Arno Geiger, trans. Stefan Tobler (And Other Stories)

Geiger’s memoir details his father’s Alzheimer’s and the effect it has on the whole family. Told through snapshots of his own life as well as his father’s, Geiger charts a series of emotions from anger and disappointment through to humour and the celebration of parent-child bonds. Brief conversations intersperse the book, revealing witty and insightful, as well as despairing, moments between father and son. Reflecting on his father’s war-afflicted youth and the impact it had in his later life as well achievements, including building his own house brick by brick, Geiger celebrates both his father’s early life and his current one by preserving in print the very memories that are being forgotten. Negotiating issues that affect us all, Geiger achieves a solid testimony that is evocative without being overly sentimental.

Price: £9.99 / £5 ebook. Info: www.andotherstories.org