The eloquent, semiautobiographical stories in Wegner's second collection (after Houses of Ivory) explore the everyday struggles and inner turmoils of an East German family coming to terms with life in present-day Las Vegas, Nev. The nine connected stories tell of Martin and his parents' exile from Silesia, Germany, at the end of World War II, when the region was given to Poland. Martin was 13 when the war ended, and he still feels guilt at the memory of events over which he had no control. In ordinary conversations at meals, during holidays or standing around a swimming pool, the characters exchange tales spanning the middle of the 20th century. Their recollections movingly recount the dislocation and quiet suffering of millions of Germans during and after the war. In the title story, Martin's childhood friend Lottel and her husband come for a visit and Lottel tries to recreate a favorite meal from the old country using ingredients purchased in a supermarket, but the meat and red cabbage dish proves disappointing: "True, they were happy being together at the same table after a half century away from Silesia, but the food that was to have reminded them of home didn't have the flavor of the past." Throughout, the book details near unimaginable losses—of identities, of homelands, of loved ones. The characters uneasily accept their exile status while fighting to preserve the memories—both good and bad—of the past. "I can't just slip into a new life as if I were a confidence man gluing on a fake mustache," Martin remarks. Despite the melancholy, this collection of measured, haunting stories is buoyed by underlying themes of survival and hope. (Sept.)
