Maristed K, Broken Ground, Literary Fiction (Shoemaker & Horn 2003)
Out of print
I would really appreciate your help with this book. Read on to find out why.
Kaethe, half German and half American, returns to modern Berlin to find her estranged adult daughter. She has no clues, no friends, no means to be certain her daughter wants to be found. As her quest flounders and her money runs out, she finds herself lost in memories of divided Germany and a betrayed marriage
Why am I writing about a book that is out of print? I know Kai Maristed. I’ve also been lucky enough to read her newer work, and this is an author who should be in print, one of which is sitting in her drawer and I think is her best book. I’m writing this review in the hope that it can help get this wonderful author back in print.
I struggled through the first hundred pages of Broken Ground because it wasn’t what I expected it to be. The book is introduced as quest to find Kaethe’s daughter, but almost no actual searching seems to go on. It’s there between paragraphs and tucked away between phrases, but if you’re looking for a mystery thriller, you’re looking in the wrong place.
This book is about Kaethe trying to find herself. She may be headstrong, but she is not a strong. As we flit back and forth through who memories we are treated to extraordinary prose about a woman who isn’t trying to find her daughter. She’s trying to find herself, and thus the strength of identity to find her daughter.
Once you accept what this book is, it is beautiful. It’s poetry. Searching for her daughter may be the bravest thing Kaethe has done, and as she becomes the person who can achieve this, we share in her newfound effulgence. This book for a poem about how, eventually, and no matter how late, any of us can redeem ourselves.
The only book by Maristed you can currently buy is her first novel, Out After Dark, so if the writer sounds interesting check that out. If you are a reviewer who would like to help get the word out, I can get a copy sent to you; If you have any ideas about how we can get Maristed back into print, or if you’re an agent looking for someone whose next book will be her best, check her out via this link or contact me directly.
