Patrick McGuiness - The Last Hundred Days

Only one hundred days before the downfall of Ceausescu's remige the book's protagonist arrives in Bucharest to start working at the local university. While following his fate the reader gets to know a country in change. The regime is still swinging the iron fist in a society of corruption and fear. Dissidents are in constant danger of the Securitate, Ceausescu's secret police, that casts a cold shadow over Romania. He gets to know both sides of society: gim poverty is contrasted by the luxurious life of those privileged who are able to get everything they desire. Meanwhile, the shops for ordinary people are empty and the city is scarred by the demolition caused by Ceausescu's gangs. The protagonist, protected by his status as a foreign lecturer, is able to learn of all aspects of the late Romania. He gets to know dissidents as well as stallwarts of Ceausescu, poor as well as those privileged.

In his semi-biographic novel Patrick McGuinnes manages to describe the doomed society lively and enables his readers to travel a city and a country that no longer exist. He telly a story that still isn't familar with many in the western world.

A.L. Kennedy: Day

Kennedy's 2007 novel "Day" is a story about a young man playing war, after he survived the second world war.

Despite the brutality and terror of war, it gave Alfred Day a meaning of life for the first time. As a soldier, he felt as a part of something. After a lonesome childhood marked by a brutal father and loving but wek mother, he experienced being a member of a crew that liked them and accepted him as the person he was. During his service he was with the airforce and participated in the bombing of national socialist Germany. One day his aeroplane was shot down. As the only crew member to live he was imprisoned by the Germans.

After war he tried to lead a normal life and to forget the shadows of the past: the loss of his crew and the loss of the love he found during war. Working in a London book shop, he tried to shake off his past, but he couldn´t.

During his time in London he heard about the project of making a motion picture on the second world war. As a member of the film's cast he got back to Germany. He became an extra, portraying a prisoner of war. Each day he staid longer in this film camp, remembering more and more of his past, living through the situation for a second time. This experience helped him to finally move on with his life.

This book portrays a man that has to expiernce war twice to cope with life.

Sarah Hall - The Electric Michelangelo

Sarah Hall tells us the story of people who live at the beginning of the last century. Compared to nowadays idea of a normal life, the fates describe in this novel seem exotic and a bit crazy at times.

We accompany the main protagonist Cyrill through his childhood until his life as a adult.

His journey starts in Northwestern England, seeside town Morecombe Bay - in Summer full of tourists and in winter empty and silent. The young boy Cyrill is raised by a single mother who runs a hotel. She gives everybody a place to rest and helps in horrible situations. Cyrill life is divided beetween helping his mum and spending time with friends.

Through his gift to be good in drawing, he becomes an tattoo artist. The way of becoming an tattooer is long and tough. He is trained by a tattoo master who's an alcoholic and therefore oftem relies on Cyrill's help and care.

After his mother's death, he gets bonds more closely with his teacher. But not for good. Years go by and Cyrill grows into a man and a tattoo artist before his boss dies.

Now he is on the verge of a decision. Nothing's holding him in England so he opts for a new life abroad. He spends his last money on a third class ticket to America. He settles as a tattoo island at the Coney Island amusement park. What he sees in coney Island is akin to Morecombe Bay but wilder and bigger.

He settles in New York during Coney Island's peak. The place is lively and crazy, crowded with freaks, artists and carnies. All of them find a "new home" in Coney Island.

But soon enought Cyrills discovers not everything is perfect and well in his new home: One day a show Elephant tramples down a visitor who dies due to the incident.So therefore the elephant has to die. Cyrills is shocked that no one seems to agree that killing the animal is cruel and unjust. Instead an entrace fee is taken when the animal is killed publicly. He gets aware that everythings has to end at some pont.

One day he meets a woman who lives in his apartment building. She lives in an appartment with her horse. She is so different than other women. Unadapted, selfdepended. Her name is Grace. She always tries to get the best of it. On a special way she is crazy. One day she asks Cyrill wether he would make an all-over tattoo on her body. The motive is an eye like hieroglyhic.

For grace, this painfull exercise is a potentiall to forget a hard episode of her life. Each stich stands for the fight against a demon of the past. Soon, Cyrill falls in love with Grace.

I won't tell you how the story ends, you'll have to find out for yourself.

So what´s great thing about the story? You can read the book in different ways. Everbody might find an own approach to it, and will find own conclusions.

Jean-Claud Izzo - The Lost Sailors

For five month the crew of the Aldebaran have been fixed at the Digue du Large, the most outward part of the harbour of Marseille.

After arriving in the harbour the commercial court enchained the boat as a debt security.

First the whole crew thought that the problem would be solved fast. So they cleaned and controled the boat every day.

After a while the captain started organising help for them in the harbour like food, water and cleaning of clothes. Weeks later the captain and the mission to seafarers organised money for the families at home.

There are only three men left on board. This long break gives them a chance to think about their past. They tell us about their love, losses and hopes.

This short novel is a beautiful book, full of melancholia, humour and wordly wisdom.

It shows that life is not always a straight lain to walk. That life is worth to live no matter wether the life is cruel to you or nice.

Original title: Les marins perdus

Shusaku Endo - When I whistle

In this novel Shusaku Endo describes the fate of two different persons.

The first plot line focuses on Ozu, an honest and modest man, who grews up in the thirties of the last century. The scond plot line follows his son Eiichi who puts his career as an doctor in hospital first place, even comprosing his patients' well being. They are like yin and yang.

The novel starts with Ozu sitting in the train and meeting an old schoolmate for the first time since school. This is an occasion for him to remember, especially his deceased schoolmate Flatfish.

His memories are full of experience growing up in a Japan that no longer exists. Life in his childhood was tough and of shortage. On the other hand, life was easier without the pressure of prosperity. Ozu's evoked nostalgic feelings are in contrast to the life of his son.

His son Eiichi is a hard working man. During his middle school the father thought of him as a loyal son but since preparing for studying medicine Eiichi seems changed. Now he feels he has nothing in common with his own child.

Eiichi thinks that his father is an old school and kind man that lets others push him around. .

He wants success so badly that he´d do anything for it. In the daily routine of work, he feels and sees that he is an outsider. Colleagues his age have a life more easy because they belong to right clique. So he is jealous. And he tries everything to get an better standing.

In the hospital there is a co-worker he doesn´t like. These colleague dates the boss's daughter This co-worker's father runs an pharmaceutic company. So the boss, the pharmacist and the colleague plan to test a new medicine on patients. But the medicine fails.

Eiichi passes the information to the media. However he does so in his own interest and not for the patients' good. As a result of the scandal his co-worker is fired, which makes way for him to console his boss's daughter. He hope a possible marriage will boost his career chances.

The story shows the depths of the soul and what a man is able to reach his goals.

Typically for japanese literature the book is also a display for human loneliness and the desperate pursuit of happiness.