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Dark Mermaids
Dark Mermaids, by Anne Lauppe-Dunbar, is a shocking story of the horrors of a political system that doped its youngsters to sporting superhero status, and then left them to fend for themselves.
Shortlisted for the Impress and Cinnamon First Novel Prize, this East German noir thriller is set in 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Unhappy West Berlin police officer Sophia is called on to investigate the murder of her childhood friend Kathe, after her beaten body is discovered in Sophia’s local park. Sophia is forced to return to the hometown she fled as a teenager with her enigmatic father Petrus, and Mia – a frightened child who turned up on her doorstep. She must investigate Kathe’s murder and care for a mother she believed abandoned her. As she reluctantly delves into the sordid Stasi secrets of those she grew up with, Sophie uncovers a web of horrors about her own abusive past as a child-swimming star in the former GDR. But her hunt for the truth has not gone unnoticed by those close to her, people who still have too much to hide.
Shortlisted for the Impress and Cinnamon First Novel Prize, this East German noir thriller is set in 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Unhappy West Berlin police officer Sophia is called on to investigate the murder of her childhood friend Kathe, after her beaten body is discovered in Sophia’s local park. Sophia is forced to return to the hometown she fled as a teenager with her enigmatic father Petrus, and Mia – a frightened child who turned up on her doorstep. She must investigate Kathe’s murder and care for a mother she believed abandoned her. As she reluctantly delves into the sordid Stasi secrets of those she grew up with, Sophie uncovers a web of horrors about her own abusive past as a child-swimming star in the former GDR. But her hunt for the truth has not gone unnoticed by those close to her, people who still have too much to hide.
296 pages, Paperback
First published September 14, 2015
About the author
Anne Lauppe-Dunbar
2 books3 followersAnne Lauppe-Dunbar is a creative writing tutor at Swansea University, where she also studied for her PhD. She had a short story published in Sing Sorrow Sorrow (ed. Gwen Davies, Seren) and has had stories, essays, papers and poems published with Cinnamon Press, Seventh Quarry and New Welsh Review.
Dark Mermaids is her debut novel.
Dark Mermaids is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 2, 2017
ShorTlisted for the Rubery Book Award for fICTION 2017
This is the story of Sophia, an Olympic champion swimmer from East Germany before the fall of the iron curtain, and the free use of steroids by the authorities. Sophia is now a police officer in the western side of a unified Germany, and when she has to investigate the death of a former friend, she returns east to encounter once again the power of the former Stasi and secrets that lead her back to the heart of her own family. It’s a fast-paced thriller, but also a thought-provoking study, still relevant, of the exploitation of young athletes and the ethos of winning at all costs.
ruberybookaward.com
This is the story of Sophia, an Olympic champion swimmer from East Germany before the fall of the iron curtain, and the free use of steroids by the authorities. Sophia is now a police officer in the western side of a unified Germany, and when she has to investigate the death of a former friend, she returns east to encounter once again the power of the former Stasi and secrets that lead her back to the heart of her own family. It’s a fast-paced thriller, but also a thought-provoking study, still relevant, of the exploitation of young athletes and the ethos of winning at all costs.
ruberybookaward.com
April 28, 2016
The story revolves around Sophia, an intriguingly fragmented East Berlin police officer who is forced to grapple with her abusive past as a child Olympic swimmer following a tragic event. Sophia’s moments of regression and remembrance are entrancing and appalling in equal measure, and as we learn more about her childhood trauma, the present strength and resilience of Sophia’s character takes on a new significance. The doping of child athletes in the former GDR is heavily and passionately researched, and informs every aspect of this novel. It is an engrossing and thought-provoking read.
February 24, 2018
The novel is about the lengths the East German authorities went to to ensure that their child athletes excelled in the international sporting arena. It deals with the distressing and disturbing effects of doping and child abuse. Although it's set before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the topics, sadly, remain topical.
I have given the book three stars because it conveys a sense of a place and era I am not familiar with, and I learned a lot about the detail of how these affronts were perpetrated and what their effects were. I have always found it difficult to envisage how someone might think physical self-harm might be the solution to any problem, but the author filled me in on that very well. And, because it was fiction, I kept reading longer than perhaps I would have done if it had been newspaper expose. (In any case, I don't think some of the details given here about the effects of steroids would have been revealed even in a newspaper account.)
