Thoughts at the halfway point of A Dreambook for Our Time

This book takes a while to get going partly because it has such a disorientating start. The lead character emerges from a poison induced coma to find that he is surrounded by the villagers from a small Polish town.

The year is in the early 1960s but for those in the village it could easily be further back in the past as most have an existence dominated by the shadow of the Second World War. The village is also dominated by the nearby woods which are reputed to be the hiding place of a partisan leader as well as the burial ground for war victims. Hitler started to build a bunker complex there and the memories of the events of the war are supported by the physical reminders.

So it is no surprise with all the memories and the general looking back to the past that the main character starts to unfold his own memories. Just what he is doing in the village is unclear but he seems to be looking for someone and the woods and the partisan leader hold the key. But he is also influenced by the experiences of those around him and he seems to be searching for someone he knew in the war.

Full review soonish…