The Flight - Hardcover

Malessa, Bryan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007241062 ISBN 13: 9780007241064

Publisher: Fourth Estate, 2007

Synopsis

A powerful novel set at the end of World War II about one woman and her family's struggle for survival.

The thrust of this epic novel occurs in the spring of 1945, during an event known in Germany as Die Flucht, or The Flight, when some 12 million Eastern European ethnic-Germans fled their ancestral homes to escape the advancing Soviet Army.

‘The Flight’ tells the story of Ida, a mother who attempts to take her children from their village in East Prussia to the assumed safety of Berlin. Travelling by foot, boat and rail across enemy lines, she quickly discovers that their survival is dependent on her will to save them, and on overriding the silent tragedies they will face during the journey west. Ida's is a terrifying passage, soaked with a bleak sadness, but her quiet bravery and sorrowful resilience in the face of the depravity of war is captivating.

Told with clarity and beauty, in a remarkably understated way, ‘The Flight’ is a captivating novel of authenticity and power, which opens up a chapter of World War II long overlooked.

About this title

Review:

'The opening chapters of “The Flight” are a lyrical evocation of rural life and culture of this remote region with its mysterious forests and amber-strewn coast...”The Flight” joins a small but growing body of literature on the subject, but the novel does not seek to exonerate the Germans...recounted in sober, restrained prose, “The Flight” is unremitting in its depiction of the brutality of war and conquest. But there is something uplifting in the way Ida endures her terrifying journey with quiet courage, determined to protect her children at all costs.' Independent

'Between the end of the second world war and 1948, some 12 million ethnic Germans fled their homes to escape the advancing Soviet army. Rendered in understated prose, this vividly imagined landscape becomes all the more powerful.' The Observer

'At the novel's end, as the dead lie buried and the living turn their faces towards an uncertain future, a lightning-struck tree is uprooted and a sapling planted in its place. It is, Malessa suggests, the growth of hope in a landscape of despair.' Irish Times

‘There is no melodrama in this book, and no path to glory, but there is undeniable heroism, and hope. Ida is a remarkable character, and this is a fantastic exploration of the German experience of war. Malessa's skill in using just the right words to the maximum effect is phenomenal, and his book will always inform consciousness of that awful period in our human history. Please read this book.’ Impact Magazine

'Malessa has researched his debut novel thoroughly...he achieves a stark and moving narrative.' Telegraph

About the Author:

Bryan Malessa graduated from Berkeley, where his fiction was awarded the Chancellor’s and Eisner prizes. During 2002, he studied Creative Writing at Trinity College, Dublin. This is his first novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fourth Estate
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0007241062
• ISBN 13: 9780007241064
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256