"Elsewhere he knows himself who he is, but here it’s the others who know. That’s home."
Uncle Hermann, who has been holding the fort in Bochum since the death of Stefan’s parents, has died, and Stefan has to return to his home town to sell the family house. He’s given himself two days to get the appointment with the estate agent over with, meet up with a few people who deserve to be visited and then return to Munich and real life as quickly as possible. In, out, no prisoners. At least that was the plan. But before he knows it and against his will, his home town has him firmly in its grip again.
On this particular weekend, the A40 motorway is turned into a cultural happening and Stefan is unable to escape its lure. And all the people he grew up with are there too: Toto the loser, Diggo, his brutal master Frank, the governor, Karin, the confuser, Granny Luise, the woman who has seen it all. And Charlie: kindergarten friend, almost sister, childhood sweetheart. No woman knows Stefan quite so well – and no woman has kept him away from a place for so long...
A fast-paced roadtrip, a hilariously funny novel and the story of a great love – wistful and thoughtful, cool and sentimental, coarsely witty and warm-hearted. Frank Goosen is a master of nuances; no other novel-ist handles life’s great issues in such a light-hearted way.
