I am a big fan of Jacinta Nandi´s humour, therefore, her newest, Single Mom Supper Club, her first novel, instantly made it to the top of my TBR. On the road to my first holiday stop, I couldn´t let it down and even shared my first thoughts on Instagram about it.
Set in Berlin, it features a hilarious mix of German and post-Brexit British expat (single) moms, gettting together to have supper, no-cis men allowed, randomly doing some coke once in a while. Some are relatively well doing - thanks to the rent coming out of that Nothing Hill apartment, some are tricking the JobCenter, one just may wish to catch a Sugar Daddy to inherit his datcha. Their kids do struggle, are a bit different, and even are taken away by Jugendamt - the much feared children welfare authority, a manifested nightmare of non-Germans (although personally I may have a different take).
But beyond the laughing out loud characters and events, there is a deep political line ongoing, taking over the gaps between rich and poor, ethnic perception and your everyday racism and a lot of thoughts about the condition of single moms in Berlin and German post-war social history. Also, toxic masculinity and the Johnny Deep-Amber Heard clash.
Nandi´s writing power is to storify all those elements in a quite relatable novel that makes you laugh with one eye and cry with the other. If you ever had to do with single moms problems in this enjoyable city, you may spot the topics, the attitudes and the denial as well.
If you are trying to improve your German, this book is as well a good source for learning some everyday slang and start behaving as a real local. Especially if you are planning soon to be a single mom in Neukölln, it will instantly upgrade your speaking skills.
A recommended summer read, not because it is easy, but because on vacation we have more time to reflect on Berlin life and its struggles.
Rating: 4.5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment