The author, an award-winning Dutch journalist with professional expertise on Russia, writes his family history that is well-grounded in the European experience. This family of riches and complexities has ties to Latvia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Like most memoirs, this work can be seen as the author making sense of his own complex life here. Münginghoff died in April of 2020, shortly before this translation was published.
Overall, this is a tragic story, not a hopeful one. There are few noble characters detailed inside. It is simply a story of European life, caught up in the difficulties of the Second World War. The author’s grandfather was a rich businessman who was kicked out of Latvia by the Bolsheviks. His son, the author’s father, was a German SS officer on the Eastern front. He had many failings, which are detailed in this work. The family story bobs and weaves from there. His son, a writer and lawyer by trade, has obviously tried to make sense of his family history.
There are very few healthy relationships described in this book. Indeed, there is much strangeness. In some ways, it reads like a Franz Kafka novel with all of its grotesqueness. Each of the main characters appear profoundly lonely and manipulate their family members to achieve their individually desired ends. The author seems to be seeking some sort of peace and normalcy within this maelstrom.
This book is recommended to those seeking to make sense of their own variegated family experiences. Also, the European backdrop highlights national rivalries and historical prejudices of this complex continent. As one would expect from an award-winning journalist, it is well-composed and appears thoroughly researched. I am left desiring more hopefulness and noble character, however. These people seem to lack virtue – at least, when virtue is present, the author views it as a mere mask of darker sentiments. Thus, the reader is left with much cynicism and without much positive to take away.
The Son and Heir: A Memoir
By Alexander Münninghoff
Translated by Kristen Gehrman
Copyright (c) 2020
Amazon Crossing
ISBN13 9781542004558
eBook
Genre: Autobiography/Memoir
www.amazon.com