The Thunderstorm Swimmer (Die Gewitterschwimmerin) by Franziska Hauser

Why have I become what I do not want to be?

The opening line of Die Gewitterschwimmerin (The Thunderstorm Swimmer), Franziska Hauser’s sweeping epic, we are introduced to the novel’s central theme: how and why do we become what we are?

To answer this, we must dive into the history of the Hirsch family, around whom the story revolves, and the fraught history of Germany itself. Along the way, we discover hidden secrets and uncover lies, grapple with moral grey areas and learn to love characters who are as imperfect and fatally flawed as ourselves. And at the heart of this family, much like Germany itself, is an act so dreaded and unspeakable it sends shockwaves through the generations.

The story is told episodically, its chapters alternating between our main protagonist Tamara’s story, which is told in reverse starting in the present day (2011), and that of her ancestors, beginning in the late 19th century (1889) and continuing through the generations until the two stories converge in the 1960s. Each chapter adds a layer of meaning and builds on the characterisation of the protagonists, painting a broader picture for the reader and allowing them to understand exactly how each character has ended up where (and who) they are.

In the present day, Tamara, a grandmother herself, has just learned of her mother’s death and is surprised by the pain this knowledge causes her. Already, we are learning that the family dynamics within this story are somewhat unusual, a reflection of Germany’s tumultuous relationship with its past. The Hirsch family history spans from its persecuted Jewish roots, through its turbulent resistance to and relationship with the ideologies of Nazism and Communism, to its uncomfortable reckoning with its past—and its future.

Franziska Hauser’s masterpiece—longlisted for the Deutscher Buchpreis in 2018—is Germany’s answer to My Brilliant Friend, with the vast, intergenerational scope of Middlesex and an episodical storytelling style reminiscent of Homegoing. While its setting is unequivocally German (though with some wartime Paris and English countryside thrown in for good measure), its themes and characters are universal. British readers will particularly enjoy the passages set in the Lake District!

This book would be perfect for an English language publisher unafraid to publish something a little longer, with a passion for epic family sagas, historical fiction and works that deal with tough themes.

Publisher: Eichborn Verlag (Bastei Luebbe)

Pages: 429