review
Based on the author’s own family history, Martha and Her Kin is a compelling work of historical fiction by one of Switzerland’s best-known novelists. An assured voice that crosses the divide between deeply personal histories and universal themes, Lukas Hartmann’s latest work is sure to strike a chord with readers of literary and historical fiction.
Martha (based on the author’s grandmother) is born into poverty in early-twentieth-century Switzerland. When their father dies in an accident at work, she and her siblings are separated and sent to live with foster families as indentured child workers. This practice – the children were known as Verdingkinder – was widespread in Switzerland until the 1960s, but was largely unrecognised until the early 2000s when several former child labourers decided to speak out. Aged eight, Martha is expected to carry out menial tasks and also accompany the family’s violent, mentally ill son on daily walks. Though a teacher helps her to get work in a weaving mill and she eventually saves enough to buy a bicycle, it isn’t until she marries shoemaker Jakob that she gains a degree of freedom.
When Jakob dies young, leaving Martha and their two children destitute, history appears ready to repeat itself. As war looms, the family struggles on, and the two boys grow up and marry. Both have their own issues to contend with; only the next generation (which includes the author-narrator, Bastian) manages finally to realise its potential and form healthy relationships. Traumatised by her experiences and exhausted by life’s challenges, Martha remains emotionally distant. At the end of the novel, however, Bastian visits her in a nursing home, where grandson and grandmother tentatively reconcile.
Though it ends on a note of hope, Martha and Her Kin is a profound and moving exploration of social injustice and conflict, particularly in the context of their impact on children. Highlighting a dark episode in Switzerland’s history, yet engaging with universal themes and the emotional toll of struggling to survive, Hartmann’s accomplished style and expert craft make this an absorbing and memorable novel.
Rights sold: Italy, Palingenia.
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All recommendations from Autumn 2024