Schroder

Feb 04, 2013 Jeanette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-fiction, america, domestic-and-relationship-fiction, av

Bleh.
Not bad.
But nothing to call home about.
Or make foam about.
Or write a poem about.
Which I just did.
But not really.
Because it wrote itself.

This was an interesting concept for a novel, but it never achieved lift-off for me. I kept waiting for some revelations that would have made it worth my effort, but I never got to find out what I wanted to know. The narrator remains cagey right through to the end.

SCHRODER is a road novel in the form of a confessional apology, with scattered bits of per...more

20 likes · like · see review

Jan 09, 2013 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Eric Kennedy – nee Erik Schroder – needs a life he can revise. In ways, he embodies The American Tragedy written by Dreiser over a century ago; he has come to the land of opportunity and reinvention to find a new self.

In so many ways, Erik is a product of wherever he is in time. Born in divided East Berlin, he experienced first-hand the desperation that comes from a physical division. Now, years later, he finds himself in the midst of an acrimonious custody battle for the one person he truly lov...more Eric Kennedy – nee Erik Schroder – needs a life he can revise. In ways, he embodies The American Tragedy written by Dreiser over a century ago; he has come to the land of opportunity and reinvention to find a new self.

In so many ways, Erik is a product of wherever he is in time. Born in divided East Berlin, he experienced first-hand the desperation that comes from a physical division. Now, years later, he finds himself in the midst of an acrimonious custody battle for the one person he truly loves: his six-year-old daughter, Meadow. The problem – or one of the problems – is that in the interim, Erik has reinvented himself. He took on the identity of a distant Kennedy cousin (yes, THOSE Kennedys!) to apply to a prestigious camp and later, to earn a Pell Grant that allowed him to gain access to a college education.

It is here – and only here – that the novel slips into inauthenticity. It is difficult to accept that Eric could so seamlessly change identities, even in 1984. He manages to keep his father from visiting him at college and lies to his wife Laura without any detection.

The beauty of this book is that as readers, we slide over that obstacle and accept Eric Kennedy, who is – to put it mildly – an unreliable narrator. His first-person account of the unplanned kidnapping of his daughter is recounted from the start in epistolary form to Laura, while he is in the correctional facility. As readers, we know how this journey will end from the start.

Yet there is so much to keep us going. Amity Gaige deal with heartfelt and complex issues: what happens when powerful parental love crosses the line? Can anyone truly reinvent himself or does the dissonance produce a fragmented identity? Is it possible for a deeply flawed person who hurts those who love him still be a “good” person? What makes a “good” person anyway?

Schroder should not be a sympathetic character. As readers, we quickly see the holes in his reasoning and understand how he is placing his daughter in perilous situations – both physically and emotionally. Yet Amity Gaige is a fine writer and somehow, we end up empathizing with Schroder – not an easy feat to accomplish. I should add that there are several footnotes in the text, starting out as an academic exploration into the theories of silence and gradually revealing more and more about him.

I started this review torn between 4 and 5 stars; upon completing it, it is apparent to me that this is, indeed, a 5 star book. Those who enjoyed Bonnie Nadzam’s book, Lamb – another book about troubled characters and human emotions that drive us to disturbing extremes – will particularly like this book.

(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 26, 2013 Sally Drake rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was brilliant. Such a strange story but it is so well written and the complicated characters so fully developed I found myself simultaneously sympathetic and horrified by Erik. And heartbroken for Meadow. Although the plot is bizarre, the story is ultimately about marriage and parenthood and how sometimes it can go so wrong, especially when you are pretending it is not. A great read.

10 likes · like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Christina Josling rated it 5 of 5 stars

www.blackbifocals.com
Schroder. Ohhhhhhhh this book! It’s so so so incredible! It is a newly published book and I guarantee it will be making many appearances on Best of 2013 book lists.

Schroder is the story of a desperate man who kidnaps his daughter amid an acrimonious separation from his wife who has left him. The story is written in the first person by Eric Kennedy, in the form of a letter to his estranged wife, as he sits in jail for the kidnapping of their daughter Meadow.
This is also the...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 19, 2012 Karina Gaige rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am reading the galley of my sister's new novel! I predict that it's going to be huge and Brad Pitt is going to produce and star in the movie version.

