Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Kiepenheuer & Witsch (1986), 415 pages
Description
At the center of a terrorized society buttressed by oppressive police protection and surveillance is the Tolm family, Fritz, the father, the elected head of the Association, and the children, part of the counter-culture.
User reviews
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
We can sometimes forget that terrorism did not begin on 9/11 and that it does not end with Islamic fundamentalists. Germany in the 1970's was fertile ground for terrorists--think Baader-Meinhof. In The Safety Net, Boll, winner of the 1972 Nobel Prize, takes on the issue of the effect that our
In the book, Fritz Tolm, a prominent businessman, has just been elected president of "the Association," a conglomeration of all major business interests in Germany. This makes him and his family immediate targets for terrorist assassination. The book explores the psychological effect of living under the constant threat of violence, but beyond that also considers the effect that the near total relinquishment of personal privacy has on each of the family members. The situation is complicated because one of Tolm's sons has served time for burning cars during a demonstration, and his ex-daughter-in-law is an underground member of a violent terrorist group. If all this makes the book sound like a thriller, it's not. It's simply a quiet character study of a family under pressure.
This book was written in the 1970's, and as I read it I found myself wondering whether Boll ever envisioned something like full body scans.
At the time Boll was awarded the Nobel Prize (seven years before this book was written), I read several of his books. Boll is an excellent writer, and although this book interested me because of the issues it raises, I actually preferred some of his earlier work, especially Group Portrait With Lady.
Show More
responses to terrorism can have on our lives.In the book, Fritz Tolm, a prominent businessman, has just been elected president of "the Association," a conglomeration of all major business interests in Germany. This makes him and his family immediate targets for terrorist assassination. The book explores the psychological effect of living under the constant threat of violence, but beyond that also considers the effect that the near total relinquishment of personal privacy has on each of the family members. The situation is complicated because one of Tolm's sons has served time for burning cars during a demonstration, and his ex-daughter-in-law is an underground member of a violent terrorist group. If all this makes the book sound like a thriller, it's not. It's simply a quiet character study of a family under pressure.
This book was written in the 1970's, and as I read it I found myself wondering whether Boll ever envisioned something like full body scans.
At the time Boll was awarded the Nobel Prize (seven years before this book was written), I read several of his books. Boll is an excellent writer, and although this book interested me because of the issues it raises, I actually preferred some of his earlier work, especially Group Portrait With Lady.
Show Less
LibraryThing member David_Cain
The Safety Net by Heinrich Boll is a pseudo political, pseudo social commentary novel about the trials and tribulations of security, as visited upon the super-powerful and the ordinary folk who surround them. While no Group Portrait or Billiards, the novel is engaging, playful, fun and strange. For
Show More
my taste, it was far too short. Given the wide range of characters and stories, this novel could easily be longer. Boll is a master. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kristelh
The story is about security. There are many characters in this book, some are family, some our business people, some are political, some are law enforcement. This is Germany from the time period following WWII to the seventies. Security would seem to be a good thing but security robs you of your
Show More
freedom. You no longer can move about freely or enjoy things like birds flying. Only one person enjoys the security system and that is the one who sees it as a measure of her importance. The rest struggle with the loss of their freedom. Though this book was written in 1979 it addresses issues of today; terrorism, political security, freedom, environmental abuse for the sake of energy, I’ve read two books by the author and both books address the pressures of newspaper and law enforcement on the human spirit. Show Less
LibraryThing member icolford
A ponderous story of a wealthy and famous family under seige by terrorist threats to their well being. The characters and situations are diverting, but the story could have been rendered more dramatically.
Language
Original publication date
1979 (1e édition originale allemande))
1981 (1e traduction et édition française, Cadre cert, Seuil)
Physical description
415 p.; 8.11 inches
ISBN
3462013467 / 9783462013467