Regina's Reviews > What You Can See from Here

If books wore shoes, What You Can See from Here would wear slippers. It plods along so softly that you barely notice its forward movement. Then it kicks you gently in the shin to say, pay attention, I’m here and something just happened.

Originally published in German in 2017, it is primarily the story of young Luisa and her grandmother, Selma, living life in small town Germany. Whenever Selma dreams of an okapi, someone always seems to die. (Get your fingers ready to google… an okapi is a real animal that looks like a cross between a zebra and a giraffe.) The book never truly enters magical realism territory but rather hovers close to superstition, making it feel like a 20th century European fable.

It’s an odd book full of quirky characters and head-scratching plot lines. The theme of Buddhism is largely explored, along with ruminations on ill-fated love and grief. It’s a story I liked but wish I had loved. Perhaps a little was lost in translation.

3.5 stars

I wish to thank the author and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an advance copy to review via NetGalley. What You Can See from Here is now available.

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