to behave, leaving a trail of troubled relationships and irrational behaviour behind them. The resolution of the novel leaves Sheila with great loss but with clarity of what she must continue to do in order to keep going, like Sigmund had to do after the war.
The writing is well done. Short sentences say a lot. Sheila’s runaway years are described as “Had her second abortion. Graduated. Hitch hiking: a little feel up here, a little deep-throat there,” etc. Each scene is imbued with conflict and tension - hallmarks of great fiction writing.
I wondered why the baby Jewish girl, a vital symbol in this novel, was taken into the gas chamber in her clothes, when Jews were routinely ordered to undress and step into the “showers” to meet their impending executions? I wondered why Sigmund kept running away from his Canadian heritage when he chose to immigrate to Canada? Perhaps, these inconsistencies add to the overall theme of incomplete and incomprehensible lives brought about by a major cataclysm.
As for the adult Sheila’s life, which, unlike Sigmund’s, was untouched by the Holocaust, I wondered whether the author was making a statement on the state of our 21st century families trapped in their materialistic prisons: loveless marriages, mistresses, lost teenage children, abortions, and an obsession with making money. Despite his troubled past, I wondered whether Sigmund’s greatest gift to Sheila was not the music after all but the message that “you can’t take it with you when you go, and that love and forgiveness are more soul-satisfying.”
A great debut novel from a writer who has plumbed the heart of the matter.
Sheila is fifteen and Sigmund fifty-two when they meet in Scarborough in 1967, when he rents her family’s basement apartment. He seems to be a man with no past, meticulous in his habits; he interests the young girl in classical music, releasing a passion in her that she carries to great lengths in her adult years. Both have tyrannical caregivers in their formative years—Sheila’s harried mother and Sigmund’s prejudiced grandfather—they have absentee fathers, and both share a passion for music that lifts them out of their loveless worlds. Sheila falls madly in love with this older man who suddenly disappears when he receives a visitor bearing revelations about his past.
The second half of the book fast-forwards to the present, where Sheila is in a marriage of convenience, is the proprietor of a burgeoning music business, and has a rebellious teenage daughter herself. Sigmund contacts her out of the blue and wants her to attest to his character because he is being “investigated” as a suspected Nazi who worked the death camps.
The story moves at a relentless pace, hard to put down, and Sheila is forced to confront the fact that this kind and generous man she loves could have been a ruthless killer, if only to save his own life. Would we make the same decisions if our life would be spared only if it meant the taking of another’s? What makes this book stand out is that there are no perfect endings: both Sheila and Sigmund are scarred and they can only behave in ways in which they have been conditioned to behave, leaving a trail of troubled relationships and irrational behaviour behind them. The resolution of the novel leaves Sheila with great loss but with clarity of what she must continue to do in order to keep going, like Sigmund had to do after the war.
The writing is well done. Short sentences say a lot. Sheila’s runaway years are described as “Had her second abortion. Graduated. Hitch hiking: a little feel up here, a little deep-throat there,” etc. Each scene is imbued with conflict and tension - hallmarks of great fiction writing.
I wondered why the baby Jewish girl, a vital symbol in this novel, was taken into the gas chamber in her clothes, when Jews were routinely ordered to undress and step into the “showers” to meet their impending executions? I wondered why Sigmund kept running away from his Canadian heritage when he chose to immigrate to Canada? Perhaps, these inconsistencies add to the overall theme of incomplete and incomprehensible lives brought about by a major cataclysm.
As for the adult Sheila’s life, which, unlike Sigmund’s, was untouched by the Holocaust, I wondered whether the author was making a statement on the state of our 21st century families trapped in their materialistic prisons: loveless marriages, mistresses, lost teenage children, abortions, and an obsession with making money. Despite his troubled past, I wondered whether Sigmund’s greatest gift to Sheila was not the music after all but the message that “you can’t take it with you when you go, and that love and forgiveness are more soul-satisfying.”