16 likes · like · see review

Feb 03, 2013 Holly Weiss rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-releases, to-review, literary-fiction

Schroder: A Novel is both heartrending and magnificent. The book is a discerning reflection on fatherhood with contemporary issues that will appeal to men and women alike. Eric Kennedy narrates his confession to his estranged wife, explaining the circumstances of kidnapping their daughter for six days.

By falsifying an application to a New Hampshire summer camp, fourteen-year-old Schroder not only rewrites his childhood, but also changes his name to something more New England acceptable—Eric Kenn...more Schroder: A Novel is both heartrending and magnificent. The book is a discerning reflection on fatherhood with contemporary issues that will appeal to men and women alike. Eric Kennedy narrates his confession to his estranged wife, explaining the circumstances of kidnapping their daughter for six days.

By falsifying an application to a New Hampshire summer camp, fourteen-year-old Schroder not only rewrites his childhood, but also changes his name to something more New England acceptable—Eric Kennedy. After marrying stunning, deeply moral Laura, their daughter Meadow is born. Happy marriage soon turns to separation, Laura having custody of Meadow. Kennedy deludes himself with dreams of reconciliation even though his visitation rights are consistently diminishing. Eric is caught. He can’t enter a custody battle because there are no records to substantiate his fabricated past. His lawyer advises him to be on the offensive and file for divorce and custody of Meadow. An independent evaluation proves unfavorable toward him.

Eric views his subsequent abduction of six-year-old Meadow as an adventure at Lake George. “This is the first time this year than I haven’t felt like jumping off a bridge.” (p.70) He steals a car and decides to drive to Canada, putting his daughter in the trunk and using his German passport. It dawns on him that he has kidnapped her. Does he return to Albany and face her mother and the consequences of his actions?

Author Amity Gaige began writing at age seven. Her 2005 novel O My Darling won her the distinguished honor of 5 Under 35 by the National Book Foundation. The Folded World, published in 2007, won ForeWord Book of the Year, among numerous other awards. Gaige has also written for O Magazine and The Literary Review.

The special quality of Schroder: a Novel is that it is both offbeat and whimsical, with an alluring main character and premise we should frown upon. Instead we are drawn into a world that Amity Gaige makes irresistible. Although the main character is flawed, Gaige makes you fall in love with him and feel for his pain. I highly recommend the book for any discerning reader’s bookshelf. Schroder will appeal to mainstream fiction readers, but also more sophisticated lovers of literary fiction.

Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont

(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 26, 2013 Kim Katusha added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

ai, wat een mooi boek. Schroder maakt een tocht met zijn dochter en brengt haar niet op tijd weer terug. maar het is gecompliceerder dan dat. het gaat ook over identiteit, over gekozen identiteit. over de grenzen van de realiteit. en over zijn vreemde relatie, obsessie, met stilte.
maar eigenlijk maakt het niet uit waar dit boek over gaat: het is uniek, zowel in de schrijfstijl als de gekozen vorm. en de hoofdpersoon zal bij blijven, denk ik.

boordevol sterke, mooie, heldere zinnen. aanrader!

frag...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 20, 2013 Zazou rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gelezen-in-2013

Schroder vertelt het verhaal van een kinderlijke, naïeve, impulsieve man, die zonder enige kwade bedoelingen van de drup in de regen belandt. Je zou hem wel toe willen roepen:"Niet handig! Denk na!", maar het kwaad is al geschied voordat je er erg in hebt.

1 like · like · see review

May 06, 2013 Venuskitten rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Eric Kennedy is separated from his wife Laura and has access to their six year old daughter Meadow. On one access visit, he takes off with his daughter on a seven day road trip without telling anyone, leaving his estranged wife and her family distraught.

From the beginning of the book, Eric Kennedy admits that he is German and he changed his name from Erik Schroder when he was aged fourteen and wanted to fit in at summer camp. He has never told his wife this. Being known by a different name is n...more Eric Kennedy is separated from his wife Laura and has access to their six year old daughter Meadow. On one access visit, he takes off with his daughter on a seven day road trip without telling anyone, leaving his estranged wife and her family distraught.

