What You Can See From Here

Dieses Buch ist wie eine Wundertüte, voller geheimnisvoller Dinge und Überraschungen, mit denen niemand rechnet. Denn eigentlich erzählt es die Geschichten der Menschen eines kleinen Dorfes im Westerwald, das von außen betrachtet wohl eher öde und langweilig wirkt. Doch die Menschen und deren Leben sind alles andere als öde und langweilig. Da ist Selma, die Großmutter der Erzählerin Luise, die Rudi Carrell ungeheuer ähnlich sieht und gelegentlich von einem Okapi auf einer Wiese träumt, woraufhin innerhalb der nächsten 24 Stunden jemand stirbt. Der Optiker, der eine ganze Wohngemeinschaft von Stimmen in sich beherbergt und unsterblich in Selma verliebt ist, ihr es aber nie gesteht. Dafür schreibt er ihr Liebesbriefe, die aber show more immer nach spätestens dem zweiten Satz enden und die er nie abschickt. Elsbeth, die abergläubische Schwägerin von Selma, die gegen Alles ein Heilmittel weiß und hat: Gicht, ausbleibende Liebe und ausbleibenden Kindersegen, unausgebliebene Hämorrhoiden und quer liegende Kälber. Und natürlich Luise, die Ich-Erzählerin, die bereits ihr ganzes Leben zwischen und mit diesen und noch mehr Menschen verbringt und in diesem Buch davon berichtet.
Nun könnte man meinen, was gibt es da schon groß zu berichten, aus einem kleinen Dorf im Westerwald, was vermutlich auch Luises Vater so sieht (sein Lieblingssatz: "Ihr müsst dringend mal ein bisschen mehr Welt hereinlassen."), denn er verschwindet eines Tages um zu reisen. Doch hier gibt es Alles, was es auch in der großen weiten Welt gibt: es wird gelebt, geliebt und gestorben, Glück und Drama, Freude und Leid. Und Mariana Leky lässt Luise so wunderbar liebevoll, heiter und bildhaft von dieser kleinen Welt in der großen erzählen, dass ich am liebsten sofort aufgebrochen wäre, um all diese Menschen kennenzulernen. Wunderschöne Sätze folgen einer nach dem andern und ich schwelgte so richtig in dieser herrlichen Sprache: "Er sah ihn (den Hund) nur selten, das vereinfachte die Liebe, denn Abwesende können sich nicht danebenbenehmen."; "Es schien, als habe er (der Hund) mehrere Leben, die er alle hintereinander weglebte, ohne zwischendurch zu sterben."; "Marlies' Tante hatte sich umgebracht, im Alter von 92 Jahren hatte sie sich in der Küche erhängt, wofür Marlies kein Verständnis hatte, denn mit 92, fand sie, lohne das Aufhängen ja kaum noch."
Ein Buch über das Leben, die Liebe und den Tod - wunderschön! show less

NOTE: I received early access to this book through NetGalley in exchange for writing an impartial review. Originally published in 2017 in German, it has now been translated into English by Tess Lewis with a scheduled publication date of June 22, 2021.

What a completely delightful read! While I find it hard to describe what exactly makes this novel so enjoyable, let me say that it feels like Mariana Leky's style combines some of the best qualities of Jane Austen with Fredrik Backman. Like Austen, it’s a study of small town life, where not much happens, but somehow everything ordinary people do everyday is full of drama. And like Backman (Austen too), there is SO MUCH humor woven into the narrative. Almost as though the book is reminding show more us NOT to take our lives too seriously. This is a book where the author's unique style enhances the story.

At the start of the book, the central protagonist, Luisa, and her best friend Martin are inseparable. Luisa’s parents do not give her the attention she deserves. Fortunately, her widowed grandmother Selma (whose dreams also predict the future) provides all the security and love Luisa could want. There are other meaningful relationships — with the reclusive Marlies, the superstitious Elsbeth, the remote hunter (and Martin's father) Palm, the ever attentive village optician, Dietrich, the bookshop owner, Mr. Rodder, even a psychotherapist, Dr. Maschke. Later, a Buddhist monk named Frederik joins in.

As years pass, these characters support each other through tragedies, separations, secrets, attempted murder, and love affairs... while accepting each other’s quirks and foibles. So that the book becomes a lovely tale of how much we can all offer one another, when we don't let personal judgements get in the way.

It's a very enjoyable book, full of love, and I recommend it to everyone. And I will look for more books by Mariana Leky. show less

NOTE: I received early access to this book through NetGalley in exchange for writing an impartial review. Originally published in 2017 in German, it has now been translated into English by Tess Lewis with a scheduled publication date of June 22, 2021.

What a completely delightful read! While I find it hard to describe what exactly makes this novel so enjoyable, let me say that it feels like Mariana Leky's style combines some of the best qualities of Jane Austen with Fredrik Backman. Like Austen, it’s a study of small town life, where not much happens, but somehow everything ordinary people do everyday is full of drama. And like Backman (Austen too), there is SO MUCH humor woven into the narrative. Almost as though the book is reminding show more us NOT to take our lives too seriously. This is a book where the author's unique style enhances the story.

At the start of the book, the central protagonist, Luisa, and her best friend Martin are inseparable. Luisa’s parents do not give her the attention she deserves. Fortunately, her widowed grandmother Selma (whose dreams also predict the future) provides all the security and love Luisa could want. There are other meaningful relationships — with the reclusive Marlies, the superstitious Elsbeth, the remote hunter (and Martin's father) Palm, the ever attentive village optician, Dietrich, the bookshop owner, Mr. Rodder, even a psychotherapist, Dr. Maschke. Later, a Buddhist monk named Frederik joins in.

