May 15, 2021
A girl in a charming German town weathers loss and tries to map out her life. Many of the delights in German author Leky's new novel are whimsical, but even if whimsy is not your preference, it's impossible to escape her spell. And why would you want to escape such an entertaining diversion, anyway? The book takes place in a charming Western German village full of oddballs and dreamers: A little boy who longs to be a weight lifter; a Buddhist-leaning optician who refuses to confess his true love; a woman determined to be sad; a husband who wants to roam and the wife who wants to leave him. Our guide through the Westerwald is Luisa, a 10-year-old girl whose life is upended when her grandmother Selma dreams of an okapi. Whenever the creature appears to Selma, someone in town dies within 24 hours. The villagers are understandably worried now: "They kept clear of the good-natured cows who, they believed, might go berserk that day." How Selma's vision plays out changes the town and Luisa forever. Yet even as death makes its mark on the town, the bubbling force of life goes on as Luisa grows up and falls in love with a monk whose vow of celibacy is in peril from their first meeting. Leky's bemused affection for her characters is apparent on every page, and it's infectious. This is a generous and funny novel, though Leky doesn't shy away from the ache of separation and the painful aftermath of loss. Her townspeople accept their fates with sorrow but also good humor and determination. "You can't always choose which adventure you're made for," Luisa says. But we leave Leky's world knowing that every ordinary day holds the potential for something wonderful. A warm novel with a light comic touch.
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May 15, 2021
The first work by award-winning German writer Leky to be translated into English is set in a small German village that is set aflutter when sixtysomething Selma has a dream featuring a rare animal known as the okapi, which she believes is a harbinger of death for one of the villagers. Selma's 10-year-old granddaughter, Luise, and her best friend, Martin, watch as the residents descend into panic. The village optician renews his aborted efforts to declare his feelings to Selma via letter. Selma's sister-in-law, Elsbeth, is consumed with superstition. The resident curmudgeon, Marlies, is grumpier than ever. When the portended death does occur, it catches everyone off guard just the same. More than a decade later, Luise is still living in the village and has become an apprentice to a bookseller. Still haunted by the tragedy that shaped her childhood, she falls hard for Frederik, a German Buddhist monk who lives half a world away. Populated by quirky characters who learn there is no way to truly prepare for death or grief, Leky's novel is for those who enjoy laconic, introspective reads.
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