From the beginning of the book, Eric Kennedy admits that he is German and he changed his name from Erik Schroder when he was aged fourteen and wanted to fit in at summer camp. He has never told his wife this. Being known by a different name is not a crime, but it does make Eric seem untrustworthy, especially because, as the book goes on, it becomes clear that he and his father left East Berlin, telling officials that Eric's mother has died. Eric is puzzled by this because he saw his mother at home earlier that day. Dishonesty almost becomes a means of survival.

As Meadow and Eric drive north towards Canada, he hides behind tissues of lies, lying to his daughter and people along the way. He meets April Almond, who abandons him at her cousin's dilapidated shack. At this point, Meadow desperately needs medical treatment and there is a race against time to get her to hospital.

Throughout the novel, Eric Kennedy/Schroder is irresponsible, never straightforward nor honest and mainly thinking of himself; after he spent a year caring for his daughter at home, loss of her inhaler should surely have struck him as potentially disastrous much earlier than it did and he does not let his wife know that Meadow is safe.

We never hear from Laura directly but then we don't need to have her distress set out in detail. I did however wonder if she suspected that he had a hidden identity.

We do not hear very much from Meadow either, but she seems too mature for a six year old. On the whole however, Amity Gaige writes well and the plot moves along. We are not told what happens to Eric and Meadow's relationship with him in the end, but maybe there will be a sequel.

Eric's sense of loss of his daughter following separation and divorce will be all too familiar for many parents and this book raises many issues.(less)

like · see review

May 03, 2013 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Eric Kennedy is not Eric Kennedy. Eric Kennedy is the name Erik Schroder, a German immigrant, adopts for himself when, still a child, he reinvents himself some years after coming to the U.S. Today, Eric Kennedy is a father, a realtor floundering post-housing market recession, and a soon-to-be-divorcee bewildered by his wife's decision to leave him. During a weekend visit with his 6-year-old daughter, he takes her away for an impromptu vacation - or kidnapping, depending on your perspective.

The...more

like · see review

May 03, 2013 Alecia rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would rate this book a 3.5/5 stars. I really liked the writing, and I admired the way the writer, Amity Gaige, used the first person to narrate this story, and get into the main character's head. She appears to have drawn inspiration from the true story of Clark Rockefeller, another man who lived his life as a fraud. I dimly remember that story on the news, and it had something to do with him kidnapping his child after posing most of his life as a "distant" relation to the Rockefeller family.

I...more

like · see review

Mar 29, 2013 Amy Bratcher rated it 1 of 5 stars

I normally do not take the time to comment on the books I read because others express my thoughts much more eloquently than I might do them justice. However, given my 1 star rating, I felt it necessary in this instance.

I stumbled across the intriguing synopsis for Schroder on Amazon, so I ordered it and immediately started reading upon its arrival. A week later, I was only through 1/3 of the book, which is unusual for me. I usually read books in one sitting or, at the most, 2-3 days. I found it...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 22, 2013 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Attending a New England summer camp, young Eric Schroder - a first-generation East German immigrant - adopts the last name Kennedy to more easily fit in, a fateful white lie that will set him on an improbable and ultimately tragic course.

Schroder relates the story of Eric's urgent escape years later to Lake Champlain, Vermont, with his six-year-old daughter, Meadow, in an attempt to outrun the authorities amid a heated custody battle with his wife, who will soon discover that her husband is not...more

