Review of Sister Europe by Nell Zink

by Roxanne Baker

Sister Europe is Nell Zink’s most intellectual novel to date, providing the reader with different languages, sometimes translated, sometimes not.  So if you’re German or French, or bilingual and like to exercise your linguistic prowess, this novel is magnafique, or should I say, herrlich.

Set in contemporary Berlin, the story centers on individuals, some familiar, some not, who attend an author award ceremony.  Zink, an ex-pat herself, sprinkles in her knowledge of Germany, geopolitics, and architectural knowledge through her character's witty banter, making you smitten with each one equally.  And there are many to enjoy:  Demian who is in the publishing business and attends sans wife, his trans daughter Nicole who attends by accident after being scooped up by Toto, Demian’s longtime friend.  Then there’s Klaus, an undercover officer who was following Nicole thinking she was an underage troller looking for a hook up.  Avianca, a bouncy internet date, who Toto has repeatedly been stood up by, so frequently that she is known as The Flake, appears finally to be his escort.  Livia, an emotional deep soul who used to be Toto’s girlfriend, attends with her French poodle Fisti and last but not least, Radi, a young middle eastern nobleman who is serving as a reluctant host due to his mother’s aversion to Berlin’s winter cold.   

With this many personalities, you can imagine a great time and indeed, Zink provides a fun ride as the cast of characters descend into the cold night in search of food better than the hotel ceremony provided.  Relationships bud and collapse as the group bonds with a whimsical surprising finish.  A perfect beach or airline read for anyone in need of a little lightness, but at the same time cerebral, in search of distraction from our madcap world.