I was reluctant to read this novel, because, for me,
Toibin’s biographical novel about Henry James,
The
Master, was a dud.
However, the German author Thomas Mann proves to be a much more
book-worthy subject. Like Henry James,
he is a closeted homosexual, but he marries Katia and fathers six children with
her. Plus, his life is in an almost
constant state of upheaval, due to WWI, WWII, McCarthyism, and the political
activism of some of his family members.
The success of his novels propel him to an affluent life but with the
aforementioned serious bumps along the way, plus the drug addiction of one of
his children and the suicides of two of his siblings. After having moved to the U.S., he and Katia
find themselves inconveniently in Sweden when Hitler goes to war, leading them
to a harrowing and desperate escape from Europe. I did find it a bit challenging to keep track
of his siblings, his children, their spouses and lovers, and his many
acquaintances, including composers and other writers. Plus, there are three Klauses(!), but the
vast cast of characters did not detract from my enjoyment of the novel. I do have a copy of Mann’s
The Magic Mountain, whose length is
somewhat intimidating, but I’m more inspired to tackle it now.
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