like · see review

Mar 21, 2013 Mathew rated it 5 of 5 stars

Totally enjoyed Schroder. The relationship between Eric and Meadow is beautiful and believable, Meadow is a great character, the situation is riveting. Many of the scenes are inspired and electric, especially from departure/Albany --> arrival/Boston. Herein lies perhaps my one complaint, which is that I would have liked MORE of that journey. I seldom advocate a writer put more in when less will serve, but in this case, that material is so fecund, so alive, I would have liked to linger there a...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 18, 2013 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Erik Schroder is an East German refugee who settles with his father in a suburb outside of Boston where he is bullied by the children of Irish immigrants and is embarrassed by his humble beginnings. At 14, he adopts a new persona, becoming “Eric Kennedy” when he applies to and is accepted at Ossipee Camp which came to his attention through a brochure he spotted at his pediatrician’s office. (Schroder explains the ease of deception by reminding the reader that it occurred prior to the advent of t...more Erik Schroder is an East German refugee who settles with his father in a suburb outside of Boston where he is bullied by the children of Irish immigrants and is embarrassed by his humble beginnings. At 14, he adopts a new persona, becoming “Eric Kennedy” when he applies to and is accepted at Ossipee Camp which came to his attention through a brochure he spotted at his pediatrician’s office. (Schroder explains the ease of deception by reminding the reader that it occurred prior to the advent of the Internet; yet, even in the Stone Age, weren’t the parents of “scholarship students” vetted before the child was accepted?). Schroder claims that he never traded on his adopted surname; however, he makes his childhood home a fictitious village adjacent to Hyannis Port and he does not dissuade those who make the connection with the August political dynasty. Ultimately, he is able to parlay his new moniker into a college degree, a job, and a marriage to Laura that produces a daughter, Meadow. After five years, the light in the marriage dimmed, and Schroder finds himself the noncustodial parent whose visitation rights diminish. Recognizing that the unsophisticated life story that he concocted at age 14 would unravel were he to wage a custody battle, Schroder thoughtlessly abducts his daughter although he deludes himself into believing that he is not committing a crime and that upon Meadow’s safe return he will just pay a fine.

Because the book is written as a jailhouse confession or apology to Laura (and because Laura’s perspective is missing), Gage is able to manipulate the reader’s emotions so that we sympathize with Schroder and his plight to be with the daughter whom he adores while protecting his “lovingly constructed American life.” We forgive Schroder’s poor parenting choices (such as keeping a rotting fox corpse as a lesson about death) and even rationalize Schroder’s behavior when he seriously endangers Meadow’s life while on the run. Yet, while Gage makes Schroder’s actions seem forgivable, she also makes the reader question his sincerity since Schroder is also portrayed as narcissistic, pretentious and perhaps even unhinged. While the mystery surrounding his mother’s failure to follow the family to West Germany may explain Schroder’s psychology, we learn that Schroder circumvents addressing the truth when his father tries to offer an explanation.

As someone who followed the tale of Christian Gerhartsreiter, the Rockefeller impersonator and con man who abducted his own daughter, I was curious to read the perspective of the kidnapper. I am not sure that Gage authentically rendered the psychology of a middle-aged domestic kidnapper, but she has written an intriguing and riveting love story. (less)

like · see review

Mar 17, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Schroeder is a quirky story that takes place in Albany, NY. It's loosely based on Clark Rockefeller, the eccentric child abductor/murder/sociopathic liar. It's part confessional, travel journal, love story, overindulgent introspection, action thriller, among others. The prose is a bit too poetic at times, but on the whole, it’s worthwhile reading.

It was exciting reading a novel that takes place in my hometown. Amity Gaige describes Albany and the Capital District early on: "In order to answer th...more

like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 Pattie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read advance praise for this book and picked up the day it was released in my city. It did not disappoint. It is an extremely well-written account of a man's 6-day "kidnapping excursion" with his daughter. That last sentence doesn't begin to do this book justice. It is an account of love, loss, and identity and how a person can react when they feel their options are being taken away, even if they are ultimately responsible for those dwindling options. The main character, in spite of his action...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 16, 2013 Nicholas Gresens rated it 2 of 5 stars

I heard about this book on NPR and was intrigued. The story is certainly compelling, and the main character is sympathetic, at least to an extent. He is sympathetic to the extent that we have all been, or have imagined having been, in a situation where we have been forced to perpetuate what at first seemed an entirely benign lie. What's more, we have all been in a situation where we have wished we could recreate our identity to fit a more perfect vision of whom we imagine ourselves to be. This b...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 14, 2013 Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: lit-fic, family

