Books K-O

Kafka – Franz Kafka: Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis)

fabula

Purchased from: De Vries Van Stockum, Den Haag, Netherlands

When Gregor Samsa wakes from uneasy dreams to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect, his life comes to a sudden halt. As a traveling salesman, he has defined himself entirely through work and responsibility, supporting his parents and his sister Grete. On this morning, when he should have left for work at five, he cannot even leave his bed.
At first, Gregor believes the situation might resolve itself. But time passes, his family gathers behind the locked door, and his Managing Director arrives. For the first time in his life, Gregor is absent from work and his value immediately comes into question.
Kafka’s story is dense with metaphor. To me, its central theme is the fragility of human worth. Gregor is respected only as long as he functions. Once he cannot work, he becomes a burden, vermin to be hidden away. The reversal is cruel and telling: Gregor first locks others out, then is himself imprisoned.
That the entire story takes place within the family apartment suggests how narrow Gregor’s life truly was. There was nothing beyond work and obligation. Reading this 1915 expressionist text on German Apple Day gave added meaning to the scene in which an apple is thrown at Gregor - a symbolic act of expulsion, driving the fallen creature out of paradise.

Autor: Franz Kafka (1883–1924) was a German-speaking Czech writer from Prague. Trained as a lawyer, he worked at an insurance company while writing in his spare time. His name gave rise to the term “kafkaesque,” used to describe bizarre, oppressive, and bewildering situations. Today, Kafka is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

Kaleyta – Timon Karl Kaleyta: Heilung (Healing)

Piper

Purchased from: Librium, Baden, Switzerland

A man suffering from chronic insomnia is sent by his wife, Imogen, to a luxury resort in the Dolomites, where the notorious Dr. Trinkl promises to cure him. What awaits, however, are bizarre and unsettling therapeutic methods.
There he becomes entangled with another patient, Mana, who manipulates him in mysterious ways. She remains an enigma—he never truly learns who she is, yet she always seems to appear at the right moment. Dr. Trinkl, meanwhile, confronts him with uncomfortable truths about his past and relentlessly pushes him to his limits.
Overwhelmed, the protagonist flees in fear to his best friend Jesper, who lives with his partner Marta on a farm. Amid animals and rural calm, he undergoes a surprising transformation—“a healing of the healing,” so to speak. But it takes misfortune to bring about his final sense of being cured.
At first, I found the novel highly gripping. The writing is strong and pulls the reader in with curiosity. Toward the end, however, it felt somewhat excessive, and the protagonist’s flaws and weaknesses began to wear on me.
That said, I loved the cover design, especially the memo detail, and overall I think it is an example of very good storytelling.

Autor: Timon Karl Kaleyta (born 1980) is a German author and musician. 
He is a member of the band Susanne Blech, with which he has released several albums. The music strikes me as an attempt to echo the sound of Kraftwerk, though to my ears it comes across as somewhat lacking in warmth and affection.

Kästner – Erich Kästner: Als ich ein kleiner Junge war (When I Was a Little Boy)

Atrium

Purchased from: Buchhandlung Papillon, Lindau, Germany

This book offers a vivid look back at Erich Kästner’s childhood before the First World War. Rather than following a strict chronology, Kästner recalls episodes and impressions—moments that shaped him and reveal the spirit of the time.
He writes of a family more inclined to homesickness than wanderlust, content to marvel at a ladybird on the windowpane rather than dream of lions in the desert. In another scene, young Kästner exposes the deceit of a certain Miss Strempel with the flair of Sherlock Holmes: her name was false, her marriage invented, and her unpaid debts eventually burdened Kästner’s mother, Ida, for years.
The book also reflects the unusually close bond Kästner shared with his mother, a relationship that defined much of his life. His childhood, he reminds us, came to an abrupt end with the outbreak of the First World War.
Full of poetry and humour, the book is written in a style that feels effortless and intimate—like listening to Kästner himself recount stories from a comfortable armchair. This impression is charmingly reinforced in the epilogue, where he tells his tales to his four cats, who naturally, offer their own sharp opinions on each story.
A simple, beautiful, and touching portrait of a childhood that can scarcely be imagined today.

Autor: Erich Kästner (1899–1974), born in Dresden, is regarded as one of Germany’s most important writers and children’s authors. Although he had not originally planned to write for children, it was his publisher who encouraged him to do so—and his children’s books went on to become classics.
In his works for adults, Kästner tackled pressing social issues, which made him a target of censorship. During the Nazi book burnings of 1933, his novels were destroyed, and he was the only author to witness the burning of his own works.
Although he briefly emigrated, spending time in Switzerland among other places, Kästner soon returned to Germany. He died in 1974 of oesophageal cancer.

Kawakami – Hiromi Kawakami: Dragon Palace

Ingram

Purchased from: Librairie du monde entier, Strasbourg, France

Dragon Palace is a collection of eight short stories, each about twenty pages long. The pieces are connected by recurring themes of magic, surrealism, unconventional romance, and a strain of absurdist literature. Yet this is not lighthearted nonsense: the collection also ventures into unsettling territory, with graphic references to faeces, vomit, and rape.
These stories demand a certain level of maturity, as they differ from conventional fantasy. Still, I can imagine younger readers might be drawn to their strangeness and unpredictability. The prose is accessible and easy to follow, but for me the collection fell flat. I found it lacking in imagination and missing that elusive spark that makes a story linger.

