by Leon de Winter
Lately I listen to more books than I read. Actually, it is not as bad as it sounds: these books are additional “lecture” since I listen to them when I walk to and from work – an additional hour per day to dive into more of the interesting literary universes.
A very good friend of mine gave me “leo Kaplan” as gift years ago/ It was my first Leon de Winter novel and I spread it between my friends after reading it. I think all of them did the same thing with their friends. Having made this confession you might consider to adjust teh following appraisals, Most likely, I am biased.
The paper version of the the book has a long introduction how events on the early earth have dire consequences in the very present. The 17 year old daughter of Jan Kopman (the storyteller) dies in a car accident in Malibu due to this chain of events. I guess it is just a mean to illustrate the hopeless quest for explanation of the inexplicable. That is one of the main topics, another are the moral implications of organ donation. Moreover, questions of guilt: the guy who drove the motorbike with Kopman’s daughter on the rear seat, wants to serve forever to Kopman to understand what happened that day. And last but not least, a spy story involving an old friend, who is now a devout member of the Mossad. I almost forgot to mention a Tibetan monk, a former lover and a Swiss banker, who are involved with the lost Jewish bank accounts in Switzerland. It seems overloaded, but all of these different threads are woven together to a very entertaining, coherent novel.
A very good friend of mine gave me “leo Kaplan” as gift years ago/ It was my first Leon de Winter novel and I spread it between my friends after reading it. I think all of them did the same thing with their friends. Having made this confession you might consider to adjust teh following appraisals, Most likely, I am biased.
The paper version of the the book has a long introduction how events on the early earth have dire consequences in the very present. The 17 year old daughter of Jan Kopman (the storyteller) dies in a car accident in Malibu due to this chain of events. I guess it is just a mean to illustrate the hopeless quest for explanation of the inexplicable. That is one of the main topics, another are the moral implications of organ donation. Moreover, questions of guilt: the guy who drove the motorbike with Kopman’s daughter on the rear seat, wants to serve forever to Kopman to understand what happened that day. And last but not least, a spy story involving an old friend, who is now a devout member of the Mossad. I almost forgot to mention a Tibetan monk, a former lover and a Swiss banker, who are involved with the lost Jewish bank accounts in Switzerland. It seems overloaded, but all of these different threads are woven together to a very entertaining, coherent novel.
Facts:
English title: God´s Gym
Original title: God´s Gym
Published: 2002