This book completely took me by surprise! Its basic premise sounded interesting enough (a German man assumes a life under an American name) and I certainly did not expect to read it one sitting. But that was exactly what happened! Its format - Eric’s confession/love letter to his estranged wife - lent itself to being read continuously despite the separate sections. By giving Eric the first-person perspective, Gaige changed the whole feel of the book. From anyone else’s point of view (particularl...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 31, 2013 Becca Jayne rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I first began reading Schroder, it was clear that the main character, Erik, had wanted to and had erased his whole backstory and created a new life for himself under the name Erik Kennedy. Though his story was intriguing and beautifully written, someone who kidnapped their daughter would seem to be unlikeable. Still, I found myself not disliking him for those things because of sympathy. Schroder was moving and made for a page-turner, and I definitely found myself wondering why I hadn’t read...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 28, 2013 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book in a day. I really enjoy Gaige's writing style and loved The Folded World so I was anxious to read Schroder. It is a beautifully written letter/admission/confession written by a father who is going through a divorce and custody battle for his daughter. But it is also about identity. As you find out in the first few pages, Erik Schroder chooses at an early age to become Eric Kennedy, and pretty much erases his past. Of course this comes up when he decides to take his daughter on...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 19, 2012 Ginger rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read a galley of this book from work. I'm still not sure what exactly I thought about it. The writing is gorgeous, and somehow the author manages to make a character that SHOULD be extremely unlikable into a somewhat sympathetic person, which I give her great credit for. There are questions of love and family and self and how the past defines us and whether you can make your own destiny. In the midst of a horrible tale there are lots of moments that open up for discussion.

But at the same time,...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 25, 2012 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars

Erik Schroder is writing a letter to his estranged wife. It is an apology and an explanation as to why he felt compelled to kidnap their daughter. Writing from the correctional facility from which he awaits trial, Erik recounts his life and the choices he’s made that have brought him to this point.
Soon after fleeing East Germany with his father, a young Erik made his first mistake, the ramifications of which were not fully realized until several years later. This lie, his invention of a new nam...more

like · see review

Mar 15, 2013 Lola425 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent. What impressed me most about the book was that Gaige made Eric so real, so human. He was obviously a mess, you would certainly regret fathering a child with him, and yet--maybe not. Eric's s "confession" is simultaneously honest and dishonest, just when you find yourself having some sympathy for him--bam!--he does something utterly selfish and ridiculous that you hope he gets caught and soon. You ever really understand Eric's motivations, he hints at them, but you're never quite sure....more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 07, 2013 Larry Hoffer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Eric Kennedy (maybe a distant cousin of those Kennedys) grew up in a small Massachusetts town, not far from Hyannis Port, and had a perfectly idyllic New England childhood. He met the love of his life, Laura, when she was helping a young boy who had fallen out of a tree and broke his wrist, and the two had a loving, passionate relationship, culminating in the birth of their daughter, Meadow. And while Eric wasn't always the most traditional father, he doted on Meadow, allowing her to pursue what...more Eric Kennedy (maybe a distant cousin of those Kennedys) grew up in a small Massachusetts town, not far from Hyannis Port, and had a perfectly idyllic New England childhood. He met the love of his life, Laura, when she was helping a young boy who had fallen out of a tree and broke his wrist, and the two had a loving, passionate relationship, culminating in the birth of their daughter, Meadow. And while Eric wasn't always the most traditional father, he doted on Meadow, allowing her to pursue whatever adventures and ask whatever questions she wanted, and if sometimes that meant taking Meadow to an AA meeting (in support of a friend) or keeping a decomposing fox nearby so she understood the process, he did it all in love.

When Eric and Laura's marriage goes sour and the two separate, Eric is still so much in love with Laura he willingly allows her to become Meadow's main custodial parent, because he thinks his willingness to do what Laura wants will win her back. But it leaves him with visits with Meadow on alternate weekends and periodic Wednesdays, which starts to chafe him after a while, so he does what any good parent should do—try and fight for his daughter. And when he finds that fight hampered by a poor evaluation from a child custody expert, and his words and actions are turned against him, he finds himself left with no choice. One day, he and Meadow embark on a road trip—but they don't come back. They flee Albany headed for Canada, but wind up holed up in a cabin on Lake Champlain, and then continuing to flee the authorities for a few days.

In a letter to Laura, Eric looks back on his life, his actions, his love for both his daughter and his estranged wife, and his childhood. And it is in this confessional diatribe that Eric reveals a key fact: Eric Kennedy isn't a real person, nor is the Massachusetts town he says he grew up in. He's actually Erik Schroder, a West German illegal emigree, who fled to the U.S. with his father when he was seven, and grew up poor in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He changed his name as a teenager and never really looked back on that part of his life.