This brings us to the quality of the fiction - a sort of East German noir. But the central character, a detective, seems to have few detection skills, and is constantly relying on her boss for back-up. Her habit of constantly asking herself unanswered questions, in the interests of delaying the 'reveal' becomes really irritating after a bit. Her hypothesising is weak. For these reasons, I'm surprised the book was given five stars by Rubery.
I have given the book three stars because it conveys a sense of a place and era I am not familiar with, and I learned a lot about the detail of how these affronts were perpetrated and what their effects were. I have always found it difficult to envisage how someone might think physical self-harm might be the solution to any problem, but the author filled me in on that very well. And, because it was fiction, I kept reading longer than perhaps I would have done if it had been newspaper expose. (In any case, I don't think some of the details given here about the effects of steroids would have been revealed even in a newspaper account.)
This brings us to the quality of the fiction - a sort of East German noir. But the central character, a detective, seems to have few detection skills, and is constantly relying on her boss for back-up. Her habit of constantly asking herself unanswered questions, in the interests of delaying the 'reveal' becomes really irritating after a bit. Her hypothesising is weak. For these reasons, I'm surprised the book was given five stars by Rubery.
September 23, 2018
This is a finely written crime novel with a sensitive depiction of characters. As imaginary creatures, mermaids haunt the subconscious, predators that wreck lives and seduce men away from their causes. This carefully crafted story reverses the mythology. Here, the dark mermaids are the victims and it is men who have pulled them away from their true natures-- with drugs, brutality and sexual attacks. "Dark Mermaids" is the compelling story of Sophia Kunstler, East German Champion swimmer, and the steroid scandals of the 1970s. In her current role as police officer, she must investigate the death of a friend and the mysteries at the heart of her own family: this leads her to face once more the evils of the Stasi. A novel in which brutality and humanity is inextricably entwined and fully imagined.
July 26, 2024
The novel Dark Mermaids opens with: “Pulling on her leather coat, Sophia strode along Bellevue Strasse, jumping on the U-Bahn crammed with fresh tourists ready for a weekend of the city’s particular magic.” This sets the stage for the life story (so far) of Sophia Künstler, a Berlin police officer in 1990, navigating the turbulent and corrupt period of post-Berlin Wall Germany.
The first chapter immediately grabs your attention, delving into Sophia’s intense (to say the least) and precarious life. When Sophia's estranged young sister Mia arrives from their home in former East Germany, Sophia's abrasive nature contrasts sharply with Mia’s perceived vulnerability. Sophia is forced to adapt to a PG lifestyle. PG in modern terms, as Parental Guidance is the major casualty in this novel.
As the novel's cover suggests, the story within delves into the lives of child athletes in the German Democratic Republic, focussing on the young swimming team. Sophia’s father played a significant role in their training and orchestrated her escape after she became deathly ill. Despite his efforts, their relationship is fraught with complexity, distrust, and fear. The narrative plunges into the grim reality of the East German Olympics, capturing the emotional weight of the past with such lines, “She wanted to weep with the weight of remembering.”
The three estranged family members set off, suffering in silence, to return Mia to her mother. Unbeknownst to her father, Sophia has been tasked with investigating the suspicious death of an old friend and gathering crucial information from the police station, before it can be destroyed by the Stasi.
“Sophia stopped the car and opened her window to breathe. Outside, the air smelt of ice and pine cones. Inside, the car smelled of fresh panic.” The vivid portrayal of fear and anxiety as Sophia’s old home and her mother grow nearer is palpable.
The novel vividly portrays a town’s complicity in the brutal training camp, where many turned a blind eye to the suffering of their children as their livelihood and safety depended on its success. “The things that had happened at sports camp, the instances she’d imagined forgotten, were not forgotten at all. She’d simply changed them to become part of what she did now.” This powerful narrative explores the impact of traumatic memories and the unsettling realisation of how one can substitute one harsh reality for another. The book also poignantly addresses the link between self-harm and past traumas, captured in the line: “These codes for the ‘GDR Sports Association’ had been cut from her memory like rancid cheese.”
