Pavel and I

I suppose that no view of Berlin in the immediate aftermath of the second world war could be anything but dystopian and this is dystopia blended with cynicism, mixed with irony - a wonderful, black, wry cynicism that makes you empathise with all the flawed, wonderful characters. Darkly humorous, great plot, loved Pavel from start to finish.

This novel straddles the genres of mystery and Cold War thriller. It begins and ends with the interaction between a failed intellectual, occupation authorities, and a colony of street ragamuffins as the ramifications of a murder take old. The middle section is a warder/captive account as a British officer interrogates the intellectual protagonist. I found the descriptions of life in occupied Berlin during the Winter of Death of 1946/7 at least as interesting as the plot, which was okay but somewhat draggy, and the jailcell interrogations were pretty average and added little except bulk.

Absorbing and terrifically written. The narrator - the "I" of the title - is not identified until almost halfway through the book, giving the reader a mysterious aura of disorientation which enhances the atmospheric dynamism of the postwar setting. Even though the book is written in English, it reads like a translation (not in a bad way), further contributing authenticity. This is an unexpected literary thriller. Recommended.

A fascinating and dark spy thriller that starts off slowly and intriguingly and develops into a more fast paced tale. It is told in an intimate style, which feels different to other thrillers, by one character re-telling the story many years later.
Pavel is a mysterious character and you never get many answers about who he is. Other characters are Sonia and Anders, a young street boy and Peterson, the narrator.
Dan Vyleta's descriptions of characters and place are vivid and don't miss out any appalling details. You can feel the biting cold of the Berlin winter of 1946/1947 and the destitution of the population.

Strange and interesting

Recensioni, recensioni, recensioni. Non le mie, ma quelle degli altri, critici letterari, lettori letterati. E questo libro aveva recensioni ottime; ed io lo inizio pieno di aspettative. Non è la delusione di Fatherland, per carità, questo libro è sicuramente meglio; ma da qui ad una grande romanzo la storia è molto lunga, lunghissima. Il racconto è ambientato a Berlino, nell’immediato dopoguerra; città devastata dalla coda della guerra, invasa da russi, americani ed inglesi. L’odio della follia nazista è diventata voglia di dimenticare, ricerca di oblio. Il protagonista sono Pavel Richter e Sonia, una prostituta. Il freddo, il gelo, le difficoltà della guerra sono un ottimo companatico. Ma questo romanzo manca di un’anima show more viva, è modesto nella costruzione dei passaggi, e, spesso, caotico. Insomma, una discreta delusione. show less

Giver et meget skræmmende billede af et Tyskland efter krigen. Man kan nærmest mærke kulden og trøstesløsheden helt ind. Der er ingen helte, kun overlevelse.