Synopses & Reviews
Broken Glass Park made a remarkable debut when it was published in Germany in 2008. Its author, the twenty-nine-year old Russian-born Alina Bronksy has since been hailed as a wunderkind, an immense talent who has been the subject of constant praise and debate.
The heroine of this enigmatic, razor-sharp, and thoroughly contemporary novel is seventeen- year-old Sacha Naimann, born in Moscow. Sacha lives in Berlin now with her two younger siblings and, until recently, her mother. She is precocious, independent, skeptical and, since her stepfather murdered her mother several months ago, an orphan. Unlike most of her companions, she doesn't dream of getting out the tough housing project where they live. Her dreams are different: she wants to write a novel about her mother; and she wants to end the life of Vadim, the man who murdered her.
What strikes the reader most in this exceptional novel is Sacha's voice: candid, self-confident, mature and childlike at the same time: a voice so like the voices of many of her generation with its characteristic mix of worldliness and innocence, skepticism and enthusiasm. This is Sacha's story and it is as touching as any in recent literature.
Germany's Freundin Magazine called Broken Glass Park "a ruthless, entertaining portrayal of life on the margins of society." But Sacha?s story does not remain on the margins; it goes straight to the heart of what it means to be seventeen in these the first years of the new century.
Review
"Whether it's autobiographical or not, Bronsky writes with a gritty authenticity and unputdownable propulsion, capturing the egotism and need of a girl just beginning to understand her own power." Vogue
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"Surprising, poetic, extremely well-crafted... recalls the narrative art of Zadie Smith." Stadtrevue
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"The most exciting new arrival of the season." Der Spiegel
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"Youthful, fast-paced, at times sad, never sugarcoated. Broken Glass Park tells the story of a marvelous reawakening." Modern Zeiten
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"Playful, audacious and brimming with verve....A gripping read." Book Reporter (Germany)
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"The literature industry has a new prodigy! Bronsky is an immense talent." Focus (Germany)
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"Sascha Naimann truly is a heroine for our time....Her story, told with wit and flair, will grab you as it grabbed me." Alicia Erian, author of New York Time Notable Book Towelhead
Synopsis
Russian-born Alina Bronksy has been the subject of constant praise and debate since her debut novel, Broken Glass Park, was published in Germany in 2008. She has been hailed as a literary prodigy and her novel as "an explosive debut" (Emma Magazine). Now, Broken Glass Park makes it's first appearance in English in Tim Mohr's masterful translation.
The heroine of this throughly contemporary novel is Sascha Naimann. Sascha was born in Moscow, but now lives in Berlin with her two younger siblings and, until recently, her mother. She is precocious, independent, street-wise, and, since her stepfather murdered her mother several months ago, an orphan. Unlike most of her companions, she doesn't dream of escaping from the tough housing project where they live. Sascha's dreams are different: she longs to write a novel about her beautiful but naive mother and she wants to end the life of Vadim, the man who brutally murdered her.
Sascha's story, as touching as any in recent literature, is that of a young woman consumed by two competing impulses, one celebrative and redemptive, the other murderous. In a voice that is candid and self-confident, at times childlike and at others all too mature, Sascha relates the struggle between those forces that can destroy us, and those that lead us out of sorrow and pain back to life.
Germany's Freundin Magazine called Broken Glass Park "a gripping portrayal of life on the margins of society." But Sascha's story does not remain on the margins; it goes straight to the heart of what it means to be young, alive, and conscious in these first decades of the new century.
Synopsis
Born in Moscow, now living in Berlin with her two younger siblings, Sascha Naimann is precocious, independent, streetwise, and, since her stepfather killed her mother several months ago, an orphan. Unlike most of her companions, she doesn't dream of escaping from the tough housing project where they live. Sascha's dreams are different: she longs to write a novel about her beautiful but na ve mother, and she dreams of ending the life of Vadim, the man who murdered her. Sascha's gripping story is that of a young woman consumed by two competing impulses, one celebrative and redemptive, the other murderous. In a voice that is candid and self-confident, Sascha relates the struggle between these two impulses in a novel that Germany's Freundin Magazine called "a gripping portrayal of life on the margins of society."
Sascha's story goes straight to the heart of what it means to be young, alive, and conscious in twenty-first century.
Synopsis
In this "riveting debut" a Russian teenager living in Berlin dreams of taking revenge on the man who killed her mother--"A stark, moving tale of resiliency" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
A finalist for the prestigious Ingeborg Bachmann Prize
Now an award-winning motion pictureSeventeen-year-old Sascha Naimann was born in Moscow, but now lives in Berlin with her two younger siblings. She is precocious, independent, streetwise, and ever since her stepfather Vadim murdered her mother several months ago, an orphan. Unlike most of her peers, Sascha doesn't dream of escaping the grim housing project where they live. Sascha's dreams of writing a novel about her beautiful but na ve mother . . . and of taking Vadim's life.
In a voice that is candid and self-confident, by turns childlike and mature, Sascha relates the internal struggle between those forces that can destroy us, and those that lead us out of sorrow and back to life. Broken Glass Park goes straight to the heart of what it means to be young, alive, and conscious in these first decades of the new millenium.
"A gripping portrayal of life on the margins of society."--Freundin magazine(Germany)
Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Sacha Naimann is precocious, independent, skeptical, and, since her stepfather murdered her mother, an orphan. Her dream is to write a novel about her mother — and end the life of the man who murdered her.
About the Author
Alina Bronsky was born in Yekaterinburg, an industrial town at the foot of the Ural Mountains in central Russia. She moved to Germany when she was thirteen. Her debut novel, Broken Glass Park, was nominated for one of Europe's most important literary awards, the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize, and was published by Europa Editions in 2010.