Book Review: “In Times of Fading Light”

As part of their work for the Multicultural Germany undergraduate seminar at UC Berkeley, students in the course have reviewed recent German books relating in various ways to topics of migration, multiculturalism, and contemporary German identity. Jennifer Lau reviewed Eugen Ruge’s 2011 novel, In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts (In Times of Fading Light) :

Family dynamics, interestingly enough, rarely change across time. Society progresses and human beings adapt, but internal relations among those who share blood and genetics remain mostly the same. The literary fiction novel, In Times of Fading Light by Eugen Ruge (2011), presents the story of a family struggling to adapt to their setting amidst political uncertainty surrounding the rise and fall of the GDR while reconciling their ideals, identity and freedom… [Read full review here]