'A Historical Lens Revealed In Joanna Murray-Smith's Berlin'

Joanna Murray-Smith’s romantic thriller ‘Berlin’ deconstructs the multifaceted generational war between the Germans and the Jews through her exploration of alternate views. Murray-Smiths presentation of Charlotte and Tom through a historical lens dissects the dynamics of their dual relationships. Murray- Smith reinforces Charlotte and Tom’s dual identities through her use of phrasing, “terrible and strange”, to denote their relationship as German and Jew, and “beautiful and interesting” to reference the interconnection they formed as simply man and woman. The contrasting imagery elucidates Murray- Smith’s critique of how the constraints of the past signifies that Charlotte and Tom’s relationship can only exist in the metaphysical reality due to the generational barriers enforced by society.

Smiths accentuation of the lexeme “you’re” creates a subtle shift from individual to collective identity, which allows her to deconstruct the complexity of their relationship and the enduring weight of the holocaust,which shapes their interactions, as it is a constant reminder of their generational aversions toward eachother. Through Charlotte’s plea with Tom, “we need to be here” Smith encapsulates the ongoing battle between preservation of the present and remembrance of the past. This declaration reflects their struggle to reconcile personal agency with historical responsibility, highlighting the constant negotiation between their individual desires and collective obligations to their predecessors. Smith’s juxtaposing dual characterisations of Tom and Charlotte critiques the suffocating nature of generational trauma, revealing how it shapes and constrains future