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    Schroder: A Novel
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    Schroder: A Novel
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    Schroder: A Novel
    Audiobook7 hours

    Schroder: A Novel

    Written by Amity Gaige

    Narrated by Will Collyer

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A lyrical and deeply affecting novel recounting the seven days a father spends on the road with his daughter after kidnapping her during a parental visit.

    Attending a New England summer camp, young Eric Schroder-a first-generation East German immigrant-adopts the last name Kennedy to more easily fit in, a fateful white lie that will set him on an improbable and ultimately tragic course.

    Schroder relates the story of Eric's urgent escape years later to Lake Champlain, Vermont, with his six-year-old daughter, Meadow, in an attempt to outrun the authorities amid a heated custody battle with his wife, who will soon discover that her husband is not who he says he is. From a correctional facility, Eric surveys the course of his life to understand-and maybe even explain-his behavior: the painful separation from his mother in childhood; a harrowing escape to America with his taciturn father; a romance that withered under a shadow of lies; and his proudest moments and greatest regrets as a flawed but loving father.

    Alternately lovesick and ecstatic, Amity Gaige's deftly imagined novel offers a profound meditation on history and fatherhood, and the many identities we take on in our lives--those we are born with and those we construct for ourselves.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateFeb 5, 2013
    ISBN9781611132953
    Unavailable
    Schroder: A Novel

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    Reviews for Schroder

    3.5/5

    152 ratings15 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I let SCHRODER languish on my bookshelf for years before I finally got to it. I didn't know what I was missing. This is a book I can readily add to my list of favorites.

      SCHRODER is more than a story of a divorced man who kidnaps his six-year-old daughter for a week. It is Eric Kennedy's (a.k.a. Erik Schroder's) explanation to his wife not only of what happened during that week and why; this letter to Laura also tells her some of his history that he has been hiding from her all along.

      Although the name–change explanation sounds implausible, especially since Eric/Erik got away with it for so many years and never adequately explains how he did that, just go along with it. You'll not only love his story; you'll love the way he tells it.
    • 3/5
      Eric Schroder is from Germany. He lives in Dorchester, MA with his father. Since he is from a different country, he feels that he does not fit in. He finds a pamphlet for a summer camp and applies, using the name Eric Kennedy, hoping that the name helps him fit in more. From that point in his life, he uses that name.
      He attends college and falls in love with a woman, mostly referred to as "You". They have a child, Meadow. He never goes back to using his correct name.
      The marriage falls apart and Eric gets visitation with his daughter and takes a long trip to Vermont, New Hampshire and maybe a run to Canada.
      The book is really about Eric learning to know who he himself is. His love for his wife and daughter are really just lackadaisical attempts at knowing about himself.
    • 4/5
      Eric Kennedy isn't exactly who he says he is, and as he extends his custodial visit with his daughter, his past comes down to bear on his present. The story holds up very well until the final section, which did not tie in well with the rest of the narrative, and included a metaphor about glass that is rather bemusing. It's a story very closely similar to that of Clark Rockefeller, and it is surprising to see that the author neither acknowledged the case, and very pronouncedly included the Fictional Character disclaimer. The narrator did a great job of inhabiting the character in this story told from the first person point of view; and voicing the character of a little girl as well.
    • 4/5
      Not a particularly original story but handled with verve. The relationship between the father and daughter is very well presented (although a small quibble would be - why is it that small children in these kinds of novel are always super-intelligent?).
    • 4/5
      Erik Schroder abandoned his German identity as a teenager and adopted the Camelot surname to become Erik Kennedy, a choice that would follow him through adulthood. As a stay at home dad, he develops a close bond with his young daughter, Meadow, but loses the connection he once had with his wife. Following their separation and custody battle, Erik takes Meadow on a trip that will eventually lead to the unraveling of his carefully designed life.

      Schroder had me weighing several issues back and forth. Can someone still be a good person if they set out with good intentions, but are continuously hurting the people they love? Especially if there is self-interest at the center of that hurt? I was battling with my feelings toward Erik throughout the whole novel. I couldn't help but feel bad for him at several points, as it was clear he desperately loved his daughter. However, his interest was so focused on piecing together this perfect life that he ended up designing negative situations for himself.

      Most of Schroder is not pleasant, even a little painful to read. But Gaige's narrative style works well and there are some great moments between Erik and Meadow, particularly nearing the end of their journey. Definitely a story worth reading.
    • 5/5
      Another book that makes my "Top 10 for 2013." Wow, this author can write and she writes beautifully! I believe this is a debut novel for her. I didn't like the ending, however, as it was wrapped up neatly like I would have liked. I guess it ended like it should have, not how I hoped it would, and there were some unanswered questions for me. I highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      A moving novel, in the form of a first person confession by a father who kidnaps his six year old daughter from his estranged wife, goes on the run for about a week and (eerily given the timing) is finally caught in a manhunt in Boston.

      As a father of a 6 year-old (and, like the narrator, born in 1970--although the similarities end there given his East German birth, general fraudulence, and estrangement from his wife), I found Eric Kennedy's relationship with his daughter believable, touching, and painful--as he struggles with how to engage with her and then only finally figures it out in their last hours together before his arrest.