Autor: Hiromi Kawakami (born 1958) is among Japan’s most celebrated contemporary authors. A devoted reader above all else, she admits she prefers the act of reading to writing—and is said to buy books by the dozen every month.

Keegan – Claire Keegan: Kleine Dinge wie diese (Small Things like These)

Steidl Verlag

Purchased from: Buch am Platz, Winterthur, Switzerland

New Ross, Ireland, 1985. In this small town, those who can afford it send their laundry to the local convent. Whispers circulate that the convent also houses girls of “questionable morals.”
Bill, the coal merchant, pays little attention to such rumours. With a large family to support, he values the convent simply because the nuns always pay on time. But one morning he arrives too early—and what he witnesses leaves a lasting mark. Behind the convent walls, young girls are being exploited.
How will Bill respond? In matters involving the Church, silence often prevails.
This is a powerful novel about a deeply important—and tragically still relevant—subject. Yet the story feels unfinished, or perhaps the author, too, chose silence.

Autor: Claire Keegan (born 1968) is an Irish writer best known for her acclaimed short stories. The youngest of six children, she grew up on a farm in County Wicklow.

Kitamura – Katie Kitamura: Intimitäten (Intimacies)

dtv

Purchased from: Untertor, Sursee, Switzerland

The protagonist leaves New York for The Hague, where she begins working as an interpreter at the International Court of Justice. Her work proves emotionally taxing: she must translate the trial of a former African president accused of war crimes, constantly questioning whether the words she renders are truth or lies.
In the Netherlands, she feels rootless, struggling to adapt to her new environment. When she meets Adriaan, a married man, he briefly becomes her anchor, but one that is far from secure.
The narrator finds herself adrift, caught between the demands of her work, the dislocation of living in a foreign country, and her complicated relationship with Adriaan.
As a reader, I felt like an outsider myself. The characters seemed like different languages that could never fully understand one another. Somewhat cynically, I thought the protagonist, as a translator, might also translate the novel into a clearer, more accessible language. For this reason, I find it difficult to rate the book.

Autor: Katie Kitamura (born 1979) is an American author and literary critic. Before turning to writing, she trained as a ballerina. In addition to her novels, she contributes essays and reviews to leading publications such as The New York Times.

Klune – TJ Klune : Under the Whispering Door

Tor Books

Purchased from: Outland, Bergen, Norway

Wallace runs his law firm with rigid discipline: no backtalk, no mistakes. When his employee Patricia is summoned to his office, she expects bad news—and gets it. A replacement has already been found. But Wallace himself will not live to see the following Monday. He dies.
At his funeral, Wallace makes a startling discovery: he is present as a ghost, unseen by the mourners. The few people who attend are not who he expected, and not a single kind word is spoken about him. Confused and unsettled, Wallace embarks on an unexpected journey into the afterlife. His guide is Hugo, the owner of a most unusual tea shop, who gradually opens Wallace’s eyes to truths he never allowed himself to see in life.
For me, Under the Whispering Door felt like a fantasy novel of the less imaginative kind. The plot often seemed contrived, weaving together well-worn themes: death and its mysteries, same-sex love, a quirky colourful tea shop. The language occasionally dragged the story out rather than drawing me in. Fantasy novels have to be truly exceptional to win me over, and this one didn’t. That said, I can easily imagine many readers being captivated by it.

Autor: T.J. Klune (born 1982) is an American writer.
He began telling stories at the age of six and never stopped. Before dedicating himself fully to writing, he worked in the insurance industry. 
Klune was married to fellow author Eric Arvin, who passed away in 2016 — a loss that deeply shaped both his life and work.

Köhlmeier – Michael Köhlmeier: Die Verdorbenen

Hanser

Purchased from: Riepenhausen, Hall in Tirol, Austria

It is the early 1970s. Johann's father asks his son to grant him his independence, and Johann agrees.
Johann begins his university studies, where he meets Christiane and Tommi, two outsiders with whom he soon becomes involved. He experiences love, but also its darker and more unsettling side, as the relationship develops into a complicated love triangle.
The narrative is extremely concise. Throughout the book, I found myself wondering what the author was ultimately trying to achieve with this story. It reminded me somewhat of the kind of short story one might encounter in a creative writing class: intriguing in places, but leaving its purpose unclear.
Because I never fully grasped what the story was trying to convey, I was also unsure whether the repeated use of lang instead of lag on pages 123 and 124 was the result of careless proofreading, a deliberate stylistic choice, or artistic licence.

The two sentences are:

Er lang immer noch da.
Meine Mütze lang am Boden in der Kabine.

The first sentence struck me as almost poetic, since the apparent error seemed to complement the mood and context. The second, however, left me uncertain whether it was intentional or simply a typographical mistake.

Autor: Michael Köhlmeier (born 1949) is an Austrian writer from Vorarlberg who has been publishing award-winning works since the 1980s, including novels, essays, and radio plays.
He is married to fellow writer Monika Helfer, with whom he often collaborates.
In 2003, his daughter Paula died in a tragic accident, a loss that has deeply marked both his life and his writing.

