In 2020, I came up with the idea to read at least one book from each European country in about five years. I looked into my geographical reading footprint and discovered that I’ve read books from only 12 European countries, which seemed a bit ignorant. So I made a plan to tackle five books/countries each year or reading round. The first round flew by quickly, and I finished the first five books in only six months. However, the second round got me stuck. I’ll admit that I hit a bit of a reading slump in 2021. But the choice of countries/books didn’t help either. Therefore, I’m ready to face the ugly truth: I need to move forward with the challenge without completing all five books in Round II. I’m simply unable to pick up and start reading Svetlana Alexievich’s ‘Zinky Boys’ (Belarus) that’s been sitting in my TBR pile for more than a year. If not for the war in Ukraine, I might have had the courage to go there. But now, we all need a bit of escape from the war news, so I can’t force myself to read it. However, I’ve read books from the four other countries nominated for Round II: Denmark, Iceland, Belgium, and Ukraine. And my literary map of Europe is starting to look a bit better!
21 countries done, 23 more to go! It’s been an interesting journey of literary discoveries. Once more, I’ve found some great reads. And I’ve also continued to read books from the authors I got to know in the first round (Carlos Ruiz Zafón, José Saramago, and Kristina Sabaliauskaitė). And I can’t wait to discover new books and authors in Round III!
DENMARK
We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen (Goodread’s review)
As historical fiction, the book delivers an engaging story of complicated times in European history. It focuses on a small town in Denmark, Marstal, where sailing is a lifestyle and drowning is the most common way to die. Three generations of Marstallers show us the changes in the maritime world and the realities of war over a span of 100 years. The book took me through a bit of an emotional rollercoaster that I didn’t expect from historical fiction. When we think of war, we think about people fighting on the ground or in the sky. But people were fighting and dying at sea as well. The author managed to paint the picture of those red blinking lights so vividly like you would be standing there on the ship with those men, feeling utterly helpless and desperate.
Overall, it’s a great piece of literature. I highly recommend it to those who love historical fiction or enjoy sea-faring adventures. There were a few clumsy moments, but those can be easily forgiven. It is a tome of nearly 700 pages, after all.
ICELAND
Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason (read in Latvian)
Jar City is a classic example of a Scandinavian detective story. A lonely old man is found dead in his Reykjavík flat. The only clues are a cryptic note left by the killer and a photograph of a young girl’s grave. Not much to go on, right? Well, Inspector Erlendur discovers that the victim was accused, but not convicted, of an unsolved crime, a rape. It leads him down a trail of unusual forensic evidence, uncovering past secrets.
A quick read that got me hooked early on. The author cleverly ends almost every chapter with a teaser, so it’s difficult to stop reading. I don’t want to give away anything about the plot, but I quite enjoyed the rummaging in the past. The ending was a bit predictable, but I would still recommend it for lovers of classic detectives. Besides, I read it as a standalone book without knowing there are previous Inspector Erlendur books.
BELGIUM
The Misfortunates by Dimitri Verhulst (Goodread’s review)
It’s a fictionalized take on an autobiographical novel that reads more like a collection of short stories. We follow the growing-up tale of Dimmy (Dimitri Verhulst) among his forever-drunk father and uncles. They all live at the grandmother’s (whenever they’re not at the pub) in the small (fictional) town of Arsendegem in Belgium. With a healthy dose of dark humor, the author attempts to unravel the struggle behind father-son relationships.
Although it was an interesting read, it left me with a feeling of something unfinished. We somehow fast-forwarded to Dimmy’s adulthood and his own fatherhood without fully disclosing his coming-of-age story. I was left wishing for something more. But apparently, there is also a movie. I haven’t seen it. However, I feel obliged to inform you about alternatives if you don’t want to read the book.
UKRAINE
Voroshilovgrad by Serhiy Zhadan (read in Latvian)
I finished reading this book shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Admittedly, the military conflict in the region described in the book started already in 2014 (the book was first published in 2010) and has now escalated with a new force. It was one of the books I was reluctant to read in this reading round. But I’m glad that I did. Serhiy Zhadan didn’t disappoint with his unfiltered depiction of life in this remote part of Ukraine.
I don’t know if I can tell you anything about the plot. I don’t know if there really is one. At least, there was no resolution. It was hard to tell what was real and what was completely imaginary. The author balances the story on the borderline with magic realism while giving us insight into the lives of rather unusual characters. I loved the refreshingly authentic dialogues that hadn’t lost their meaning in translation. It helped to set the mood. If you can catch the feel of the story and forget about finding some sort of logic in the happenings, you’ll enjoy reading it. If not, you’ll be very frustrated until the very end.
ROUND III
I’m really looking forward to the next reading round. I’ve already picked all five books, and I hope to read them in less than a year. I’ve tried to focus more on female authors to mix things up. Wish me luck!
AUSTRIA
Malina by Ingeborg Bachmann
Ingeborg Bachmann is a celebrated Austrian poet and novelist. She has received many literary awards; therefore, I’m curious to explore some of her work. The synopsis for Malina reveals surprisingly little and yet promises a story about life’s biggest struggles. It won’t be an easy read, so let’s hope I’m up for the challenge.
SWITZERLAND
The Sky Is Changing by Zoë Jenny
Zoë Jenny gained recognition with her debut novel, The Pollen Room (published in 1997), which became the all-time best-selling debut novel by a Swiss author. However, I was a bit discouraged by the reviews and ratings. I rarely risk reading a book with less than three stars as the average rating on Goodreads. Therefore, I’m settling for one of her more recent works that promises a story about a woman finding her way in life.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Love and Garbage by Ivan Klíma
Ivan Klíma is a Czech novelist and playwright with an extraordinary life. His fiction and plays were banned during the communist rule. Therefore, I’m particularly interested in reading his novel about a banned Czech writer who sweeps streets for a living while meditating on Franz Kafka and other matters of life.
SLOVAKIA
Bellevue by Ivana Dobrakovová
Ivana Dobrakovová is a writer and translator with a couple of award-winning books. The novel Bellevue promises an unsettling story about a young woman unraveling when facing life’s harsh realities in her workplace. Again, it won’t be an easy read, but I don’t think anything in this third reading round really is.
HUNGARY
Abigail by Magda Szabó
Magda Szabó is considered Hungary’s foremost female novelist. Therefore, I’m curious about what she has to offer to a novice reader of Hungarian literature. I’ve picked Abigail, a growing-up story of a girl during World War II. Although I tend to avoid war stories these days, it is the most beloved of Magda Szabó’s books in her native Hungary. So I’m willing to give it a try.
Well, that’s the list for Round III! Fingers crossed, I don’t get stuck with it for too long. If you’ve already read any of these books, let me know what you think.
Happy reading, everyone!
All things I mind... 