Although I’m not one to judge a book by its cover or title even, I couldn’t help feeling very excited when I was going to start The Invention of… One has to admit that it is a peculiar title and its cultish pocket sized shape made me feel that I was on to something special.
It is!
The narrator (I’m assuming it is the author) frequents a curried sausage stand all throughout his youth and part of his adult life. When the stand is taken over he decides to investigate and see if the curried sausage lady, Lena Bruckner (who also was his neighbour) is the inventor of the said snack.
What Timm discovers instead is a memoir which focuses on the last weeks of the second World War and its effects on Germany. It’s also a good old-fashioned romance story that hits you in the right places. Some people will be able to predict the development of the romance but really it makes the plot more enchanting. Obviously curried sausage does make it’s appearance and it’s a crucial part of the novel but Timm is more concerned with his historical portrayal.
What can I say about this book? it’s absolutely charming, a bit funny and heartwarming. It’s a good well-rounded story and should please everyone. Apparently it’s a popular book amongst senior school students in Germany and I can see why it has that appeal. It makes the reader forget the time and place he is in and during the angsty teenage years it’s a bit of a relief to find a novel that performs that function.
The Bobsphere 