I enjoyed the method in which the author skilfully navigated the shifting timelines, using clear transitions, such as, “Back inside that time” to anchor the reader. I am often lost in such transitions. The novel concludes with a powerful image of hope: “It’s us against the world, she thought. You and me. You and me.”
The first chapter immediately grabs your attention, delving into Sophia’s intense (to say the least) and precarious life. When Sophia's estranged young sister Mia arrives from their home in former East Germany, Sophia's abrasive nature contrasts sharply with Mia’s perceived vulnerability. Sophia is forced to adapt to a PG lifestyle. PG in modern terms, as Parental Guidance is the major casualty in this novel.
As the novel's cover suggests, the story within delves into the lives of child athletes in the German Democratic Republic, focussing on the young swimming team. Sophia’s father played a significant role in their training and orchestrated her escape after she became deathly ill. Despite his efforts, their relationship is fraught with complexity, distrust, and fear. The narrative plunges into the grim reality of the East German Olympics, capturing the emotional weight of the past with such lines, “She wanted to weep with the weight of remembering.”
The three estranged family members set off, suffering in silence, to return Mia to her mother. Unbeknownst to her father, Sophia has been tasked with investigating the suspicious death of an old friend and gathering crucial information from the police station, before it can be destroyed by the Stasi.
“Sophia stopped the car and opened her window to breathe. Outside, the air smelt of ice and pine cones. Inside, the car smelled of fresh panic.” The vivid portrayal of fear and anxiety as Sophia’s old home and her mother grow nearer is palpable.
The novel vividly portrays a town’s complicity in the brutal training camp, where many turned a blind eye to the suffering of their children as their livelihood and safety depended on its success. “The things that had happened at sports camp, the instances she’d imagined forgotten, were not forgotten at all. She’d simply changed them to become part of what she did now.” This powerful narrative explores the impact of traumatic memories and the unsettling realisation of how one can substitute one harsh reality for another. The book also poignantly addresses the link between self-harm and past traumas, captured in the line: “These codes for the ‘GDR Sports Association’ had been cut from her memory like rancid cheese.”
I enjoyed the method in which the author skilfully navigated the shifting timelines, using clear transitions, such as, “Back inside that time” to anchor the reader. I am often lost in such transitions. The novel concludes with a powerful image of hope: “It’s us against the world, she thought. You and me. You and me.”
September 1, 2017
Sort of thriller that would be called "noir" if it was on TV. But the thriller format is also an expose of the horrors and abuse of the systematic doping programme in East German sports in the 70s and 80s.
August 1, 2024
As soon as I started the book, I was really gripped and it did not disappoint, there were many tense moments and plot twists. I really liked all of the characters and although it was a harrowing read in parts, I couldn't put the book down and I really did enjoy the ending.
February 4, 2021
Excellent
I love a story that keeps me guessing with lots of twists and turns and this book didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed.
I love a story that keeps me guessing with lots of twists and turns and this book didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed.
November 7, 2020
I loved the plot of this book! I think Sophia's character arc was really well done and I was very satisfied with the ending. Unfortunately, though, the writing style wasn't my favourite...
For example, I would be really into a paragraph and suddenly the narration would turn jumpy like the use of "stop" or "look" or other unnecessary two word sentences. I find the use of an abundance of tiny sentences containing 3 or 4 words, sometimes even 1 word, very jarring when reading. I love when small sentences are use for bluntness, but in this book they're used so often that it catches me off guard and not in the way you want when reading a book. It takes me out of the reading train of thought and I have to work hard to get back I to the flow of things.
Similarly, there were random capitalisation of certain words and phrases which I thought was really weird. Other than my issue with the writing style, I really enjoyed this novel!
For example, I would be really into a paragraph and suddenly the narration would turn jumpy like the use of "stop" or "look" or other unnecessary two word sentences. I find the use of an abundance of tiny sentences containing 3 or 4 words, sometimes even 1 word, very jarring when reading. I love when small sentences are use for bluntness, but in this book they're used so often that it catches me off guard and not in the way you want when reading a book. It takes me out of the reading train of thought and I have to work hard to get back I to the flow of things.
Similarly, there were random capitalisation of certain words and phrases which I thought was really weird. Other than my issue with the writing style, I really enjoyed this novel!
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January 10, 2016Review in Buzz Magazine, Cardiff.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews