The Danish Girl: 5 Stars

After reading his novel, The 19th Wife, I immediately looked to see what other novels David Ebershoff has written. While The Danish Girl is only the second of Ebershoff's novels that I've read so far, he is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Below I'll give a brief summary of The Danish girl as well as my overall thoughts and takeaways from the novel.

Summary

The Danish Girl takes place in 1925 in Copenhagen. The story is mostly told from the perspective of Einar Wegener. Einar is a quiet and reserved Danish painter who marries Greta, an exuberant free-spirited painter from California.

Einar has a secret, one he's kept to himself since he was a young boy. Throughout the novel we see the relationship between Greta and Einar take on twists and turns when Einar reveals a part of himself to Greta that he has kept hidden all these years.

We see exactly how far someone will go for love. The love the couple shares throughout the novel is tested as it takes on many different forms. We see confusion, anger, understanding, and acceptance as Greta and Einar navigate their life together and look to the future.

As the novel progresses we experience Greta's determination to hold on to what once was and Einar's desire to move forward. Truths are revealed, love interests are sparked, desires are acted upon, and everyone is forced to make a choice.

When you tell someone you love them, are their conditions to that love? Does saying "I love you" mean you love them no matter what? Will you love them through the changes they may go through? Is there a limit to how much change you are willing to endure? Lastly, when a person changes, does your love for them change as well?

These are the questions Einar and Greta will answer in The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.

My thoughts

Disclaimer: While I believe "The Danish Girl" is a fairly well-known story, I do include a few spoilers below in regards to the big change Einar undergoes.

The Danish Girl is a fictional novel. However, similar to The 19th Wife, there are a few fictional aspects sprinkled in. For example, Einar Wegener was a real Danish painter who (spoiler alert) underwent surgery to become a woman. Other than that, Ebershoff makes it very clear the rest of the story is fictional.

The transition from Einar to Lili is slow at first. It starts with Greta asking Einar to try on a dress so she can finish a portrait. However, as we get a glimpse back into Einar's life we see he has always struggled with his gender. Never feeling quite like he "should."

The way Ebershoff writes makes the story feel so real. So believable. My emotions were all over the place while reading this novel. Please bear with me while I do my best to describe them to you.

I was happy Einar found Lili. He finally realized who he wanted to be. Throughout the novel, the characters treat Einar and Lili as two completely different people. Lili starts to forget Einar's memories as she moves to become fully Lili. Once the surgery is completed Einar is considered "dead."

My struggle throughout this transition was Einar and Lili having very little regard for Greta's feelings. When Lili makes her first public appearance she walks off with a man and kisses him. While yes, I understand she believes her and Einar to be two separate people, they are not. Greta is expected to simply accept the change and roll with the punches. I do not recall one instance where Lili or Einar apologized or even acknowledged Greta's feelings. Many times throughout the novel I thought both Lili and Einar acted very selfishly.

On the other hand. Einar did not pursue Greta. Greta wanted him from the moment she met him as a professor at her school. She pursued him. Forwardly kissed him. Moved back to Copenhagen for him. Found him. Then married him. From the way the story is told, Einar had very little say in the matter.

Also, Greta was the one who asked Einar to try on the dress. Greta encouraged Einar to go out in public as Lili and it was Greta who asked for Lili to be her muse. Lili earned Greta a reputable career as a painter through her series of Lili portraits. So, the point can easily be argued, Greta acted out of selfish reasons as well.

Whenever I read a story I always yearn for clear and concise communication as well as proper conflict resolution. That's a little of my communications major coming out. However, that is unrealistic, even for a nonfiction novel. Life is full of unsaid words, unexplained thoughts, and misunderstood feelings.

I can't begin to understand the complexities involved in a situation between Einar/Lili and Greta. I can only read it from my perspective, and try to understand as best I can.

I'd highly recommend The Danish Girl, by David Ebershoff. The storyline, the detail, and the characters were all remarkably written and well thought out. A 5 star read for sure.