I felt that this story had a great deal of promise—a father's impulsive but deep love for his daughter, a man's invented identity, a life lived on the lam—but it never hooked me. Part of the reason for this is because while you can be sympathetic to Eric's motives, he is a generally unsympathetic character. His confessional letter to Laura is filled with declarations of love and explanations of his actions, from falsifying his identity to kidnapping his daughter, but it also contains a tremendous number of non-sequiturs on German history, Eric's "research" (on the famous pauses in history, moments when nothing really happened), and other items that failed to catch my attention. And Laura remains a shadowy character on the margin of the story; you're left to surmise how she feels and reacts but you never see it.

There was a lot packed into this book of under 300 pages, and the story never flowed for me. In the end, I didn't care what happened to Eric, and I just wanted his journey—both real and figurative—to end. (less)

like · see review

Mar 14, 2013 thewanderingjew rated it 4 of 5 stars

After listening to the audio version of the book, I wondered, is it an exposé, Erik’s memoir, an essay on marriage and parental responsibility, a treatise on love with an expiration date, or simply a straight forward confession of willful, deceitful behavior, given only because he was caught? Is the love of a wife or a child so great that logical, rational thought becomes all but impossible when the relationship with them is threatened?
Did Eric want to be discovered, to repent for his life of l...more After listening to the audio version of the book, I wondered, is it an exposé, Erik’s memoir, an essay on marriage and parental responsibility, a treatise on love with an expiration date, or simply a straight forward confession of willful, deceitful behavior, given only because he was caught? Is the love of a wife or a child so great that logical, rational thought becomes all but impossible when the relationship with them is threatened?
Did Eric want to be discovered, to repent for his life of lies, a life based totally on deceit? Is this why he pushed the envelope, knowing his actions would probably also bring about the discovery of his real identity and his disgrace? Did he risk all because of his devotion to his daughter or because of his memories of a similar event? I could not decide if he was malicious or simply misguided, naïve or cunning, creative or destructive. For sure, his actions put him on a downward spiral of his own making.
When the story begins, we find Eric Kennedy reading a lengthy statement that he has written to his wife in an attempt to explain his behavior and to influence her to forgive him. He finally tells the truth, in the hope that it will alter his future, and mitigate the charges against him and his eventual sentence. Privy to his innermost thoughts and the reasons for his many irrational actions, the reader learns of the trials of his childhood, and begins to comprehend his loneliness and sense of loss when his wife separates from him, thereby removing his daughter from his life on a daily basis, as well. Eric still loves them both, dearly, has difficulty getting beyond the moment and recovering from the loss. He is in denial, ever hopeful that life will return to normal, but what is normal or real for Eric Kennedy?
Eric Kennedy, AKA Erik Schroder, has reinvented himself in order to more perfectly fit in with a teenager’s life in America. At age 5, holding his father’s hand, he crossed the East German border and began a new life. He never saw his mother again. Soon, he moved to America where life was different but never easy, for an outsider. Poor and insecure, bullied by thugs, he grew more and more unhappy. When he learned of a posh boy’s camp in New Hampshire, he yearned for that life; and so, at age 14, Eric ceases to be a German immigrant and becomes a full-fledged American by becoming a character he makes up totally out of his imagination. Applying to become a camper there, using a fictitious name, he is surprised to actually not only get accepted but to also receive a full scholarship. His new persona is confident and from a more fortunate background than his own. He is no longer a foreigner in a foreign land, impoverished and alone, with only his father, a cold, distant, self-protecting man, for company. As Eric Kennedy, he is often mistaken for a relative of the Kennedys of Hyannis, rather than his real identity, which is a non-citizen lost in a sea of loneliness.
Eric keeps up this fraudulent personality, distancing himself from his father and creating a wonderful background, complete with a childhood in a marvelous, affluent community on Cape Cod, very near the Kennedy Compound. He forges documents, attends University and eventually marries and has a child. He is not very ambitious; he is grateful for what he has but doesn’t seem to want much more. As a stay at home parent, his judgment when it comes to child rearing often seems flawed. When cracks begin to form in the relationship between him and his wife, Laura, he is not quick to notice, and when finally, she wants a separation, visitation rights with his daughter take on a life of their own, especially as they are being curtailed, more and more, as time goes by, because Laura continues to find his behavior aberrational and seeks to cut his visitation rights and privileges to protect Meadow, their child. Devastated, Erik/Eric, makes even more foolish decisions than he has in the past, takes greater chances, even though he knows he is heading into the maelstrom; he is soon on the run.
The story feels like it is about the deconstruction of a human being who has constructed himself out of whole cloth to begin with and doesn’t seem to be realistically aware of the dangers facing him if he is found out. After awhile, It seemed as if Eric wasn’t sure where the old Erik began and the new Eric ended. Was his foolish attempt, as a teenager, to recreate his life and create a fantasy, really worth it? It was always fraught with the danger of discovery. It forced him to cut his ties with his father, the only person who loved him in America. How does that effect him? Did it make sense to push the envelope with Meadow, as he did, knowing it would lead to his detection as a fraud? Can he justify his actions and be saved? Can the reader find any redeeming qualities in Eric? Is he misguided or unstable?
He absconds with his daughter when she is only one year older than he was when his father absconded with him, albeit under different circumstances, which he never really wanted to uncover. Is his loss of his country and his mother what propels him to re-enact almost the very same scene with his daughter? Has he been harboring the pain of that loss and the bitterness of that separation all these years? Is it déjà vu that has caused him to snap? Has it poisoned his mind so much that he cannot determine right from wrong any longer and just wants to preserve his relationships regardless of the cost? Will he languish in prison or find some other form of justice to repent? The end of the confession will leave the reader wondering because final judgment has not yet been rendered.
(less)