As years pass, these characters support each other through tragedies, separations, secrets, attempted murder, and love affairs... while accepting each other’s quirks and foibles. So that the book becomes a lovely tale of how much we can all offer one another, when we don't let personal judgements get in the way.

It's a very enjoyable book, full of love, and I recommend it to everyone. And I will look for more books by Mariana Leky. show less

Translated into English as What You Can See From Here

In my ongoing search for suitable German reading material I somehow stumbled on the one book that everyone agrees is totally brilliant and impossible to summarize. Book store owner/author Petra Hartlieb puts it most eloquently: "if we tried to [summarize the story], no one would want to buy it. ". Sure enough, as soon as I laid eyes on the back cover advertising: the "portrait of a village, where everything is connected in the most wondrous of ways" had me running for the hills.

This is what complex, and dreadfully boring compulsory reads are made of. The type of literature that all but demands a veritable treatise on brilliant characterization and marvelous usage of figures of speech. show more I always suspected, that had my high school major been literature related, I would've totally failed these assignments. As it is, I managed to coast by with a B, while most of the class reveled in As and A+es.

Selma, a 60-year-old widow from the Westerwald, predicts death whenever she dreams about an okapi. The villagers, not normally prone to superstition, nevertheless fall into righteous panic and start writing their wills.

So there I am, waiting to see the list of apparently minor things that will lead to the unsuspecting character's death, but the story just won't cooperate. It tells us a lot about Selma's family, her granddaughter's best friend, Selma's secret admirer that is known to everyone but her, even Selma's dog gets a three-page backstory... At one point I even started to wonder whether the author wasn't quite sure whom to off after all.

Then BAM! It hit me right in the feels.

... and for the rest of the story, I found myself glued to the book both anticipating and dreading the next death. There were a few more heart-wrenching sequences in store, that ended up being completely unimportant... for me, at least. I'm sure the characters will beg to differ. However the gist of the story is about love, and how it can sneak up on the most unsuspecting people in the most unlikely manner, and then refuse to let its 'victims' go, in spite of their best efforts.

Score: 3.5/5 stars

I started out sincerely intrigued by the death forecast and its apparent inevitability, but getting diverted every step of the way quickly became exhausting. Especially when the author insisted on going through 10+ life stories before "getting to the point". Still, if you truly must do it, you best come up with some serious compensation. Something that the first third of this book sorely lacked.

That said, the last 2/3rds of the book painted a truly magnificent love story, that left me all sorts of fuzzy, and sad, and wise by the end of it. So I'll give it a rounded up 4-star rating. For now. show less

What you can see from here by Mariana Leky is a 2021 Farrar, Straus and Giroux publication.

A quaint, touching story-

Luise, due to the rather unusual situation with her parents, is mostly raised by her grandmother, Selma. Selma has the rather strange strait of dreaming about Okapi, an animal that closely resembles a Zebra. When Selma has one of these dreams, it unfortunately signals pending death -within a 24 hour time span.

When Luise was ten years old, Selma has one of her dreams, which puts the entire community on edge. Just when everyone breathes a sigh of relief, the unimaginable happens.

In the days and years to come, as Luise grows older, she must grapple with the big questions of life- grief, love- both familial and romantic- as show more she observes, and listens to those surrounding her, finding contentment in her surroundings, while pondering adventures outside of her comfort zone.

This is certainly an offbeat little story. As I understand it, this book was very popular abroad and has been translated from its original German language. The story doesn’t flow in the way I am accustomed, leaping over large gaps in time. It is a little jarring, truth be told, but these wacky characters are so charming, I couldn’t help but fall under their spell.

The book has some Buddhist themes, and though I’m not invested in those teachings, the story doesn’t hinge on that. It is ultimately a story of life- and the attitude in which one approaches it. Pain and loss are unavoidable and is something that can’t be handled any one particular way- but must be accepted as a part of life. There are some genuinely funny segments in the book and the story was wonderfully tender and heartwarming, overall.

This is another offbeat book I’ve stumbled across this month that might not hit everyone the same way, but I thought it was a delightful story and truly enjoyed it. show less

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

When Selma dreams of an okapi, someone is on the verge of death. While insisting they are not superstitious, the villagers worry about secrets kept and decisions yet to come . . . in case they are the one that is to become the victim of the dream-okapi.

Luisa, Selma’s ten-year-old granddaughter, watches as they begin to act strangely as they grapple with huge questions: ending a marriage; confessing of a long-held love. And when death comes, it isn’t at all what anyone feared . . . or expected.

This generational story reveals the inner workings of family, looking at the things that define people and lives, considering the big questions and the quiet moments. The story of this small west German show more village is bittersweet in its recounting of the eccentricities of the people. It’s the story of how people find their way in the world, learning how love and loss and home shape each of us.

The characters are well-drawn, quirky, and, at the same time, endearing. It’s a story of love, of hope, of dreams. It’s a tale of kindness and truth, elegant, simplistic, and complex. Readers are sure to find much to treasure here.

Recommended.

I received a copy of this eBook from Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley
#WhatYouCanSeeFromHere #NetGalley show less

Very sweet tale about family and grief, it had a bit of a feel of a children's book for adults. Does that make sense? It was gentle, I suppose.