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Olympia: A Novel
Drawing on imaginary outtakes from Riefenstahl's infamous film of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, Dennis Bock weaves together the lives of a family living in the shadow of history.
Olympia is the story of post-war German immigrants, as told by their son Peter, born in the New World and raised in the sixties and seventies.
Though great figures and events of mid-century touch the lives of this remarkable family, it is the private histories, the grand failings and small triumphs of Peter's family that remain etched in the reader's imagination. From Ruby's struggle to rise above her leukemia and her father's love of severe weather and killing tornadoes, to the saint who witnesses a miracle at the bottom of a drowned Spanish village.
Set against the backdrop of some of the most significant Olympic moments of our times--the Nazis' stylish and sinister glorification of the Berlin Olympics and the 1972 Munich hostage--taking in which 11 Israelis were murdered-- Olympia offers a bold and refreshing perspective on the tragic relationship between Germans and Jews in this century.
Bock writes with insight and clarity in a breath-taking, beautiful prose that signals the debut of a brilliant new talent.
Olympia is the story of post-war German immigrants, as told by their son Peter, born in the New World and raised in the sixties and seventies.
Though great figures and events of mid-century touch the lives of this remarkable family, it is the private histories, the grand failings and small triumphs of Peter's family that remain etched in the reader's imagination. From Ruby's struggle to rise above her leukemia and her father's love of severe weather and killing tornadoes, to the saint who witnesses a miracle at the bottom of a drowned Spanish village.
Set against the backdrop of some of the most significant Olympic moments of our times--the Nazis' stylish and sinister glorification of the Berlin Olympics and the 1972 Munich hostage--taking in which 11 Israelis were murdered-- Olympia offers a bold and refreshing perspective on the tragic relationship between Germans and Jews in this century.
Bock writes with insight and clarity in a breath-taking, beautiful prose that signals the debut of a brilliant new talent.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
4 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Bock
7 books133 followersDennis Bock is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. His newest novel, STRANGERS AT THE RED DOOR, was published in September, 2025 and named a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year.
The National Post ranked it in their top five novels of the fall publishing season.
"The Giller-shortlisted novelist uses the fantastic to tell a thrilling tale of censorship and the artist’s need to tell their story." — The Globe and Mail
“Eerily delightful. . . . Strange, affirming and lovely.... otherworldly beauty..." — Winnipeg Free Press
"What first appears to be a geopolitical thriller turns into a much richer story that delves into the psyches of the main characters. Their predicaments prompt questions that most of us have wrestled with, even in a fast-paced story with unexpected plot twists. The book steers clear of ideological polemics and predictable tropes, yet still celebrates those who risk their livelihoods and lives for freedom of expression. Best of all, there’s a kind of wisdom that Bock imparts in this book that makes it – ultimately – an uplifting read.” Robert Delaney, North America bureau chief, South China Morning Post
“…perfect for lively book club discussions” -- Miramichi Reader
“Extraordinary! Strangers at the Red Door is a novel of remarkable confidence and depth, unfolding across continents, time, and belief systems while remaining deeply intimate and human. At its core, it is a story of searching: every character is looking for something—love, knowledge, forgiveness, meaning—and each undertakes their own odyssey. From ghostwriting to the smuggling of contraband books, from dreams deferred to censorship, Bock's novel is threaded with questions of what is hidden and what is revealed. Coincidence dances with fate throughout, quietly and insistently, drawing lives together in ways that feel both surprising and inevitable. Dennis Bock moves seamlessly between points of view, giving the book a rich, filmic quality while allowing the story to unfold with precision and grace. What lingers is the emotional intelligence of the work. The characters are flawed, stubborn, vulnerable, and utterly alive. There were moments when a single sentence took my breath away, and others when I experienced loss alongside the characters. (I might have wept through the last 60 pages or so - not only because of the emotional impact of the book but also for its sheer beauty.) This is a novel meticulously crafted and deeply felt—a rare book that feels both inevitable and enduring. A masterpiece.” Heidi von Palleske, author of Two White Queens and the One-Eyed Jack
The Good German was published in September 2020 and praised by Margaret Atwood as "a cunning, twisted, compelling tale of deeply unexpected consequences."
Hailed by The Globe and Mail as “Canada's next great novelist,” Dennis has published four other books, including Olympia, The Ash Garden, The Communist's Daughter, and Going Home Again, shortlisted for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize and winner of the 2014 Best Foreign Novel Award in China. His books have also been shortlisted for the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Prize, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Regional Best Book), and the City of Toronto Book Award. His collection of stories, Olympia, won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, the Canadian Authors’ Association Jubilee Award, and the Betty Trask Award in the UK. The Ash Garden won the 2002 Canada-Japan Literary Award. His books have been published in translation in nine languages in twenty-three territories.
Dennis grew up in Oakville, Ontario and completed a degree in English literature and philosophy at the University of Western Ontario. He teaches at the University of Toronto and the Humber School for Writers.
