Novel set in USA, VIETNAM and JAPAN
Short, niche fiction set in BERLIN
13th January 2025
Sister Europe by Nell Zink, short, niche fiction set in Berlin.
I was so surprised never to have come across Nell Zink’s work. She is a stylish and accomplished writer and in this short work of fiction she introduces the reader to a disparate group of people from different walks of life. They are a mix of age groups and she plots their individual journeys to a dinner date at the iconic Hotel Interconti, near the Tiergarten in Berlin’s Mitte district.
One of the characters describe the hotel thus: “The hotel had been updated in the 1970s, but the original building was vintage 1958, and the decor suggested a more prosperous USSR where El Lissitsky (an important figure in the Russian avant-garde) could work in gold leaf…. it was not a place to see and be seen“. This would suggest that the novel is set pre-2019 when the landmark luxury hotel underwent a further 64 million Euro refurbishment, completed in 2023.
The characters assemble to celebrate an author’s long and rich career over a dinner with Middle Eastern flair. As the diners traverse the city to the venue, we learn a little about their backstories and their reasons for being in attendance. Goodness, they are a mixed bunch, which, of course, makes for a colourful scenario and offers the author plenty of opportunity to design curious scenarios and pen an array of inventive interactions and zingy dialogue.
I rather like the author’s writing style and it is that which kept me reading, rather than the – at times – oddball storyline. If you know Berlin, you will understand that the city is a confection of contradictions and quirkiness, and the book perfectly fits the vibe of the city.
That said, I got a little lost at times and on occasions found the intellectual penmanship a tad alienating. I cannot find a point of reference, for example, for citing El Lissitsky’s work (and yes, I had to look him up) in relation to the hotel. He died in 1941, and neither could I find any of his work in gold leaf, nor a design in the hotel that might have been inspired by his work. This is no doubt due to my ignorance but when there are multiple mentions of things that need looking up, in order to try and understand the context, it becomes more an intellectual and alienating exercise than a pleasurable and informative read.
Tina for the TripFiction Team
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