A great debut novel from a writer who has plumbed the heart of the matter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2017
Ruth Walker is one of the kindest, creative, and generous souls I have ever had the honour of meeting on this big blue marble. And her writing has the same effect on the emotions as sitting on a dock and watching the day pass on the surface of the water. It isn't until you're a few hours in that you realize just how much the story, the characters, the scenes, are getting into your skin. I just finished this and I'm angry. Not at the author or the story itself. I'm angry at the characters as if I knew them, as friends of friends, and I want to smack their heads together for some of the things that happened, that they got caught up in. Which means the author did her job, and did it really fucking well!! This is not an easy read, nor a light read, but if you want an intelligent read, a story that shows you that all sides are shades of each other, whether you want to see things that way or not, then read Living Underground. Brava, Ruth!
July 5, 2013
What a pleasure to read this book: from the skillfully crafted plotline to the multifaceted, unique and fully-fleshed out characters, I was drawn in quickly and couldn't wait to get back to it until I was finished reading. And, towards the end, I couldn't wait to finish reading it because I wanted to know what the ending held for Sheila and Sigmund, and I wanted to share it with my Mom so we could discuss it. But, as is always the case with wonderful stories, once you turn the final page, you are full of sorrow because there is no more. The only thing to do is go back to page one and reread it, which I will most certainly do. This novel has earned a prominent and honoured place on my favourites bookshelf.
Ruth Walker is a masterful and courageous author: she pulls no punches in her storytelling. With several surprise twists and turns, and an almost palpable tension throughout, I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a finely-crafted and deeply poignant story, one that will make you ponder long after you put the book down.
There is so much truth and humanity in this story, it almost broke my heart.
Ruth Walker is a masterful and courageous author: she pulls no punches in her storytelling. With several surprise twists and turns, and an almost palpable tension throughout, I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a finely-crafted and deeply poignant story, one that will make you ponder long after you put the book down.
There is so much truth and humanity in this story, it almost broke my heart.
November 12, 2012
Living Underground is a thoughtful examination of the impact of the past, especially the carefully guarded past, on individuals and communities. Although there are many books relating to the Holocaust, Ruth Walker's is written with a uniquely Canadian perspective. She addresses the phenomenon of Nazi war criminals in Canada while exploring complicated family and personal relationships.
Walker is a great storyteller. She carefully leads readers from Germany to Canada and back again, shifting from WWII to the 1960s to a time that feels closer to the present day. The transformative potential of music and the impact of power struggles are recurring themes.
Much of the book is experienced through the eyes of Sheila Martin, the main character, whose journey to self-understanding and acceptance seems to just begin as the novel ends.
Walker is a great storyteller. She carefully leads readers from Germany to Canada and back again, shifting from WWII to the 1960s to a time that feels closer to the present day. The transformative potential of music and the impact of power struggles are recurring themes.
Much of the book is experienced through the eyes of Sheila Martin, the main character, whose journey to self-understanding and acceptance seems to just begin as the novel ends.
July 7, 2015
A captivating read, transporting the reader from the 1960s, to the 1990s, and back in time to Germany in the first half of the twentieth century.
Is Sigmund Maier the kind, mostly benevolent, gentleman who introduces Sheila Martin to the world of classical music; or is he the murderous war criminal the authorities believe him to be? Does the truth lie somewhere in-between? Whatever your opinion, the author's skill will have you changing it several times before the end of the book.
A novel about difficult choices.
Is Sigmund Maier the kind, mostly benevolent, gentleman who introduces Sheila Martin to the world of classical music; or is he the murderous war criminal the authorities believe him to be? Does the truth lie somewhere in-between? Whatever your opinion, the author's skill will have you changing it several times before the end of the book.
A novel about difficult choices.
December 9, 2012
This is an impressive first novel: one that from the first word gathers you into a special story that both feels familiar and yet fascinates. The prose is lovingly massaged, smooth as broken glass on a beach, and the story is always just beyond reach and never quite what you think.