The National Post ranked it in their top five novels of the fall publishing season.
"The Giller-shortlisted novelist uses the fantastic to tell a thrilling tale of censorship and the artist’s need to tell their story." — The Globe and Mail
“Eerily delightful. . . . Strange, affirming and lovely.... otherworldly beauty..." — Winnipeg Free Press
"What first appears to be a geopolitical thriller turns into a much richer story that delves into the psyches of the main characters. Their predicaments prompt questions that most of us have wrestled with, even in a fast-paced story with unexpected plot twists. The book steers clear of ideological polemics and predictable tropes, yet still celebrates those who risk their livelihoods and lives for freedom of expression. Best of all, there’s a kind of wisdom that Bock imparts in this book that makes it – ultimately – an uplifting read.” Robert Delaney, North America bureau chief, South China Morning Post
“…perfect for lively book club discussions” -- Miramichi Reader
“Extraordinary! Strangers at the Red Door is a novel of remarkable confidence and depth, unfolding across continents, time, and belief systems while remaining deeply intimate and human. At its core, it is a story of searching: every character is looking for something—love, knowledge, forgiveness, meaning—and each undertakes their own odyssey. From ghostwriting to the smuggling of contraband books, from dreams deferred to censorship, Bock's novel is threaded with questions of what is hidden and what is revealed. Coincidence dances with fate throughout, quietly and insistently, drawing lives together in ways that feel both surprising and inevitable. Dennis Bock moves seamlessly between points of view, giving the book a rich, filmic quality while allowing the story to unfold with precision and grace. What lingers is the emotional intelligence of the work. The characters are flawed, stubborn, vulnerable, and utterly alive. There were moments when a single sentence took my breath away, and others when I experienced loss alongside the characters. (I might have wept through the last 60 pages or so - not only because of the emotional impact of the book but also for its sheer beauty.) This is a novel meticulously crafted and deeply felt—a rare book that feels both inevitable and enduring. A masterpiece.” Heidi von Palleske, author of Two White Queens and the One-Eyed Jack
The Good German was published in September 2020 and praised by Margaret Atwood as "a cunning, twisted, compelling tale of deeply unexpected consequences."
Hailed by The Globe and Mail as “Canada's next great novelist,” Dennis has published four other books, including Olympia, The Ash Garden, The Communist's Daughter, and Going Home Again, shortlisted for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize and winner of the 2014 Best Foreign Novel Award in China. His books have also been shortlisted for the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Prize, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Regional Best Book), and the City of Toronto Book Award. His collection of stories, Olympia, won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, the Canadian Authors’ Association Jubilee Award, and the Betty Trask Award in the UK. The Ash Garden won the 2002 Canada-Japan Literary Award. His books have been published in translation in nine languages in twenty-three territories.
Dennis grew up in Oakville, Ontario and completed a degree in English literature and philosophy at the University of Western Ontario. He teaches at the University of Toronto and the Humber School for Writers.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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September 22, 2009Olympia is Dennis Bock's first novel, preceding The Ash Garden.
The Ash Garden was my introduction to Bock; it gathered all kinds of buzz because of the significant size of his advance. But it didn't live up to expectations; one had the sense it was deliberately constructed, built upon a scheme, and the underlying scaffolding was sometimes more visible than the story.
I had the same sense here. At times, it seems that Bock's allusions and symbols are more clearly and carefully drawn than his characters. Nonetheless, Olympia suffers less from this fault than did The Ash Garden; although it garnered less attention (and cash up front), this is the better novel.
The Ash Garden was my introduction to Bock; it gathered all kinds of buzz because of the significant size of his advance. But it didn't live up to expectations; one had the sense it was deliberately constructed, built upon a scheme, and the underlying scaffolding was sometimes more visible than the story.
I had the same sense here. At times, it seems that Bock's allusions and symbols are more clearly and carefully drawn than his characters. Nonetheless, Olympia suffers less from this fault than did The Ash Garden; although it garnered less attention (and cash up front), this is the better novel.
December 11, 2024
A novel narrated in a style that could be interpreted as a memoir – chapters taken from distinct periods in the narrator’s life in chronological order without a novelistic arc – with vivid imagery that hovers around motifs of water and the Olympics.
The narrator is Canadian-born Peter, recounting memorable periods in his life from age 14 to 31. His family of German migrants (paternal grandparents and parents) are living through the angst of dislocation and the loss of a war. Peter’s mother lives in the past, nostalgic for home and relatives left behind, his father is looking forward and makes sailboats. The children, Peter and sister Ruby, reject Germany, sometimes in a rather cruel manner.
This is also a high-achiever family. Hence the Olympian motif, with some events taking place during the Munich and Barcelona Olympics. Ruby wants to be an Olympian gymnast; Peter wants to break the Guinness record for the longest time spent floating in a swimming pool. Father likes to chase storms with Peter, putting themselves in harm’s way. Grandparents want to take their wedding vows again in their new country in the middle of a lake, and the parents want to do the same in a reservoir in Spain which is in danger of being flooded or drained.
