Description
A fascinating glimpse into the world of one prosperous man, set upon by the forces of the new world.
Bernd Willenbrock is the owner of a used-car dealership in the newly unified Germany. In the nascent free market of Central Europe, the former East German engineer seems to be the paradigm of the new world: a successful businessman, an owner of real estate, and a generous husband. Prosperity seems guaranteed by a steady stream of cash-only clients from Eastern Europe, and plans for a glitzy new showroom are firmly underway. Yet little by little, a series of ever-more menacing incidentsâ”an attempted break-in, the theft of several cars, a vicious beating--erode his innermost certainties. No amount of locks and latches, it seems, can contain his growing obsession with external safety or stop the coming violence.
About the authors
Contributor Notes
Christoph Hein, novelist, playwright, essayist, is among Europe’s most respected literary and political voices. A former president of PEN Germany and author of the internationally acclaimed novels The Distant Loverand The Tango Player, he lives in Berlin.