Kokkonen – Terhi Kokkonen: Arctic Mirage (Rajamaa)

Hanser Berlin

Purchased from: Travel Book Shop, Zurich, Switzerland

From the very first page, one thing is clear: Karo has killed her husband Risto.
The real question is why.
During their winter holiday, the couple are involved in a car accident and become stranded in remote Lapland. With the insurance company slow to act, they are forced to stay at a luxury hotel aptly named the Arctic Mirage—a title that grows ever more fitting as the novel unfolds. For once, the translation of the original title is spot on.
The marriage at the heart of the story is far from harmonious. Karo constantly drifts into imagined scenarios and interprets the accident differently from Risto. What he dismisses as mere fantasy soon reveals itself as gaslighting, an insidious form of psychological manipulation.
With Arctic Mirage, Terhi Kokkonen delivers a striking debut novel, one that echoes the layered complexity and emotional intensity of her music with Ultra Bra and the Scandinavian Music Group—bands whose CDs have long found a place on my shelves.

Autor: Terhi Kokkonen (born 1974) is a Finnish author and musician.
She is best known as a member of the bands Ultra Bra and Scandinavian Music Group. Arctic Mirage marks her debut as a novelist.

Kornberger – Ruth Kornberger: Frau Merian und die Wunder der Welt

Penguin

Purchased from: Buch am Dorfplatz, Allschwil, Switzerland

At the end of the 17th century, the painter and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian pursued an extraordinary dream: to study butterflies in the rainforests of Suriname.
She left behind an unhappy marriage and moved to Amsterdam with her daughter. Though the new beginning was difficult, she persevered, built valuable contacts, and sought patrons to fund her expedition. Along the way, she met Jan, a man who at times bound her to the city, yet just as often disappeared from her life.
The novel’s cover is beautiful and raised my expectations, perhaps too high, because the story itself lacked the suspense I had hoped for. Merian was an exceptional woman, but in this portrayal her sharp edges and strong character seemed smoothed away. The attempt to add drama through invented figures —particularly the love story with Jan de Jong — felt unnecessary.
What stood out most were the detailed descriptions of Merian’s insect and butterfly studies. They are clearly well researched, but told with a certain distance. The depiction of the so-called “butterfly massacre,” however, struck me less as naturalist passion and more as something out of The Island of Dr. Moreau...

Autor: Ruth Kornberger (born 1980) is a German author from Bremen.
Growing up without a television, she turned to books early on and spent much of her childhood in the library. Today, she still describes nut chocolate as her personal “fuel.” Of her three children, one is said to be an even more voracious reader than she is.

Kubsova – Jarka Kubsova: Bergland

Goldmann

Purchased from: phil, Vienna, Austria

The novel is set against the backdrop of South Tyrol during the Second World War, when the region was divided and farmers struggled to wrest a livelihood from the harsh mountain terrain. In this setting we meet Rosa, a strong-willed young woman who manages her farm single-handedly. Gifted with an extraordinary instinct for sowing seeds, she embodies resilience and quietly resists the pull of modernization.
Two generations later, her grandson Hannes and his wife Franziska are running the same farm. But times have changed. To make ends meet, they are forced to open holiday apartments, catering to city visitors in search of an idyllic Alpine retreat. Yet what the tourists see as peaceful simplicity is, for the farmers, an exhausting daily battle for survival. Franziska feels the burden most acutely, especially as she faces another pregnancy and the overwhelming weight of responsibility.
The novel shifts elegantly between past and present, capturing each generation’s struggles with authenticity. What I found most compelling was its unflinching depiction of farm life – a world often misunderstood by urban outsiders, who have little sense of what it means to work the land, care for animals, or endure the mountain’s demands. At times, the story leaned a little too strongly toward the tone of a women’s novel for my personal taste, but it remains a well-crafted, moving, and very worthwhile read.

Autor: Jarka Kubsova was born in the Czech Republic and moved to Germany at the age of ten. She went on to build a career in journalism, writing for renowned publications such as Die Zeit and Stern. Today, she devotes herself primarily to fiction, where she interweaves historical and contemporary themes with a strong focus on women’s lives and perspectives.

Kumzu – Hari Kunzru: Blue Ruin

liebeskind

Purchased from: Siebter Himmel, Cologne, Germany

Jay is a failed artist, and things aren’t exactly going well for him in other areas of his life either. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he is working as a grocery delivery driver when one day he is sent to a luxurious, secluded estate. There, completely unexpectedly, he comes face to face with Alice, the great love of his life, whom he hasn’t seen in more than twenty years. Back then, they parted without ever really saying goodbye.
Alice recognizes him immediately.
Embarrassed by his disheveled appearance and the direction his life has taken, Jay would rather disappear. Instead, Alice offers him a place to stay in a shed on the estate. But his presence doesn’t remain a secret for long. Also staying at the property are the art dealer Marshal and his girlfriend, as well as Rob, Jay’s former best friend and, as it turns out, Alice’s husband.
The reunion brings old tensions and unresolved feelings back to the surface, and Rob struggles to hide his jealousy.
It soon becomes clear that Rob is also in serious financial trouble. His art is no longer selling, and he desperately needs money. Marshal comes up with a questionable plan involving a work by a deceased artist: Rob is supposed to present the painting to the owner of the estate and sell it using his own words and artistic reputation. But when Rob sees the painting, he can hardly believe his eyes …

The title Blue Ruin has more than one meaning, something that only becomes fully apparent toward the end of the novel. I particularly liked the way Hari Kunzru structures the story, moving back and forth between the present and the past. Gradually, we learn more about Jay, Alice and Rob, their shared history, and the events that shaped their lives. I also found the characters fascinating, precisely because of their weaknesses and flaws.
The tension steadily increases as the novel approaches its conclusion. However, the ending didn’t entirely work for me. I felt that it lacked a clear connection to what had come before, and I would have liked to see this final development foreshadowed earlier in the story. That might have made the conclusion feel more convincing and more closely connected to the rest of the novel.
I also love the fact that Hari Kunzru wrote a large part of Blue Ruin at the Michalski Foundation in Montricher, Switzerland. It is a wonderful place to write and surely an inspiring setting for capturing the sense of isolation and seclusion that plays such an important role in the novel.

Autor: Hari Kunzru (born 1969) is a British author and journalist who has written for major UK newspapers and magazines. 
His debut novel, The Impressionist, earned him international acclaim and was followed by several award-nominated works. He often explores themes of identity, technology, and cultural displacement in his writing.

Laestadius – Ann-Helén Laestadius: Die Zeit im Sommerlicht (Straff)

Hoffmann und Campe

Purchased from: Balmer Buchhaus, Zug, Siwtzerland

Sweden in the 1950s: Sami children are taken from their families and forced to attend a nomadic boarding school. There, they are cut off from their culture and subjected to fear and violence. At the centre of their suffering is the cruel headmistress Rita, whose abuse leaves lasting scars. Jon-Ante, in particular, bears the physical and emotional consequences after she disfigures his hand. Another girl pays the ultimate price when she is denied help.
The novel moves between the children’s time at the boarding school and their lives 30 years later. Their paths have diverged, yet they remain bound by the shared trauma of their school years—a bond that resurfaces dramatically when Rita reappears.
Though the story is told through fiction, the experiences are drawn from reality and closely tied to the author’s own family history. The writing may not be a page-turner in style, but the fates of the characters are deeply moving. Toward the end, I found myself wishing for a little more suspense, yet the novel remains a powerful and affecting portrayal of resilience and memory.

Autor:  Ann-Helén Laestadius (born 1971) is a Swedish author from Kiruna with Sami roots. Her novels often draw on Sami culture and the landscapes of northern Sweden, and she has also written books for children.

Laxness – Halldór Laxness: Under the Glacier

Vintage UK

Purchased from: Salka, Reykjavik, Iceland

A 25-year-old emissary of the bishop, Embi, is dispatched to a remote village at the foot of Iceland’s Snæfellsjökull glacier. Rumour has it that the community has lost its faith and that strange things are afoot. Embi’s task is simple: to observe and report—without forming an opinion.
But what he finds is anything but simple. In this peculiar place, no Christmas sermons are held, no funerals take place, and the church stands locked, its chandelier shattered into 133 pieces on the floor. As Embi investigates, he is drawn into a surreal blend of reality and mystery, encountering a cast of eccentric villagers until one of them suddenly dies.
Reading this novel left me with mixed feelings. At times I found it witty, even whimsical, like a northern Alice in Wonderland. Yet after a while, the strangeness began to feel tedious. What I enjoyed most were the dialogues and the lingering question that amused me throughout: how on earth will Embi ever report all this to the bishop? If he ever does at all…

Autor: Halldór Kiljan Laxness (1902–1998) was an Icelandic writer and the first from his country to gain worldwide recognition. After converting to Catholicism, he adopted the middle name Kiljan in honour of the Irish Saint Kilian. 
Known for his critical stance toward the US military presence in Iceland, Laxness combined social and political engagement with literary mastery. 
In 1955, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Lee – Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird

Random House UK

Purchased from: ARK Bokhandel, Bergen, Norway

Maycomb, Alabama, USA, 1930s.
Racial segregation is part of everyday life, and being Black means living with constant injustice.
Scout and her older brother Jem, who is four years her senior, grow up with their widowed father, Atticus Finch, a man of deep integrity and quiet strength. Their mysterious neighbour, Boo Radley, has never been seen, yet his presence fascinates them. During the summer, their friend Dill visits Maycomb, and together they dream up plans to lure Boo outside. They even try to leave him a letter, but Atticus catches them and gently puts an end to their curiosity.
Soon, Atticus takes on a case that shakes the whole town: he must defend Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a poor white family. Although the evidence clearly proves Tom’s innocence, he is found guilty, condemned not by facts, but by the deep-seated racism of the community.
Later, when Scout and Jem are walking home from a school event, something happens that brings all the threads of the story together in a powerful and unexpected way.
The novel is told through Scout’s innocent and curious eyes, and that makes it even more touching. We see her learn about justice, courage, and compassion as she grows up in a world full of prejudice. Atticus teaches his children to stand up for what’s right, even when the world disagrees, a lesson that stays with you long after you finish the book.
I believed every word Harper Lee wrote. The story moved me deeply. It’s beautifully written, honest, and full of heart. Boo Radley adds a quiet mystery that keeps you wondering, and when he finally appears, it’s unforgettable.
I especially loved Atticus Finch, his calm strength, his fairness, and his humanity.
A timeless book that everyone should read.

Autor: Harper Lee (1926–2016) was an American author best known for her classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which won the Pulitzer Prize and is regarded as one of the most important works in American literature. 
A close friend of Truman Capote, Lee was famously private and largely avoided the public spotlight. In 2007, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.

Lee – Jonathan Lee: Joy

Diogenes

Purchased from: Buchhandlung Daffodils, Innsbruck, Austria

Joy is a high-achieving career woman living with her husband Dennis in London’s Angel district. On the brink of becoming a partner at her law firm, her life seems enviably successful. Yet beneath the polished surface, things are far more fragile.
The novel unfolds over the course of a single day. During a thank-you speech, Joy falls ten metres to the ground. In another scene, while waiting with her nephew at a tennis match, the boy suddenly disappears without a trace. Between these dramatic events, the narrative shifts to the perspectives of those around her—Dennis, her colleague and former lover Peter, her trainer Samir, and her PA Barbara—each offering fragments that reshape the reader’s understanding of Joy.
The multiple viewpoints make the novel compelling: they disrupt and confuse, yet gradually piece together a fuller picture of who Joy really is. Still, I found myself missing moments of true surprise or unexpected twists. By the end, I realised I had probably read more into Peter’s storyline than the text intended. What didn’t work for me at all were the numerous footnotes, which pulled me out of the flow of the narrative.

Autor: Jonathan Lee (born 1981) is an English author and television writer from Surrey. His debut novel Who Is Mr Satoshi? was a notable success, particularly in the United States, where he now resides. Before turning fully to writing, he spent what he has described as “seven strange years” working as a solicitor in London.

Lee Baker – Kylie Lee Baker: Bat Eater

Hodder & Stoughton

Purchased from: Heywood Hill, London, England

New York, during the COVID lockdown. Sisters Cora and Delilah wait for a train at a deserted station. At last, it arrives—only for the unthinkable to happen: a passing man shoves Delilah onto the tracks, killing her instantly. His slur “bat eater” reveals the ugly prejudice behind the act.
In the aftermath, Cora sees clearly how people of Asian appearance are becoming frequent targets of brutal crimes. As a crime scene cleaner, she and her colleagues soon notice disturbing connections between the murders. Determined, they begin to investigate. Yet Cora is haunted not only by violence in the city, but also by the ghost of her dead sister.
I first came across this book at the beautiful Heywood Hill bookshop in London. It felt completely out of place there—I almost wanted to banish it from the shelves myself. Sadly, no ghost appeared to do it for me. The story, much like its gory cover, reads like a cheap horror film, with COVID and racism woven in, but without convincing depth. The plot felt clumsy, the language uninspired.
Still, every now and then it’s worth stepping outside one’s reading comfort zone—if only to confirm where that comfort zone lies.

Autor: Kylie Lee Baker is an American author best known for her young adult fantasy novels. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys playing the cello and baking cookies.

Lenz – Pedro Lenz: Primitivo (signed)

Kein & Aber

Purchased from: Jenny & Bannholzer AG Bücher Papeterie, Meiringen, Switzerland

Set in the 1980s, the novel follows the life of Charly, a young apprentice bricklayer. On a construction site, he meets Primitivo, a Spanish immigrant worker whose experiences abroad captivate him. Unlike Primitivo, who has travelled widely, Charly knows little beyond the borders of his own village.
On Saturdays, the two spend long afternoons together over wine, cheese, and ham, talking about life in all its facets. Primitivo, a passionate reader of poetry, becomes an important influence on the younger man. But one day, tragedy strikes: Primitivo dies in a fatal workplace accident.
Left on his own, Charly longs for the advice of his lost friend, especially now that Laurence, a young woman, has completely unsettled him.
Pedro Lenz has created a wonderful novel about the lives of everyday people. At times it amused me, at others it moved me deeply. He is a gifted storyteller—one of the finest we have in Switzerland.

Author: Pedro Lenz (born 1965) is a Swiss author from Langenthal. 
He lives in Olten, where he also contributes to the “Writer’s Way” audio tour for local tourism.
Lenz writes in both Swiss German dialect and standard German. His acclaimed football novel Der Goalie bin ig was successfully adapted into a film, and, even more remarkably, translated into Glaswegian under the title Naw Much of a Talker.

Levy – Deborah Levy: August Blue

AKI Verlag

Purchased from: Buchhandlung zum Zytglogge, Berne, Switzerland

At the height of her career, concert pianist Elsa abruptly walks off stage in the middle of a performance. She has faltered, and her personal life is no less unsettled: her family background is opaque, and her relationships with men are troubled.
Three weeks later, at a market in Athens, Elsa spots a woman who looks strikingly like her. The woman buys two mechanical horses, objects Elsa herself desired. Compelled, Elsa begins to follow this doppelgänger across Europe, though their encounters never unfold in the way she longs for. The origins and meaning of this double remain unresolved.
As Elsa drifts between cities, giving piano lessons, she reflects on her fraught relationship with her adoptive mother and her own search for identity.
I came to this book with high expectations—perhaps too high. The longer Elsa’s story went on, the more distant she felt to me, and I never managed to connect with her. Many of the individual episodes promised more than they ultimately delivered.
While some readers may find a poetic quality in this fragmented, elusive narrative, it left me cold. Personally, I can only hope the author at least enjoyed visiting the many European settings that frame the novel.

Author: Deborah Levy (born 1959) is a British author, born in Johannesburg, South Africa. At the age of nine, she moved with her family to England to escape the apartheid regime.

Lewis – Herbert Clyde Lewis: Gentleman über Bord

Mareverlag

Purchased from: Buchhandlung Christiansen, Hamburg, Germany

The stockbroker Henry Preston Standish is travelling with eight other passengers and the crew of a freighter. One morning, he slips on an oil slick and falls into the sea. At first, no one notices his absence.
Alone in the vast ocean, Standish finds his only companions in a pod of dolphins. At first, he accepts his fate and allows himself to drift. But as the hours pass and his situation grows more desperate, he is forced to confront not only the sea around him but also himself. Will he be rescued?
The German edition of this novel is beautifully produced, worth owning for that reason alone. But more importantly, it is a striking, compact work that examines human nature and society. I particularly admired the way the author portrayed the fellow passengers and their quick judgements, revealing how easily people form opinions about others.
The epilogue is especially strong, noting that this story should not, and could not, be artificially stretched out as so many novels are. I couldn’t agree more.

Author: Herbert Clyde Lewis (1909–1950) was an American writer and journalist. In 1948, he was nominated for an Academy Award for the original story of It Happened on Fifth Avenue.

Loach – Mikaela Loach: It’s not that radical 

Dorling Kinderslev (signed copy)

Purchased from: The Feminist Bookshop, Brighton, England

This book addresses climate justice, police brutality, and capitalism. The author highlights the many injustices committed by authorities and illustrates the consequences of such actions. Yet the climate itself often feels secondary to the broader social critique.
I found the book difficult to finish. While I agreed with certain points—such as the misery caused by colonialism—the arguments often felt targeted at one particular group, which weakened their impact. The author’s religious perspective also became quickly apparent, and the book seemed more focused on human needs than on environmental solutions.
For example, she calls for the abolition of prisons without offering a concrete alternative for dealing with violent offenders, instead referring readers to another book. Likewise, she critiques “cancel culture” but never questions “cancel religion,” which might have opened a deeper debate on issues like overpopulation and education.
This is unfortunate, because the world would benefit greatly if more people spoke up for the environment. In my view, however, the aggressive tone of the book risks alienating readers rather than inspiring them. Real change often comes from those who quietly put ideas into practice and win others over by example.

Author: Mikaela Loach is a British-Jamaican climate justice activist who was raised in Surrey.

Lorenzo – Santiago Lorenzo: Wir sind alle Widerlinge (Los asquerosos)

Penguin Random House

Purchased from: Bücher Dillier, Sarnen, Switzerland

Manuel is an underestimated man with few friends. Unable to fulfil his professional potential, he leads a modest and rather isolated life. One day, after injuring a policeman in self-defence, he decides to go into hiding. He finds refuge in the ghost village of Zarzahuriel, where his uncle discreetly supports him from afar.
What first seems like punishment soon reveals itself as a gift: in the solitude of the abandoned village, Manuel begins to discover himself. It is wonderful to see an introverted character given the space to stand at the centre of a novel. His peace, however, is disturbed when weekend visitors arrive—loud, superficial neighbours who shatter his idyll without even noticing him. Determined to reclaim his sanctuary, Manuel devises clever traps to rid himself of these intruders.
I cannot judge the original, as I do not speak Spanish or Basque, but the German translation is superb—linguistically rich and a true pleasure to read. A work of art in itself.
Santiago Lorenzo’s story gained even more resonance for me once I learned about the author’s own life, which helped me empathise with both him and his character.
A brilliant novel—highly recommended!

Author: Santiago Lorenzo (born 1964) is a Basque author and filmmaker. 
Before turning fully to literature, he directed several films and worked in the Spanish film industry. He is best known for his novel Los asquerosos (The Awfuls). Like his protagonist, Lorenzo himself lives outside the city in a small village, a lifestyle that often informs the themes of his work.

Lynch – Paul Lynch: Prophet Song

Oneworld Publications

Purchased from: bookstór, Kinsale, Ireland

Ireland. A seemingly ordinary day draws to a close. Eilish, a scientist and mother of four, is busy with the small tasks that fill her evenings. Her family appears secure, grounded in everyday life.
Then comes a knock at the door. Two men from the Garda National Service Bureau ask for her husband, Larry. From that moment, nothing is the same. Ireland spirals into chaos under the grip of a totalitarian regime. People are arrested, many vanish without a trace.
When bodies of detainees are returned to their families, marked by torture, and her 16-year-old son is handed a weapon, Her father is fading into dementia, her husband has disappeared, and even her sons Mark and Bailey are slipping from her grasp.
Eilish realises she must act. But how? 
Paul Lynch’s Booker Prize–winning Prophet Song grips the reader from the very first line. Written without paragraphs and in long, unbroken sentences (see p. 259), the prose offers no pause, no reprieve, mirroring the relentless pressure crushing Eilish. I read the novel on edge, entirely absorbed in her fate, as if I were living it alongside her.
It is a masterfully written, immersive book. Yet the ending left me unsettled, not quite what I expected. If, indeed, it can be called an “ending” at all.

Author: Paul Lynch (born 1977) is an Irish writer. Before dedicating himself fully to fiction, he worked as chief film critic for The Sunday Times. In 2023, he won the Booker Prize for his novel Prophet Song.
The author portrait on his website is striking, he looks more like a pop star than a novelist, and perfectly mirrors the bold, unforgettable quality of Prophet Song.

Manawatu – Becky Manawatu: Auē

Scribe Publications

Purchased from: Falmouth Bookseller, Falmouth, England

Auē is a Māori expression of astonishment or distress. In the novel, young Arama is sent to live with his Aunt Kat. He also finds himself under the roof of his violent uncle Stu, trapped in an atmosphere of fear and aggression. Even his older brother Taukiri abandons him, tormented by guilt over their parents’ deaths.
Arama clings to a budding friendship with the lively Beth, yet his deepest longing is for Taukiri, and the hope that one day they might be reunited.
The story unfolds in alternating perspectives between the two brothers. Personally, I would have found it more compelling if the entire narrative had been told through Arama’s eyes.
Ultimately, Auē is a novel about loss, trauma, and the yearning for safety. While its subject matter is powerful, the narrative style didn’t resonate with me as a reader.

Author: Becky Manawatu (born 1980) is a New Zealand writer. She is married to rugby player Tim Manawatu, whom she accompanied to Germany and other countries, a time during which she began work on her debut novel Auē.

Manenzhe – Rešoketšwe Manenzhe: Wir Zerrissenen (Scatterlings)

Penguin

Purchased from: Bücher Lentner, Munich, Germany

The novel is set in South Africa, spanning the years between the onset of colonialism and the rise of apartheid. At its heart is a family: a Black mother, a white father, and their two mixed-race children. Then comes the devastating news of a new law that forbids relationships between Black and white people—love itself becomes a crime.
A tragic act changes everything: the mother sets a fire, taking her younger daughter with her to her death. The father and the surviving daughter flee to Southern Rhodesia, finding temporary refuge with an old friend along the way.
The book begins powerfully, vividly portraying the tensions and injustices of South African society. The mother’s inner struggles are particularly compelling at first, as she searches for her roots in Africa but never truly finds them.
Unfortunately, the novel repeatedly loses focus. Rituals, stories, and long passages from the mother’s diary dominate the narrative. For me, these sections lacked emotional resonance, perhaps because I do not share the same belief in such traditions.
In the end, the novel left me largely unmoved, a shame, as it had enormous potential. It might have been stronger had the author remained closer to the initial storyline, instead of weaving in too many threads at once. At times, it felt as if the novel was trying to be several books in one, rather than focusing on its most powerful core.

Author:  Rešoketšwe Manenzhe is a South African writer and poet who has already received numerous literary awards.
Blending history, memory, and myth, her work often explores themes of identity, displacement, and belonging. She lives in Cape Town.

Marczewski – Philippe Marczewski: Quand Cécile

Seuil

Purchased from: Tropismes, Bruxelles, Belgium

Cécile dies on 8 August 2001, in the wreckage of a small tourist plane two days later, on 10 August, he learns of her death, he had known her in his youth, a brief, fragile affair, little more than a flicker, yet when, years later, he glimpses a woman on the street who looks uncannily like Cécile, something in him unravels, he begins to follow her, quietly, obsessively, even collecting the rubbish she leaves behind, as he drifts through these shadowed days, memories of Cécile surge and dissolve like mist, sometimes they seem almost tangible, other times so faint that he doubts they ever existed at all, he imagines the places where they might have met, the lives they could have crossed, the story is haunting because this lost relationship is so unreachable, too short to take root, yet still capable of consuming him, there is one thing readers must know before they open this book: it has only a single true point, found at the very end, I clung to that point, celebrated it when it finally arrived, until then, the story unfolds as one unbroken sentence, flowing for 135 pages without pause, for me, that style did not serve this tale; its form could not quite carry the weight of its yearning.

Author: Philippe Marczewski was born in Belgium in 1974. He first worked as a researcher in neuropsychology before later becoming a bookseller in Liège. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to find out in which bookshop.

Marly – Michelle Marly: Der Glanz der Zukunft

HarperCollins

Purchased from: Omni, Schaan, Liechtenstein

This book is a short biography in the form of a novel about Loulou de la Falaise, a woman closely associated with fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.
It opens with a fashion show at Paris Fashion Week in January 1973, before moving back to Loulou’s first marriage to Desmond, an Irishman with a knightly title. Her life, however, is unfulfilling, even her wedding dress was chosen for her, a painful irony for someone obsessed with fashion. She soon meets Talitha, Desmond’s ex-girlfriend, now married to Paul Getty II. Through such connections, Loulou is drawn into the world of fashion, music, and art—a milieu her mother once inhabited as a model. Eventually, she crosses paths with Yves Saint Laurent.
For me, the book read less like a novel and more like a school essay assembled from researched fragments. It lacked narrative drive and felt closer to a factual report. Dialogue was oddly inserted, and the text jumped from one event to another, seemingly trying to include as many celebrities as possible. A more focused approach—perhaps centering on Loulou’s meeting with Yves and building the story around that pivotal moment—would have been far more compelling.
As a point of reference, one might think of T.C. Boyle, who masterfully transforms real-life personalities into richly layered fiction.