Of course, like with all families, God disposes of the best-laid plans: illness, accidents, and not being “good enough” haunt this family. And they keep coming back for more. In the process of their striving, we are educated in endurance aquatics, gymnastics, leukemia, storm chasing and meteorology, pool construction, dams in Spain, and the basics of fly fishing.
Peter is dismissive of the women in his life, especially the ones he sleeps with, giving short shrift to his wife, Nuria, and cheating on both lovers, Anna and Suzanne. He worships his father and dislikes his mother’s desire to go back (“You can never go back” bounces off the pages of this book). He has an indelible bond with his little sister, Ruby, who wants “to fly” but has her wings clipped early. He even donates his blood to her. He isn’t as kind to Uncle Willy’s pickled animals while on a visit to his dying relative in Germany.
The imagery of the two weddings in the water—one unexpectedly tragic, the other miraculously triumphant—is well drawn. So is the description of Peter and his sister being washed into the river while competing for his Guinness world record. And thanks to Father’s stubbornness, I got an impression of what it was like to be inside an F-5 tornado. Much of the character interplay is conveyed via gesture and movement, especially in the earlier chapters when the teenage Peter is observing his strange adult German relatives who are wracked with dysfunction and guilt.
This is an unusual way to write a novel, if indeed it is a novel, a collection of short stories, or a memoir, as it has been variously described. Given the first-person narrative, all the characters are flushed through Peter’s subjective lens and therefore some are not as clearly defined – perhaps Peter did not care as much for the ones treated cursorily. I wondered how much of Peter was the author, and how much was imagined vs. remembered. I would bet that the bulk of it was remembered.
The narrator is Canadian-born Peter, recounting memorable periods in his life from age 14 to 31. His family of German migrants (paternal grandparents and parents) are living through the angst of dislocation and the loss of a war. Peter’s mother lives in the past, nostalgic for home and relatives left behind, his father is looking forward and makes sailboats. The children, Peter and sister Ruby, reject Germany, sometimes in a rather cruel manner.
This is also a high-achiever family. Hence the Olympian motif, with some events taking place during the Munich and Barcelona Olympics. Ruby wants to be an Olympian gymnast; Peter wants to break the Guinness record for the longest time spent floating in a swimming pool. Father likes to chase storms with Peter, putting themselves in harm’s way. Grandparents want to take their wedding vows again in their new country in the middle of a lake, and the parents want to do the same in a reservoir in Spain which is in danger of being flooded or drained.
Of course, like with all families, God disposes of the best-laid plans: illness, accidents, and not being “good enough” haunt this family. And they keep coming back for more. In the process of their striving, we are educated in endurance aquatics, gymnastics, leukemia, storm chasing and meteorology, pool construction, dams in Spain, and the basics of fly fishing.
Peter is dismissive of the women in his life, especially the ones he sleeps with, giving short shrift to his wife, Nuria, and cheating on both lovers, Anna and Suzanne. He worships his father and dislikes his mother’s desire to go back (“You can never go back” bounces off the pages of this book). He has an indelible bond with his little sister, Ruby, who wants “to fly” but has her wings clipped early. He even donates his blood to her. He isn’t as kind to Uncle Willy’s pickled animals while on a visit to his dying relative in Germany.
The imagery of the two weddings in the water—one unexpectedly tragic, the other miraculously triumphant—is well drawn. So is the description of Peter and his sister being washed into the river while competing for his Guinness world record. And thanks to Father’s stubbornness, I got an impression of what it was like to be inside an F-5 tornado. Much of the character interplay is conveyed via gesture and movement, especially in the earlier chapters when the teenage Peter is observing his strange adult German relatives who are wracked with dysfunction and guilt.
This is an unusual way to write a novel, if indeed it is a novel, a collection of short stories, or a memoir, as it has been variously described. Given the first-person narrative, all the characters are flushed through Peter’s subjective lens and therefore some are not as clearly defined – perhaps Peter did not care as much for the ones treated cursorily. I wondered how much of Peter was the author, and how much was imagined vs. remembered. I would bet that the bulk of it was remembered.
December 11, 2021
I really enjoyed the prose in this novel and even when the plot was less interesting, I found myself absorbed into the words and characters. There was a larger story between the moments where not much happened and I think that could have been clearer. Still a very enjoyable novel.
March 19, 2014
This is a book that actually spoke to me on several levels. Many people have the luxury of having a family history that is filled with pedigrees and noble deeds while a lot of us have family stories that are ambiguous and confusing. Bock has written about somebody whose family history is troubled and whose members are somewhat vague. It is a murky read at times but Bock has documented a reality that many of us have.
Link to my complete review
Link to my complete review
February 7, 2012
Poetic novel about how families cope with tragedy. Well written but slow moving and a bit frustrating; very little of the grandparents' story is revealed.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews