At times folkloric, at times historical, and always mesmerizing, Stanisic's Before the Feast will transport you to an East Germany that exists outside of time. Narrated by the town itself (I think), the novel tells the story of a small village and its inhabitants on the day and night before an annual celebration with origins in centuries past. The text meanders between the present, the recent past, and the distant past as the narrators focus on each individual inhabitant of Furstenfelde, including war veterans, teenagers, a ferryman, and (quite delightfully) a mother fox. I highly recommend this to lovers of Eastern Europe, fairy tales, folklore...or foxes.

A wonderful novel told in stories, both past and present, about the people living in Fürstenfelde - a small village with a tremendous amount of history. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this unusual book and was really surprised by the creativity and craft of the author. I'll definitely keep an eye out for future books written by Saša Stanišić and will get "The Soldier Repairs the Gramophone" on my TBR list.