like · see review

Feb 13, 2013 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

It must be impossible to love thyself, when uncomfortable in your own skin. As a child, when life is intolerable, how many have pretended for better things? To be a better person and the bad feeling you hold for yourself, the memories, the disconnection, eventually leaves, as you no longer acknowledge the person you know. This is purely a safety mechanism to save the self. A reinvention for a better brighter future. Makes perfect sense. It wasn't his fault to delude a future of happiness and pos...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2013 Charlene rated it 3 of 5 stars

Schroder is the story of Eric Kennedy, who was born Erik Schroder in East Germany. His marriage is breaking down and he goes on an unauthhorized "adventure" with his daughter, Meadow. I liked the story quite a lot, but there were a few things that stood out from reality and made me pause. I really liked the narrator's use of footnotes, which was an unusual technique and very enlightening. I really disliked that the daughter acted far older than a five-year-old would have, and Eric's conversation...more

like · see review

Jan 02, 2013 Bonnie Brody rated it 5 of 5 stars

Who is Schroder? Is he Erik Schroder, his given name, or is he Eric Kennedy, his self-proclaimed name that he took at the age of 14? Schroder was born in East Germany when the wall was still up. A political refugee, he ended up in Dorchester, Massachusetts with his father when a boy. At fourteen his goal was to go to a camp in New Hampshire and he applied to it under the name ‘Eric Kennedy’. He won a scholarship to the camp and at that time there were so data bases, social security cards were vo...more Who is Schroder? Is he Erik Schroder, his given name, or is he Eric Kennedy, his self-proclaimed name that he took at the age of 14? Schroder was born in East Germany when the wall was still up. A political refugee, he ended up in Dorchester, Massachusetts with his father when a boy. At fourteen his goal was to go to a camp in New Hampshire and he applied to it under the name ‘Eric Kennedy’. He won a scholarship to the camp and at that time there were so data bases, social security cards were voluntary, and it was difficult to trace someone’s real identity.

Schroder went on to college, inventing a background. He said he came from Twelve Hills, a non-existent town near Hyannis Port. While never saying he was a relative of the Kennedys, he never denied a relationship either. After college he met Laura and immediately fell in love. They married shortly after. After his marriage he said to himself that “he finally got it – the American secret – that the only person who could obstruct a man was himself.” This reminds me of Ayn Rand’s philosophy and especially Atlas Shrugged. Schroder’s hubris is boundless and the reader is just waiting for his fall. However, “his decision to be happy seemed only to invite him to rededicate himself to his made-up past.”

