Painting: Courtesy of B. Haynie
MOTHERLAND BY JO MCMILLAN
Welcome to my second book review.
Today’s book is of special interest to me as it is partly set in former East Germany during the late 1970s. Having spent three months at the Karl Marx Univeristy in Leipzing before reunification I was keen to see how well the author captured the GDR’s unique and complicated spirit? How well and accurately she portrayed the places and its people?
The answer to both these questions is resounding very well indeed.
Written in the first person of 13-year-old Jess, Motherland follows three years of her life as a communist believer whilst living in Tamworth. Her mother, Eleanor, is a staunch socialist (communism is in the blood) and she works ceaselessly for the cause whilst at the same time being employed as a teacher.
To start with the writing style is comic in places, wonderfully fluid and light. Of her mother, Jess says “…her communist beliefs. Card-carrying. Chronic. As if it were a medical condition”.
As a child at Grammar School Jess suffers for her beliefs; facing both scorn and physical punishment from both the pupils and members of staff. Miss Downing, the headmistress, regards Jess “with a dead father and a communist other, … as good as orphaned”. As it was Jess’s father died before she was born. “Each just the other side of life.”
Tamworth is unreceptive, and at times violent, to Eleanor’s zealous campaigning and Jess herself describes it as “…that’s what you did with Time in this town, filled it. Because you weren’t born with a life, but a giant hole”.
No wonder therefore that Eleanor and Jess are overjoyed to receive the opportunity to travel to East Germany for a summer whilst Eleanor takes on teaching classes. Finally they are being offered the chance to experience the socialist dream.
Their first visit fails to dampen their innocent and naive trust in the system. For Eleanor she views GDR not so much through rose-coloured spectacles, rather through technicoloured rainbow glasses. During their first visit and subsequent visits and events her indefatigable belief in the GDR never falters.
Her unsuspecting beliefs never waver whereas Jess becomes increasingly aware of the discrepancies of the promised words and reality. Whilst Jess changes during these pivotal years she continues to love and protect her mother – realising that her mother is as happy as she can be in the sharing community of the East German society.
The tension in the book mounts as Jess’s innocence is shattered and she gradually awakens to the murkier nature of the GDR, where friend becomes foe, where one’s every move is monitored, reported. Where paranoia is the norm.The first cracks in Jess’s beliefs are created through her friendship with an East German girl, Martina. Her mother befriends and later falls for Martina’s father, Peter. The friendship between the four will have devastating repercussions for them all.
As the book develops so does the language, mimicking Jess’s own internal development. From her comic language at such events as her childhood attempt to defect to the GDR, the language becomes more serious and sophisticated as Jess becomes unwittingly deeper involved in the intelligence world. It’s a most successful transition in writing style.
The author creates not only the sense of 1970s East Germany, with its Berlin Wall, grey cities, idyllic countryside, Bitterfeld, Buchenwald, Zwickau, endless monument visits and of course the trabbies; she also captures the spirit of the UK with its CND, National Front, Thatcher – and not forgetting the Angel Delight!
This book is not what I expected – more complex, multi-layered. Funny and sad with great characters who succeeded in getting under my skin and living with me long after I had finished the book. It’s most surprising and well-worth a read.
Book Rating: 
Publisher: John Murray Press
Release Date: 2 Jul 2015
“Sacred space is an absolute necessity for anybody today…This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.”
Joseph John Campbell
Annika Perry 
Dear Annika,
I’m really glad you enjoyed Motherland, and thank you so much for this wonderful review! As you say, the GDR had a complicated spirit, and there were many ways of being East German. Motherland isn’t the usual take: I wanted to show a place where flawed human beings made flawed human choices, and I’m glad the story rings true with someone who experienced the country.
By the way, having looked at your ‘About’ page, we don’t just have East Germany in common. I went to Leeds too. I did my PhD in the Chinese department and my wonderful supervisor lives in Ilkley.
And I do Pilates.
Wishing you all the best with your novel!
Jo
Dear Jo
It was lovely to see your comment upon my return from holiday and I’m so glad you liked the review. It was a pleasure to read and review your book.
The world is indeed becoming smaller! I have come across so many people who share places and experiences since starting the blog and find it fascinating to share snippets of information. Leeds is a wonderful university and the German department was always such a warm and kind place.
There were a few students doing joint honours German and Chinese and they spoke very highly of the Chinese department. When we bemoaned our ‘tough’ times in the GDR they retaliated with some of their stories from their year in China and we quickly shut up in the midst of our ‘luxury’!
Thank you for your best wishes for my novel; I appreciate that very much. Writing a book is not quite like anything else I have undertaken in my life; a journey on so many levels as I mention in my blog.
With warmest wishes
Annika
Thank You Annika for another illuminating review. This sounds like a story line that will give the reader insight of the Cold War time period. Very complex times as well as relationships of people on all fronts.
I also want to thank you for using the landscape in your article.
It was a very nice surprise when I read your blog. So very kind of you 😘
Yeah Barbara! So happy that wordpress has finally sorted its problems out and your comment got on. Well worth the wait. The book definitely brought the Cold War to life, on a personal level as opposed to the broader political spectrum. Relationships can be tough enough at the best of times without a regime throwing all their might against it. We are so lucky. It was a pleasure to use your painting – fitted perfectly with the emotive theme I felt. Many thanks to you. It’s always good if you can surprise people now and then.
Time to create a sacred space I think. Who knows what might come out of it? Hopefully something worthwhile, something to add another dimension to life.
Hope you find that sacred place Peter. Can’t wait to see what results – I like the idea of another dimension to life.
This book sounds very interesting, and I ‘d certainly like to read it. Is this an e-book?
Mike
Yes, it’s available as a hardback, priced £16.99 from Amazon and other retailers. You can also buy it for kindle for £8.99. Happy shopping and hope you like it.
What a deeply felt, intelligent and knowledgeable review.
I am totally drawn in and Jo McMillan must be pleased.
That you spent time in GDR yourself gives you an even deeper
understanding of life in such an environment.
Funnily I had the other day saved the quote by Campbell myself.
The painting bring me peace and a smile.
Thank you!
Mirja, so happy you enjoyed today’s post. The painting suited the theme so well I felt and as for the quote, we often forget to give ourselves time and space to do nothing, thereby feeding our creativity. There were many parts of the book I could relate to regarding places and experiences in the GDR so a very good read.