      The narrative voice was also well done, with a resoundingly authentic and earnest but not always fully self-aware recounting of a less than authentic life.
    • 4/5
      The story -- told in sort of a memoir/accounting of time -- of a dad who goes off the deep end during his divorce (and limited visitation rights) and takes (some say kidnaps) his daughter on a week-long adventure/vacation. More interestingly, the novel is written by a woman. Overall, I found it an enjoyable read, though frustrating at times. There are some interesting twists and turns, but it's hard to root for a guy who is a bit clueless -- and who punishes his soon to be ex-wife by not contacting her while he has their daughter.
    • 2/5
      Lots of 5 stars, but just didn't have quite that much 'spark' for me.
      Interesting presentation & Several interesting premises, situations.
      Not too long and an easy read, so read it if you're curious or intriqued by the other reviews.
    • 4/5
      A moving novel, in the form of a first person confession by a father who kidnaps his six year old daughter from his estranged wife, goes on the run for about a week and (eerily given the timing) is finally caught in a manhunt in Boston.

      As a father of a 6 year-old (and, like the narrator, born in 1970--although the similarities end there given his East German birth, general fraudulence, and estrangement from his wife), I found Eric Kennedy's relationship with his daughter believable, touching, and painful--as he struggles with how to engage with her and then only finally figures it out in their last hours together before his arrest.

      The narrative voice was also well done, with a resoundingly authentic and earnest but not always fully self-aware recounting of a less than authentic life.
    • 4/5
      After listening to the audio version of the book, I wondered, is it an exposé, Erik’s memoir, an essay on marriage and parental responsibility, a treatise on love with an expiration date, or simply a straight forward confession of willful, deceitful behavior, given only because he was caught? Is the love of a wife or a child so great that logical, rational thought becomes all but impossible when the relationship with them is threatened?
      Did Eric want to be discovered, to repent for his life of lies, a life based totally on deceit? Is this why he pushed the envelope, knowing his actions would probably also bring about the discovery of his real identity and his disgrace? Did he risk all because of his devotion to his daughter or because of his memories of a similar event? I could not decide if he was malicious or simply misguided, naïve or cunning, creative or destructive. For sure, his actions put him on a downward spiral of his own making.
      When the story begins, we find Eric Kennedy reading a lengthy statement that he has written to his wife in an attempt to explain his behavior and to influence her to forgive him. He finally tells the truth, in the hope that it will alter his future, and mitigate the charges against him and his eventual sentence. Privy to his innermost thoughts and the reasons for his many irrational actions, the reader learns of the trials of his childhood, and begins to comprehend his loneliness and sense of loss when his wife separates from him, thereby removing his daughter from his life on a daily basis, as well. Eric still loves them both, dearly, has difficulty getting beyond the moment and recovering from the loss. He is in denial, ever hopeful that life will return to normal, but what is normal or real for Eric Kennedy?
      Eric Kennedy, AKA Erik Schroder, has reinvented himself in order to more perfectly fit in with a teenager’s life in America. At age 5, holding his father’s hand, he crossed the East German border and began a new life. He never saw his mother again. Soon, he moved to America where life was different but never easy, for an outsider. Poor and insecure, bullied by thugs, he grew more and more unhappy. When he learned of a posh boy’s camp in New Hampshire, he yearned for that life; and so, at age 14, Eric ceases to be a German immigrant and becomes a full-fledged American by becoming a character he makes up totally out of his imagination. Applying to become a camper there, using a fictitious name, he is surprised to actually not only get accepted but to also receive a full scholarship. His new persona is confident and from a more fortunate background than his own. He is no longer a foreigner in a foreign land, impoverished and alone, with only his father, a cold, distant, self-protecting man, for company. As Eric Kennedy, he is often mistaken for a relative of the Kennedys of Hyannis, rather than his real identity, which is a non-citizen lost in a sea of loneliness.
      Eric keeps up this fraudulent personality, distancing himself from his father and creating a wonderful background, complete with a childhood in a marvelous, affluent community on Cape Cod, very near the Kennedy Compound. He forges documents, attends University and eventually marries and has a child. He is not very ambitious; he is grateful for what he has but doesn’t seem to want much more. As a stay at home parent, his judgment when it comes to child rearing often seems flawed. When cracks begin to form in the relationship between him and his wife, Laura, he is not quick to notice, and when finally, she wants a separation, visitation rights with his daughter take on a life of their own, especially as they are being curtailed, more and more, as time goes by, because Laura continues to find his behavior aberrational and seeks to cut his visitation rights and privileges to protect Meadow, their child. Devastated, Erik/Eric, makes even more foolish decisions than he has in the past, takes greater chances, even though he knows he is heading into the maelstrom; he is soon on the run.
      The story feels like it is about the deconstruction of a human being who has constructed himself out of whole cloth to begin with and doesn’t seem to be realistically aware of the dangers facing him if he is found out. After awhile, It seemed as if Eric wasn’t sure where the old Erik began and the new Eric ended. Was his foolish attempt, as a teenager, to recreate his life and create a fantasy, really worth it? It was always fraught with the danger of discovery. It forced him to cut his ties with his father, the only person who loved him in America. How does that effect him? Did it make sense to push the envelope with Meadow, as he did, knowing it would lead to his detection as a fraud? Can he justify his actions and be saved? Can the reader find any redeeming qualities in Eric? Is he misguided or unstable?
      He absconds with his daughter when she is only one year older than he was when his father absconded with him, albeit under different circumstances, which he never really wanted to uncover. Is his loss of his country and his mother what propels him to re-enact almost the very same scene with his daughter? Has he been harboring the pain of that loss and the bitterness of that separation all these years? Is it déjà vu that has caused him to snap? Has it poisoned his mind so much that he cannot determine right from wrong any longer and just wants to preserve his relationships regardless of the cost? Will he languish in prison or find some other form of justice to repent? The end of the confession will leave the reader wondering because final judgment has not yet been rendered.
    • 5/5
      As a child, Erik Schroder reinvented himself, adopting the name Eric Kennedy in order to win a scholarship to a summer camp. Finding that the name empowered him, he continued to use it. When his wife Laura decides to leave him, he ends up kidnapping his daughter.

