The dust jacket pretty much outlines the entire plot. I think the lack of quotation marks and the invisible passage of time confused me a bit. I didn't see it as an allegory for how Germans fared between the two world wars, more the story of a woman who had a hard life, not necessarily due to economic circumstances. Please note that there are some adult themes. This was a sad but well-written book on the list of 1001 books you must read before you die.