This is one of the 'curl up with' books that is not, definitely not, driven by genre plot. When you finish you will turn the story round and round, looking at each character from different angles, and may find, as I did, that there are no "right" answers.
Watch for more from this author.
This is one of the 'curl up with' books that is not, definitely not, driven by genre plot. When you finish you will turn the story round and round, looking at each character from different angles, and may find, as I did, that there are no "right" answers.
Watch for more from this author.
July 16, 2013
Gritty and unabashedly dark, this story still manages to touch the heart. Not my normal genre for reading, but I was caught up in the two stories woven so deftly by the author.
This, like The Great Gatsby, had a definite after taste that had me thinking about it long after I had finished reading it.
The language and dialogue were rich and captivating. A visual book for sure!
Visual = I read it without seeing a single word on the page.
The only thing that would make this book better is hearing it read aloud by the author.
This, like The Great Gatsby, had a definite after taste that had me thinking about it long after I had finished reading it.
The language and dialogue were rich and captivating. A visual book for sure!
Visual = I read it without seeing a single word on the page.
The only thing that would make this book better is hearing it read aloud by the author.
October 12, 2013
A chilling read. Grab a blanket, you're gonna need it! Ms Walker's heroine is so dysfunctional in all areas of her life, most especially her relationships, she is really an anti-hero. Naive as the child who never grew up, still believing in happy endings and fairy tales, the protagonist is her own worst enemy. Not even the most evil of characters can hurt her more than herself. And yet - and yet - Ms. Walker rightly points out that the most evil of characters have some light to their dark. I couldn't put it down.
July 11, 2013
I read this book for book club and really enjoyed it. It is written by a Canadian Author and we were fortunate enough to have her attend our book club. The book generated some great discussion. I was torn between feeling like I should dislike the characters but yet also felt compelled to empathize with them. Her characters are really well developed and the transitions between the past and the present are well paced.
I would recommend it.
I would recommend it.
April 28, 2013
I really liked this story. The past and the present just flow into one another and the characters are so human and realistic. Just being human sometimes requires super-human powers.
This was one of those books that I couldn't put down and lost sleep over. I found myself telling my neighbor about the characters like I'd just met up with some old friends.
Very moving story.
I'm looking forward to reading more of Ruth Walker's work!
This was one of those books that I couldn't put down and lost sleep over. I found myself telling my neighbor about the characters like I'd just met up with some old friends.
Very moving story.
I'm looking forward to reading more of Ruth Walker's work!
January 24, 2013
Wonderful and heartbreaking! And right up my alley as it goes back to WWII time. This novel unfolds through jumps in time slowly revealing the story. I won't reveal the ending but just say I was very moved. You won't be disappointed with this read.
April 12, 2013
I enjoyed the writing of the author and the development of the story line, but too quickly it took a turn I did not expect - three turns actually. Both subjects a little overworked in our day and time. Probably not my choice of subject matter - maybe a little too contrived.
October 3, 2012
Amazing book. It's one that will stick with me for a long time.
April 14, 2013
what a book, so many layers, kept me turning the pages anxiously and never knowing what to expect so therefore expecting the unexpected and this book delivers. I highly recommend this read!!
July 30, 2013
The tale of an unlikely Spring/Winter relationship and the history that brought them together. Well written, insightful relationships and an emotional laden ending. A good solid first novel.
February 18, 2019
Ruth Walker creates characters who are believable and captivating, although sometimes infuriating! Like real life, some of the choices they make, often in difficult circumstances, entangle their lives for ever. This isn't a fairy tale and doesn't have a magical ending, but this novel nevertheless pulls at the heartstrings and gives the reader lots to contemplate. And, did I say brilliantly written?
November 26, 2021
This book is such a beautiful, intimate piece that it makes you feel as if you are intruding on the characters' lives. Ruth is a masterful writer. The only thing left to say is.... what's next?
March 13, 2014
Too many unexplained events, too long descriptions make this book not very exciting to read. Only reason I read through to the end was in the hope of closure!
October 6, 2020
Loved it - a unique perspective on a difficult subject
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews