In a post-modern society, Eva Menasse searches for archaic patterns. She investigates the seven deadly sins, and finds sloth and gluttony, lust and pride, wrath, envy and greed in the actions of her altogether worldly protagonists. As in her debut novel “Vienna”, she tells stories with a unique and unforgettable blend of poetry and humour.
We’ve been able to do without God for a long time. But does this mean we’ve also done away with the sins? Based on the old teachings of the seven deadly sins, Eva Menasse addresses the major themes of literature: love and hate, guilt and forgiveness. Even today, people wrong each other for the same reasons as they did centuries ago.
A father is too lazy to assert himself against his ex-wife and daughters and find his own happiness. A young couple avoids the complexities of sexuality by making one partner the carer, the other the patient. A man misses out on his entire life to avoid showing any signs of weakness. And a divorced couple fight each other to their child’s grave.
The author describes her characters both passionately and affectionately. Behind the façade, where the sins are committed, there is ultimately a human core.
And just as the individual sins affect and merge into each other, so do these stories. Places and characters appear and reappear, connections become apparent beyond chapters – as in “Vienna”, Eva Menasse creates a magnificent whole with her unmistakeable wit and narrative speed.
