Book Review
Jenny Erpenbeck “Visitation”, originally published in 2008, provides the stories of 12 individuals in a forested property near a Brandenburg lake, east of Berlin, who make their homes here. At the center of this novel, lies the grand house and its grounds. Encompassing over 100 years of German history, through the experiences of its residents over the course of seven decades, charting the political misfortune of 20th century Europe, the grand house acts a safe haven or refuge for those fortunate enough to reside within. To quickly summarize, the village mayor is the ‘first’’ owner of the property with his four daughters. Unfortunately none of his daughters marry thus dividing the land in the 1930s. An architect purchases the property …show more content…
She easily portrays a wide range of characters - Russians, Jews, children, Germans, communists, etc. We, as the reader, can not help but grow attached as they share their pain of losing both a country and a home. In the end, we long for them all to hold on to their ‘home’. Most importantly the one person known to all the property owners and residents between each of these chapters as well as bringing the narrative together is an account of the gardener who tends the grounds regardless of the circumstances. In the beginning, the repetitive and periodic updates describing his meticulous routine seem unnecessary; however as the years follow, the property and house embody a doctor’s patient as it wilts away. The gardener's routine as the caregiver eventually become unexpectedly moving. His chapters although very short, takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster from relief to sorrow as his aging figure desperately devotes all he can to his ‘garden of Eden’ even though its time is almost up. In the same context, Erpenbeck “Visitation” very much reflects germany today and the issues the country faces in turns of refugee crisis. Like the story she tells, refugees fleeing to germany today are in desperate need of a ‘gardener’ as they lose their country and their
Jenny Erpenbeck “Visitation”, originally published in 2008, provides the stories of 12 individuals in a forested property near a Brandenburg lake, east of Berlin, who make their homes here. At the center of this novel, lies the grand house and its grounds. Encompassing over 100 years of German history, through the experiences of its residents over the course of seven decades, charting the political misfortune of 20th century Europe, the grand house acts a safe haven or refuge for those fortunate enough to reside within. To quickly summarize, the village mayor is the ‘first’’ owner of the property with his four daughters. Unfortunately none of his daughters marry thus dividing the land in the 1930s. An architect purchases the property …show more content…
She easily portrays a wide range of characters - Russians, Jews, children, Germans, communists, etc. We, as the reader, can not help but grow attached as they share their pain of losing both a country and a home. In the end, we long for them all to hold on to their ‘home’. Most importantly the one person known to all the property owners and residents between each of these chapters as well as bringing the narrative together is an account of the gardener who tends the grounds regardless of the circumstances. In the beginning, the repetitive and periodic updates describing his meticulous routine seem unnecessary; however as the years follow, the property and house embody a doctor’s patient as it wilts away. The gardener's routine as the caregiver eventually become unexpectedly moving. His chapters although very short, takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster from relief to sorrow as his aging figure desperately devotes all he can to his ‘garden of Eden’ even though its time is almost up. In the same context, Erpenbeck “Visitation” very much reflects germany today and the issues the country faces in turns of refugee crisis. Like the story she tells, refugees fleeing to germany today are in desperate need of a ‘gardener’ as they lose their country and their