Truth, for Schroder occurs on several different levels and bends to accommodate different situations. It’s like an Escher painting of the tilted floors, a maze that one cannot ever finish and that goes nowhere and everywhere. His identity is like Gumby and it bends to suit every occasion.

The marriage does not last long. Laura and Schroder have a baby, Meadow, a gifted child who doesn’t let much go past her. Laura begins to see the erosions in Schroder’s being and wants a divorce. As they are in the process of divorcing, Schroder decides to abscond with Meadow and take her on a road trip. He is angry. The custody decision is on Laura’s side and he can have only supervised visits. On one level he realizes the horrific nature of what he’s doing and plans to return Meadow shortly. However, he keeps on with the trip, not really sensing where this will lead him, metaphorically and literally.

Schroder is a man without scruples. He realizes that he can’t bring Meadow back because then everyone will find out he’s Schroder and he will have to give back his identity as Eric Kennedy. “I wasn’t ready to blow up my life. Maybe nobody else cared about it, but it was my life. My lovingly constructed American life. I wanted to keep being who I was. I wanted to keep being Eric Kennedy. If I went back now, they’d make me be Schroder. And claiming that name would be part of my punishment.”

This is a wonderful novel, well-written and poetic. The style is unique with Schroder’s research included in the story as footnotes. He is studying pauses and negative space, an esoteric research project that seems to take him nowhere, as his own being has taken him nowhere. He is narcissistic and broken, yet without insight. The author, Amity Gaige, has a wonderful interview at the end of the book. I look forward to further works from this author and highly recommend this book to all serious readers.

(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 27, 2013 Kiki rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was intrigued when I heard about this novel, because I recognized the main character immediately as being inspired by Clark Rockefeller, the man who created a new identity with himself, aligning himself with a well known and wealthy American family, and who also kidnapped his own child. But that seems t be where the similarities end. "Clark" (aka Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, his real name) is currently on trial for murder as well. Ms. Gaige seems to have taken a seed of an idea and has grown...more I was intrigued when I heard about this novel, because I recognized the main character immediately as being inspired by Clark Rockefeller, the man who created a new identity with himself, aligning himself with a well known and wealthy American family, and who also kidnapped his own child. But that seems t be where the similarities end. "Clark" (aka Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, his real name) is currently on trial for murder as well. Ms. Gaige seems to have taken a seed of an idea and has grown a whole new plant from it.

Erik Schroder is German citizen who managed to escape East Germany with his father as a child (without his mother) and who adapts to his new surroundings in Dorcherster, Massachusetts, by changing his name, and in time, his identity. His father does not know this. He becomes Eric Kennedy, and invents a new back story about who he is. He learns to speak perfect American English, receives an outstanding American education and basically manages to create a life that fits the American Dream, for a time.

The writing in this novel is pretty amazing. I had such mixed feelings about Eric, but by the end of the book, if I didn't love him, I certainly had grown to understand him. Ms Gage does such a wonderful job with the writing, and has an amazing way with a phrase:
"My heart flipped. How abandonable a child is."
"Because, of course, there is one thing that really deranges us, and that is the disappearance of love."
"The soul keeps the body up." (Meadow)
There are more, but I don't want to give them all away because when you comes across the gems while reading, they can move you to tears with their truthfulness.

Eric waxes philosophically about his "research" on pauses, silences and loneliness. In the end, whether the reader likes this character, whoever he is, we learn he suffers from a profoundly damaged heart. He makes a very bad decision, possibly caused by the damage done to Eric himself in his earlier years, but it is not made in a malicious way, but from a desperate place of pain and need. Yes, he is selfish. But when it comes to the love most of us feel for our children, it is understandable.

I loved this novel. It's been a good reading year so far!(less)

1 like · like · see review

title link	preview: Schroder
avg rating	preview: Schroder Goodreads rating: 3.52 (846 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15018713-schroder?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340468250l/15018713.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15018713-schroder?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Schroder by Amity Gaige[/url]

Schroder

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (10)

Genres

Books by Amity Gaige

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Schroder

Quotes from Schroder

Schroder

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (10)

Genres

Books by Amity Gaige

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Schroder

Quotes from Schroder

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (10)