Some wonderfully realised characters, and a heartbreaking opening section. The author has successfully written an eyes-down and incurious protagonist, suffering a series of domestic and personal turmoils in WW2 Germany. Given the period it was set in, one occasionally craves a more eyes-up character, but it broadly works. For me, a couple of re-writes away from a classic. ( )

This novel starts near the end, then goes back to explain how the opening section came to be, and then ends 10 years after the opening. I love storylines like this, but it makes it VERY hard to write a review without spoilers.

Helene and her sister grew up in a small town near Dresden. After their father is sent to fight in World War I and finally returns home with a devastating and ultimately deadly injury, their mother has a mental breakdown. The sister both study to be nurses, and end up moving in with a cousin in Berlin. From there, we follow Helene's life as a nurse, wife, and mother--right through World War II. As a cis blonde who takes after their father's side, Helene has a much easier time of the 1930s and 40s than her dark-haired and dark-eyed lesbian sister who looks like their mother. But both have to hide their mother's origins and her mental illness. ( )

The Blindness of the Heart is a dark novel that begins with a woman abandoning her young son then backtracks to show how life has rendered her unable to care for her son, even as she treats patients, as nurse. Franck sets the book from World War 1 through the end of World War 2, establishing parallels between societal breakdowns and personal problems. The book is filled with pain and abandonment of all sorts and says a lot about the human condition; I'm glad I read the book in small installments.

(There's more about The Blindness of the Heart on my blog, here.)

Thank you to Amy of The Black Sheep Dances for giving me the review copy she received from Grove Press! ( )

Na alle ontberingen van de Tweede Wereldoorlog samen te hebben overleefd laat een vrouw in 1945 haar zevenjarige zoon alleen achter op een klein station in Vorpommern ( )

Another 1001-book to cross off the list, another one that I finished.
Frankly speaking, it was not an easy read. Had not expected that, regarding the theme of the book, but I was surprised by how much Helene and those around her got under my skin.

Hearing the tale of war from the other side (rare enough in itself) was a strange experience and following Helene from childhood to far in her adult years was intens.
I liked the book very much. I think I may have missed some of the nuances, but the greater picture of the book is awesome. I think I'll try and lay a hand on an Dutch translation, to read and enjoy again someday later and share it with many others through BC. ( )