In I Laugh Me Broken, the diverse cast are all trying to figure themselves out as Ginny tries to decide what her relationship with them will be. It has to be said that the novel is much more ponderous than humorous so perhaps the title is a wink at the mistranslations we experience with other people, even when we are close, even when we both speak the same language. I Laugh Me Broken takes its title from a German saying much like our own, “I laughed my head off,” often said drily, dripping with sarcasm.
Early in the book we learn that Ginny may or may not have inherited a serious genetic condition, a legacy from her mother. Jay doesn’t understand Ginny’s motivations because she is keeping a secret from him. The explanation for her sudden relocation is flimsy and her fiancée, Jay, is left dazed and confused. Protagonist Ginny has bolted to Berlin from a comfortable, dependable life in Auckland, in order to research a controversial sea captain, Count von Luckner, for a book she is writing.
Themes of love, fate, running away from it all, and history – both family history and the broader kind - are captured in Bridget van der Zijpp’s new novel, I Laugh Me Broken.
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