Inseparable - Softcover

The first time I read a book translated from German to English, it was Bernhard Schlink's excellent novel The Reader. At the time, I wondered why I hadn't read more translated works. It seemed clear that I'd missed out on opportunities to enjoy great stories while gaining insights into other cultures, so I was glad to hear that AmazonCrossing is giving readers more options in translated fiction.

Inseparable, by Dora Heldt, is the German version of Sex and the City, with a much larger cast of friends. The main character, Christine Schmidt, is a columnist for a city magazine; her columns, scattered throughout the book, give the reader a view of her past and present friendships.

In the beginning of the story, Christine is 43, childless, and divorced. Her marriage dissolved when her husband left her for her former best friend, Antje, and since then she's lost faith in female friendships. To cheer her up, a few of Christine's friends decide to throw her a surprise birthday party, inviting all her friends going back to childhood.

While reading Inseparable, I was struck by the cultural differences between Germany and the United States: the prevalence of smoking and drinking there (lots of champagne and the resulting hangovers); what seemed to be an easy acceptance of a friend's affair with a married man; the mention of a traditional wedding newsletter consisting of recipes and crossword puzzles; friends linking arms when walking in public; a dish called Greunkohl, full of peeled potatoes, with mascarpone crème for dessert.

But the novel has universal elements as well, like the sometimes testy dynamics between mothers and daughters, the difficulty of renewing lapsed friendships, and the desire to lose weight before a big reunion. The reader is also privy to some touching questionnaires filled out by the party guests detailing their relationships with Christine and their thoughts on friendship in general.

Inseparable is an ideal novel for those who like to listen in on private conversations, vicariously experience the ups and downs of one woman's life--and, of course, enjoy a happy ending. After you turn the last page, you may just want to pick up the phone and call an old friend.

The best-selling author of A Scattered Life, Easily Amused, and Celia and the Fairies, Karen McQuestion has published essays in Newsweek, Chicago Tribune, the Denver Post, the Christian Science Monitor, and several anthologies.