The book tells the tale of a young woman who becomes entangled with a political radical/outlaw, and her subsequent treatment at the hands of the police and the press, culminating in her killing a newspaper reporter. It very much taps into 1970s paranoia and unease about terrorism and political radicalism, and the attendant media and public hysteria surrounding the subjects.
I also sensed that Boll was delivering a commentary on the dark side, or the flip-side if you will, of Germany's post-war "economic miracle", with much mention of tax evasion, corruption, avarice and so forth.
This novel is notably short in length, with no superfluous padding. The translation from German to English leads to the (very) occasional minor anomaly, but this did not impair my enjoyment in any way. To add to the mystique, the story is told from a "first person plural" point of view.
I have watched the film adaptation on a few occasions. The novel handsomely gives substance and background to things which the movie could only imply.
The central thrust for me is an expose of the excesses of state and media, and the collusion between these two institutions, which are meant to be representative of a "free" society. In their frantic attempts to service this relationship, an innocent person is ground between the two. .
As the story progresses, we become ever more acutely aware of a trail of distress, ruin and mistrust among all those connected to Katharina Blum and the case, much of it stemming from the desire of media and state to appeal to people's base instincts and prejudices. Those in positions of power and influence are seen to take advantage of the weaknesses in human nature.
Much is made of the hypocrisy of the newspapers in invoking "freedom of the press" in justifying their methods.
The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum seems both ahead of its time, and prescient, and the issues which it tackles have never been more relevant than they are today.....
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