“Thomas Mann once said that if he were Jewish, Buddenbrooks would be read quite differently. Of course, if he’d been Jewish, well, who knows what kind of story he would have written? Maybe something more like Gabriele Tergit’s multigenerational family saga Effingers, which, with its epic sweep, psychological depth, and linguistic brilliance, recalls Mann’s novel, but which trains its sights on the heady, fraught world of the German-Jewish haute bourgeoisie. It’s a remarkable book, full of insights and characters that make a lasting impression, and, happily, Sophie Duvernoy’s sustained sensitivity as a writer matches Tergit’s.” —Paul Reitter
“If any novel deserves to be called epic, it’s Effingers. Inspired by Tergit’s own family history, this account of the rise and fall of a German Jewish clan has an addictive immediacy that will make you reluctant to put it down, despite its intimidating bulk — and despite the historical storm clouds you know will be looming.” —The New York Times
“Sometimes the term ‘lost masterpiece’ proves to be little more than a publisher’s puff. At other times, however, a long-buried book that is dug up, dusted down and branded a classic is worthy of the accolade. That applies to Gabriele Tergit’s Effingers . . . It is thoroughly immersive and unfolds in precise, often stark prose, expertly translated by Sophie Duvernoy. It is packed with well drawn scenes of individual struggles and family dramas . . . The novel constitutes not only a sweeping panorama but also a series of captivating portraits.” —Malcolm Forbes, The Spectator
“Tergit’s novel, hitherto unavailable in English, is in part a roman à clef, narrated in unadorned, matter-of-fact prose. The Effinger family is a blend of urban and rural, secular and religious, socialist and capitalist . . . [each] striving to find their places in the world as the 20th century nears . . . The book, published in 1951, predated Germany’s full ‘postwar reckoning with the Holocaust.’ A masterwork of modern German literature.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“A blend of page-turner and the highest literary quality.” ―Der Tagesspiegel
“No other novel rescues the lost Berlin and the world of Jewish Berliners like this one. It is a work of disturbing truthfulness.” ―Süddeutsche Zeitung
“Anyone who reads it will accompany the characters for many decades and take some of them very much to their hearts.” ―Berliner Zeitung
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