Böll’s novel seems redolent of a lost era. When the GDR and the DDR were still separate entities, when the Wall still stood. It’s the prerogative of the present to assume that the past was more innocent, unless, perhaps, one was born in wartime. Boll’s novel would seem to argue against the thesis that those more innocent days. The slight tale recounts the very modern trend of character assassination by the press, with Katharina seeking revenge for the way in which her life is traduced by the newspapers after she becomes involved with a suspected gangster.
Of as much interest as the subject matter of the novel is the dry, even terse narration, with the authorial voice regularly filtering through. The book’s avowed aim is to offer a dispassionate account of the events surrounding Blum’s arrest and subsequent crime as they occurred, but the author’s sympathies are revealed via a sarcastic tone, which takes aim primarily at the authorities who are investigating Blum. The narrator’s irreverence keeps the story moving, via a series of short, sharp chapters. Ultimately, perhaps, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum doesn’t quite live up to its reputation; it has the feel of a minor, satirical work which touched a major nerve within its society at the time of writing. Having said which, satire is always trapped within the confines of the society it critiques; what shines through is the relish with which the author goes about lancing the boils.
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