In her fast-paced new novel, Vea Kaiser tells the story of a young mother who overcomes every obstacle to build a career for herself in a traditional Viennese hotel – and takes her story into her own hands.
Vienna, late 1980s: Angelika Moser, the caretaker’s daughter from a community housing block, spends her nights dancing through the city’s nightlife. At the same time, she loves her job in a world that feels both new and elegant to her: working as a bookkeeper at the Grand Hotel Frohner. Surrounded by eccentric Viennese characters and international guests, Angelika soon finds herself entangled in shady accounting schemes to help save the hotel. When she unexpectedly ends up alone with a small child, she begins fighting for a better life – and starts cooking the books. Decades pass… until the numbers catch up with her.
“Vea Kaiser knows how to rein in her unbridled imagination with humor, crafting books that don’t take themselves too seriously – but in a very serious way.” - Jonathan Swift Prize, Winner 2024
