This story is told by a man remembering his childhood in a small village in Germany in the years following the Second World War and through the early years of the German economic miracle. He tells us about his walks to school, his piano lessons, his climbing on trees but also of the omnipresent figure of Mr Sommer, frantically and aimlessly walking in all weather across the countryside. Although this is a book for children, I found the book deals with serious subjects: the aftermath of the war and trauma. Perhaps Mr Sommer, arriving soon after the war in the village then disappearing in the lake a few seasons later, tells of those Germans who were broken by the war and the silence that surrounded their pain. ( )

Completely charming book. It's basically the story of a boy growing up in Germany, but at every seminal life event, the bizzare Herr Sommer can be seen hurriedly walking past in his rapid, stilted gait. I think this is probably best enjoyed by fathers with boys. ( )

www.thebookpond.se ( )