I don't know if it's the way the book was written, or if it happened in translation, but it almost reads like a childrens book. Short, sharp sentences. It took me a while to get used to the style.
Friedrich is Swiss, a lonely only child, with a father who is away a lot and a mother who is a drunk. When he was young she was determined he would become the painter she could never be, but after an injury robs him of the ability to see colours, she loses interest and almost seems to forget about him.
At age 18 he decided to move to Bernin to study drawing, even though it's 1942 and World War 2 is raging...... not that you would notice from the book where air raids are only mentioned a few times. But Berlin is the headquarters of the nazi party.
From this point on the book is written with a chapter for each month, beginning with the highlights of what is happening in the world that particular month.
At a life study class he meets Kristen, the model. Where Friedrich is naive and easily led, she is forceful and takes over his life, moving into his hotel room and giving the orders where they will go, and when. She loves the social life of Berlin, even though she is hiding some huge secrets. One is that she is Jewish, and really named Stella. This secret she confides in Friedrich because she wants and needs his help.
The other secret he doesn't find out until the end of the year, and this is what causes him to leave Berlin.... and Stella.
Friedrich is Swiss, a lonely only child, with a father who is away a lot and a mother who is a drunk. When he was young she was determined he would become the painter she could never be, but after an injury robs him of the ability to see colours, she loses interest and almost seems to forget about him.
At age 18 he decided to move to Bernin to study drawing, even though it's 1942 and World War 2 is raging...... not that you would notice from the book where air raids are only mentioned a few times. But Berlin is the headquarters of the nazi party.
From this point on the book is written with a chapter for each month, beginning with the highlights of what is happening in the world that particular month.
At a life study class he meets Kristen, the model. Where Friedrich is naive and easily led, she is forceful and takes over his life, moving into his hotel room and giving the orders where they will go, and when. She loves the social life of Berlin, even though she is hiding some huge secrets. One is that she is Jewish, and really named Stella. This secret she confides in Friedrich because she wants and needs his help.
The other secret he doesn't find out until the end of the year, and this is what causes him to leave Berlin.... and Stella.