      I found this book to be fascinating. I couldn't put it down. The characters felt so real, I found myself googling Eric Schroder, to find out more about his story. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Schroder: A Novel is both heartrending and magnificent. The book is a discerning reflection on fatherhood with contemporary issues that will appeal to men and women alike. Eric Kennedy narrates his confession to his estranged wife, explaining the circumstances of kidnapping their daughter for six days.

      By falsifying an application to a New Hampshire summer camp, fourteen-year-old Schroder not only rewrites his childhood, but also changes his name to something more New England acceptable—Eric Kennedy. After marrying stunning, deeply moral Laura, their daughter Meadow is born. Happy marriage soon turns to separation, Laura having custody of Meadow. Kennedy deludes himself with dreams of reconciliation even though his visitation rights are consistently diminishing. Eric is caught. He can’t enter a custody battle because there are no records to substantiate his fabricated past. His lawyer advises him to be on the offensive and file for divorce and custody of Meadow. An independent evaluation proves unfavorable toward him.

      Eric views his subsequent abduction of six-year-old Meadow as an adventure at Lake George. “This is the first time this year than I haven’t felt like jumping off a bridge.” (p.70) He steals a car and decides to drive to Canada, putting his daughter in the trunk and using his German passport. It dawns on him that he has kidnapped her. Does he return to Albany and face her mother and the consequences of his actions?

      Author Amity Gaige began writing at age seven. Her 2005 novel O My Darling won her the distinguished honor of 5 Under 35 by the National Book Foundation. The Folded World, published in 2007, won ForeWord Book of the Year, among numerous other awards. Gaige has also written for O Magazine and The Literary Review.

      The special quality of Schroder: a Novel is that it is both offbeat and whimsical, with an alluring main character and premise we should frown upon. Instead we are drawn into a world that Amity Gaige makes irresistible. Although the main character is flawed, Gaige makes you fall in love with him and feel for his pain. I highly recommend the book for any discerning reader’s bookshelf. Schroder will appeal to mainstream fiction readers, but also more sophisticated lovers of literary fiction.

      Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
    • 4/5
      Although this sounds like a simple tale, a father kidnapping his eight yr. old daughter, (not a spoiler as it clearly states this in the book description0, this novel is anything but simple. When we hear on the news that a father has kidnapped one of his children, our first thought is to automatically condemn the father, feel sympathy with the mother. The main character in this book is compelling, his young daughter advanced for her age and absolutely charming. The plot unfolds in multiple layers, the father's past, his love for his wife and daughter, his confusion and his lies. The prose is simple but elegant, the book very readable, I found it so much so that I actually checked out one of her previous books when I was half finished with this one. If this book showed me anything it is that often my rush to judgement is very wrong, and reminds me that there are always more sides to the story than is apparent. By the end of the book I was absolutely heartbroken. ARC from publisher.
    • 4/5
      Erik Schroder is writing a letter to his estranged wife. It is an apology and an explanation as to why he felt compelled to kidnap their daughter. Writing from the correctional facility from which he awaits trial, Erik recounts his life and the choices he’s made that have brought him to this point.
      Soon after fleeing East Germany with his father, a young Erik made his first mistake, the ramifications of which were not fully realized until several years later. This lie, his invention of a new name and life history on a summer camp application seemed harmless enough at the time. Out of desperation to leave his German roots and Boston home behind him, Erik Schroder becomes Eric Kennedy. It is as Eric Kennedy, not Erik Schroder that he attends summer camp, goes off to college, falls in love and gets married. It is as Eric Kennedy that he kidnaps his daughter, but it is as Erik Schroder that he now sits in jail.
      This is a moving and thought provoking novel that will demand discussion, making it a great choice for book groups. The moral and ethical issues that arise, as well as who may be Erik’s most sympathetic victim, are all fodder for a lively conversation.