A Guide to Berlin (Gail Jones, Vintage)

Gail Jones’ sixth novel, A Guide to Berlin, is named after a short story by Vladimir Nabokov and offers more than a nod to his work. During a harsh winter in modern Berlin, six international travellers are united by a fascination with the city and its one-time resident. Searching for meaning and connection, the travellers begin to share personal narratives or ‘speak memories’ in empty apartments across the city. They quickly develop an unusual intimacy as their separate tales become entangled. It’s a whimsical, writerly premise that in lesser hands might have been strained, but is brought to life with wit and without self-indulgence. A Guide to Berlin is a tense, elegant and compassionate exploration of memory, humanity and salvation sought in literature. Threads unspool slowly with every precisely weighted word, and the relationships between these relative strangers are compelling and fraught. While those familiar with Berlin or Nabokov’s work—particularly the novel’s namesake and Speak, Memory—will appreciate the layered allusions, this knowledge is not essential for enjoyment. This is a novel for language and literature lovers.

Elke Power is the editor of Readings Monthly

Category: Reviews