‘Never in history has there been a country where things just kept getting better and better. Conversely, there hasn’t been a country where the lights suddenly went out. Usually it gets darker bit by bit.’
T’is a brave and fearless writer who deals with such a topical subject with a savage and merciless satire. Timur Vermes is such a writer. And thank goodness for him. Thank goodness for Jamie Bulloch, too, whose translation doesn’t allow any of the irony and satire to seep away diluted by the vagaries of another language.
Vermes’ homeland of Germany is the country, capping the numbers of asylum seekers. Other countries are closing their borders. It could be anywhere in Europe? Enter a popular, reality TV presenter who does a Comic Relief type trip to Africa. A young and ambitious refugee exploits the circumstances to organise a refugee march to Europe knowing that the media are keen to cover its progress. What follows is compelling.
The politicians, the TV networks, the journalists, the racketeers all have a vested interest in seeing how this drama plays out. It’s a protracted study of conceit, laying bare prejudices and right wing politics whilst emphasising the desperation of misplaced peoples.
It’s an absurdly funny book. But it’s also very worrying because it doesn’t seem so far removed from some of realities we’re living in. and it is one of those uncomfortable books that has you feeling slightly guilty for finding it funny.
The many and diverse characters are one step short of becoming caricatures or stereotypes, very clever, they all work so well. Vermes is an acute observer of human life with a talent for finding just the right words, that hint and nudge the reader to the conclusions he wants us to reach,
‘…..this is the actual reason for the triumph of the smartphone. Whereas children can close their eyes if there’s something they don’t want to see, adults have always had to face up to things… until now.’
He also has a knack for apt descriptions!
‘…..crunching on so many sweets it gives you tooth decay just listening to it.’
‘What were you stir frying in your think-wok when you put this together?’
The narrative progresses like the march of the refugees it describes, popping in on the machinations and exigencies of the various groups and parties, in turn, looking to see how this drama plays out. We see their weaknesses and their frailties that they seek to hide behind their egos and their arrogance. It is a substantial tome where the strength is in the detail that subtly mocks the veneers upon which our self aggrandising society pivots.
‘Nadeche feels fingers on her bra straps, then the straps are off. The fingers dig into the sleeves of her T-shirt. The sleeves hold. Quality product.’
But the conclusion is explosive and you can’t second guess exactly what will happen. It’s horrifying to contemplate. and a book like this leaves the reader reluctantly chortling because it is cleverly funny but it’s also chilling and you are left wondering , could it actually happen?
My thanks to Corrine Zifko at MacLeHose Press for a copy of this entertaining and thought provoking book.
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