German Audiobook Review: Sturm über der Villa am Elbstrand

Although novels set in contemporary Germany are of high interest in order to understand the current mentalities, particularly regarding the ungoing changes, acknowledging, among others, the ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity of the country, of particular interest for my mentality investigation are also books set in the post-war years, especially one or two decades after the war. Particularly books written by authors of our times may reveal different perceptions and new layers of cultural myths, eventually set over old mindsets.

As Hamburg is my favorite city in Germany, I was even more interested in listening to Sturm über der Villa am Elbstrand, the second installment of the Elbstrand Saga, authored by Charlotte Jacobi, the pseudonyme of the authors Eva-Maria Bast and Jørn Precht. The book is read by Uta Simone.

Although one may decide - as I do - to start the trilogy with this second book, it makes sense for understanding the rest of the story. The references to previous events are put in context therefore easy to get over it.

Set in the beginning of the 1960s, it features KZ survivors and their families, a young journalist keen to trace former Nazis - miraculously reappearing in administrative top positions but in the South of the country - and even a Moroccan character - maybe there are too many references to the skin colour...- which is probably a novelty in the contemporary German literature. There is even the legendary Hamburg-born Helmut Schmidt, at the time not yet chancellor.

The Germany of the time is coping with a lot of secrets - I bet it´s happening nowadays as well, only that the secrets are easier revealed - trying to cope with the new post-war trauma of the separation and the Wall about to be built. It is also a Germany who is afraid of the nuclear war and with a new generation aggressively against the old establishment, but without enough clear reasons to explain its reasons - as I said, there are many secrets around. 

But the complex background put aside, the complex relationships between the characters which replicate the complexities of human relationships in general. Although the historical background may be slightly simplified, the ways in which the characters and the storyline are built overcomes the apparent simplicity and unidimensionality of the context. 

In addition, if you are looking to improve your German listening skills, the audiobook versions serves it well, with an useful, well-chosen vocabulary.

Rating: 3 stars