I went into this book very curious about what I would find. I did not know much about Kafka or what I was getting myself into. I loved what I found. I loved the structure of the book. Including poetry and pictures really made me feel apart of the story. I now have a reinvigorated interest in Kafka and in prose.

i love, love, love franz kafka, and have always been fascinated by his biography and the people that surrounded him, whether it be his family or his close friends. and i know wolff’s love for kafka is very similar to mine, which is why i felt a certain degree of kinship towards her writing at first, but the book eventually became too long; i found myself plodding through stories and explanations that i have extensively read about elsewhere, wishing to get more of a personal insight from the author instead of just plain facts. it is still a nice read, though, and i would recommend it to those interested in further getting to know kafka as a person as well as the circumstances surrounding his death. i do wish i had felt more engaged, though.

I discovered Kafka in high school (didn't we all read the Metamorphosis?), blazed through his weird catalogue of works, even paid a pilgrimage to his home in Prague, So I'm a fan, and was really excited for this book. Unfortunately it's a bit of a miss mash - the structure is all over the place, and it's very much about the author as well as Kafka, which got in the way for me. I gleaned a few new nuggets about Kafka but overall it wasn't the 'journey' it's billed to be.