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Arnold was dead, which was certainly very sad, but it made it easier for me to deal with his photo. Happy, easygoing Arnold even struck a chord in me, and I was proud to have a brother who was dead and still looked so happy and easygoing. I mourned Arnold and was proud of him, and I shared my room with him and wished him all the milk in the world. I had a dead brother and felt I had been singled out by fate. None of my playmates had a dead brother, let alone one who'd starved to death while fleeing the Russians.The narrator's pride in this low-impact relation evaporates, however, when his parents discover that Arnold may be alive after all. What follows is an eerie excursion to the Institute of Forensic Anthropology in Heidelberg, where the entire family is poked, prodded, and measured for evidence of consanguinity with "foundling 2307." This nutty procedure is straight out of Kafka, as is the utterly meaningless report that follows on its heels. Yet Treichel's musical, repetitive, unparagraphed prose owes much more to the late Thomas Bernhard, with whom he also shares a taste for black-comic vexation. For this reader, in fact, the comparison leaves Treichel slightly diminished: he lacks the sort of maniacal intensity that was always the true motor of Bernhard's art. Still, there's a great deal to admire in his tormented take on brotherhood--which could easily have been titled From Here to Fraternity--and Carol Brown Janeway's translation captures both the author's meticulous banality and his momentary, moving leaps into the tragic register. --James Marcus
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. An extraordinarily moving and often very funny novel with the resonance of The Reader. The narrator is a young boy who is told that his parents, while escaping East Germany to the west ran into a troop of Russians and his mother fearing that she, her husband and Arnold, their first born, would be shot, shoved her child into the arms of a passing woman who disappeared immediately in the tide of refugees. Neither father nor mother were shot and they are faced with the terrible realisation that Arnold's life was never really in danger.The story is told by the younger son, a boy who is never named and is ignored by his parents as his mother becomes obsessed with finding her lost child. The search, via the Youth service is both incredibly funny and very unsettling as the narrator has very ambivalent feelings towards his invisible elder brother and what seems like his parents' insanity. The story builds to a powerful and devastating conclusion when, perhaps, Arnold has finally been found.This book has huge commercial potential and is absolutely compelling from first page to last. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR000883690
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages. Seller Inventory # CHL9609193
Book Description Condition: Very Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 47023322-20
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Used; Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books. Seller Inventory # mon0000331316
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. First Edition. 145 pages (complete). A smart, attractive copy. The dustjacket is neat, fresh. The boards are healthy and hale. The contents are near immaculate. They are tight, certain, clean, clear, compelling. fk. Our orders are shipped using tracked courier delivery services. Seller Inventory # bxzx