Review: Kafka's House
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 19, 2011
Near the beginning, when eight-year old Silvia Marcu, the protagonist and narrator of "Kafka's House," is introducing herself to the reader she mentions that people who live in small houses make her uneasy.  She then relates this to how she felt years later when she visited the house in Prague where Franz Kafka once lived.  This house, while extremely small, is also where Kafka wrote much of his work.  Silvia says, "I was stunned to see how someone with such vast inner spaces can live in such a ridiculously small house."If there is an overriding theme to "Kafka's House," it is while someone might be restricted in many ways it is still possible to have an enjoyable and full life by focusing on those areas that are unrestricted.  Romania in the 1960s was very restrictive.  The country was communist, with the constraints that implies.  The Soviets were invading neighboring Czechoslovakia, which created more stress and less freedom as they prepared for the possibility of war.  Silvia's house, while larger than Kafka's, was still small and crowded with Silvia, her parents, and sister living in a two-room apartment.  Yet, Silvia had a zest for life and all it had to offer.I found the book enjoyable, not only for the story, but for the glimpse it gave of growing up in a different country and culture.  The differences are revealing, yet I found the similarities show almost as much.  Kids interact with each other in the same way, regardless of country.  They worry about schoolwork.  They love to play and are sharp observers of the world around them as they seek to understand that world and their place in it.  Some experiences truly are universal.**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog.**