Berlin
by Bea Setton
Date: October 16th, 2023
Reviewed by: Donna Brown
The TIC Book Club met recently to discuss our book choice, Berlin, by Bea Setton. The author had lived in Paris, London, and Berlin, so she chose the latter to tell a story of young Daphne, a 26-year-old woman who was trying to find her way. There had been considerable expectations on her from her well-to-do parents, however Daphne took ludicrous jobs and lived in borrowed apartments. Through the course of the story the reader is confronted with a character adrift and in the throes of an eating disorder. It was written as if Daphne was speaking directly to the reader. She was particularly good learning German from her French/English background, however not so good in finding appropriate men.
A kind of mystery took place when Daphne’s window was smashed by a rock, not once but twice, making her feel as if she was being pursued. The language used by the author kept the story intriguing and relatively fast paced. An intended theme in the book was that society uses terms about women, such as “she is a hot mess,” whereas that is not true of men. The true theme seemed to be the emotional problems stemming from anorexia. The group felt that judgmental language about women did not come across very strongly, therefore the consensus was 3.5 stars. Still, a good read.