I’m really annoyed! Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz wrote this amazing novel in 1937 and died 5 years later after publishing only one other novel and I feel like I’ve been cheated. I want more, more, more of his unique style, his choice of characters and his storytelling. We have in Berlin Shuffle the stories of a variety of men and women deeply impacted by WWI and the lousy post-war economy. Many who served or who worked for a decent living in the past are begging on the streets. Women are also forced to the streets as prostitutes. Here and there, the characters we meet became criminals at some point, albeit in indirect ways. And so the story begins with a grocery storeowner agreeing to lease his basement two two beggars, one who is obviously not all there for a tiny sum. That tiny sum gives them a roof but also a very wet and leaky surface. It gives the storeowner just a little more to get through a life on the edge of being okay. And each night, the men must be locked in at an agreed upon time, to be let out only when the storeowner arrives the next morning. This is so they do not steal food from the store, although this is not totally successful.
Stories and characters are woven together, meeting up ultimately at a bar where each has come for one reason or another. There are twists and turns and backstories that are drawn beautifully throughout. People leave the bar when something unexpected happens. And there is an ending that makes sense, if it is a little abrupt. But through it all, each character, whether of good or bad morals, whether on the skids or doing adequately, is made completely human. Each of them is interesting, whether off-putting or endearing. Each of them has gotten where they are in different ways and for different reasons but for each of them, it all makes sense. I LOVED this novel and the narrator, Neil Hellegers was excellent.
They Called me Bookworm 