Summerhouse, later Book

A nameless young woman recalls her great-grandmother in Russia, reminded of her by the treasured possession, an antique red coral bracelet that had triggered an abrupt change in both their lives. A cab driver, called Stein (stone), dreams of an old stone summer house along a lake outside the big city, yet may be in greater need for a friend to realize the dream. These two stories form the bookends of Judith Hermann's debut collection, "Summerhouse, later" (2001, in German 1998). Nine stories depict scenes in the lives of, primarily, thirty-something individuals, who, alone or in small groups, represent a Berlin generation in limbo - hovering between past and future. For them, the fall of the Berlin Wall and all that came before is long past, yet their expectations for the future remain uncertain or vague at best, for some it is beyond any need for reflection even.

While each story is distinct in its theme and characters, together they make up more than the sum of the parts. There is an overarching sense of Berlin reality, a sense of loss, covered up by attitudes of laissez-faire and disinterest in others and even oneself. In some aspect reminiscent of the 1968 generation, yet without any political or social ambitions, intensely argued at the time, Hermann's characters seem to be drifting through life: jobs are casual, careers not apparent or of interest. The individuals avoid forming serious attachments; sex is casual or not at all of interest; love, if it happens is fragile or fleeting. Conversations are aloof - the sense of loneliness permeates much of the stories. Written in a quiet, detached, and precise language, these first impressions of a disaffected youth, however, are only created at the surface level. Underneath, we immediately sense the characters' uneasiness and helplessness, their deep-seated sense of loss, the need for nostalgic reminiscences of a better past and, yes, glimmers of hope. Hermann's understanding and sensitive depiction of her characters' minds and their circumstances speaks directly to the reader. We feel strangely affected and moved by her protagonists; they and their stories will linger in your mind for a long time.

Hermann's narrators live somewhat outside the established society, most are uncertain about their role in the present (post-wall) society. The setting is not always Berlin, yet, like the author herself, the characters carry Berlin in their blood wherever they go. Landscapes and seasons are closely connected; both often mirror the inner sentiments of the stories' characters. It is usually winter in Berlin - with the suffering of cold in the old poorly heated apartments being offset by the enjoyment of walks in the snow. Summer is evoked in the countryside around Berlin, at the lake or the river Oder. A group of friends is invited to a Caribbean island; naively, they want to experience a hurricane... Or Marie, who is reflecting on her new artist friend: "Happiness is always the moment before, The second before the moment in which I actually should be happy. In that second I am happy and don't know it". I liked all nine stories, even if for varying reasons.

Judith Hermann appeared on the German literary scene in 1998 with this first of her (now three) story collections and, since then, has garnered several prestigious literary awards. In Germany she has been grouped together with other young women authors, all born around 1970, and all from Berlin (East or West), such as Jenny Erpenbeck (Visitation) or Julia Franck (The Blindness of the Heart: A Novel).