Author: Michelle Marly is the pseudonym of German writer Micaela Jary (born 1956). Her father reportedly predicted a literary career for her shortly after her birth. She writes under different names depending on genre: as Michelle Marly for certain works, and as Gabriela Galvani for her historical novels.

McCann – Colum McCann: Twist

Bloomsbury

Purchased from: Primrose Hill Books, London, England

Many have tried to tell the story of John A. Conway, but their accounts have often been inaccurate.
Now, Irish journalist and writer Anthony Fennell is commissioned to report on the repair of undersea fiber-optic cables, through which a large portion of global internet communication flows.
With his writing career at a standstill, Fennell readily accepts the assignment. In the first week of the new year, he travels to Cape Town, where the Georges Lecointe lies docked in the harbor.
When he meets Conway for the first time, he is surprised. Conway is younger than expected, calm, and possesses a certain “there and yet not there” quality. Fennell also meets Conway’s girlfriend, Zanele, an actress who soon departs for England to perform in the theater.
Before long, news arrives that a cable requires urgent repair. Fennell joins Conway’s crew on the delicate mission at sea, 53 men on board and not a single woman. For Fennell, the voyage becomes more than just an assignment; it turns into a confrontation with himself and his past, which increasingly occupies his thoughts.
When the ship finally returns to shore, Conway has vanished. Soon after, reports emerge of an attack on an undersea cable in Egypt. What role did Conway play, and how much does Zanele know?

I found the first two-thirds of the novel particularly atmospheric. As a reader, I was immediately drawn into the journey (so in a way, there was a woman on board after all, even if only virtually). Conway’s aloofness made him feel strikingly real. However, once he disappeared from the ship, the story lost some of its grip on me. Perhaps my expectations played a role, but at the same time, it all felt grounded in reality.
Definitely worth reading.

Author: Colum McCann (born 1965) is an Irish writer based in the United States. He is the co-founder of Narrative 4, a global non-profit dedicated to story exchange.
McCann has lived in several countries and once cycled 8,000 miles from the United States to Mexico. His path to becoming a writer was anything but conventional: before his literary career, he worked in jobs as varied as taxi driver and wilderness guide.

McCartén- Anthony McCartén: Going Zero

Diogenes

Purchased from: Osiander, Konstanz, Germany

Going Zero unfolds as a 30-day countdown. During this time, ten selected participants in a beta test must try to disappear completely. Whoever succeeds in evading state-of-the-art surveillance technology wins three million dollars. Behind the project stand a billionaire and the secret service, both convinced that no one can escape their system.
The introduction of the protagonist is masterfully crafted: a mirror in the entrance hall sets the scene. It not only creates atmosphere but also reflects Kaitlyn, a seemingly ordinary librarian, who pauses to look at herself. At first, she appears to be the kind of participant who will be caught quickly.
But then the story takes a sharp turn. The quiet, inconspicuous librarian proves far more resourceful than expected. Her participation in the experiment is no accident, she has her own hidden motive.
Fast-paced and cinematic, Going Zero keeps the suspense alive right up to the very last page.

Author:  Anthony McCarten (born 1961) is a New Zealand writer. Alongside his novels, he has written numerous plays and screenplays, and is best known for his screenplays for Bohemian Rhapsody and The Two Popes. He has been nominated twice for an Academy Award.

McCracken – Elizabeth McCracken: The Hero of This Book

Vermilion

Purchased from: Hoepli Libreria Internazionale, Milan, Italy

Ten months after her mother’s death, the narrator travels to London, a city she once visited with her, and her mother’s favourite place. As she wanders through the streets, she reflects on episodes from her mother’s life and on their complex relationship.
The book is a blend of fiction and personal mourning, a way for the author to process the loss of her mother.
For me, however, it created little emotional resonance. I felt distant, and the narrative lacked the tension needed to make me truly care about the protagonists.
In the end, it struck me as a fairly typical women’s novel with autobiographical elements, something that, unfortunately, has become all too common in recent years.

Author:  Elizabeth McCracken (born 1977) is an American author. She has written several novels, many of which draw on autobiographical elements.

McEwan- Ian McEwan: Abbitte (Atonement)

Diogenes

Purchased from: Homburger & Hepp, Konstanz, Germany

Briony is a 13-year-old girl on the cusp of adolescence. With her vivid imagination and dreams of becoming a writer, she interprets the world around her in her own way. One summer’s day, she witnesses two incidents and misreads them—with devastating consequences.
Her misunderstanding fatally alters the lives of those involved, most of all Robbie, the son of the family’s cleaning lady. Already compromised by an unfortunate mistake with a letter, he is then accused of rape after Briony identifies him as the culprit. Robbie protests his innocence, but he is arrested. Cecilia, Briony’s older sister and Robbie’s beloved, severs ties with her family and pledges loyalty to him. Soon, the chaos of war separates them further.
Meanwhile, Briony grows older and, working as a student nurse during the war, begins to grasp the gravity of her mistake. Realising the enormity of her false accusation, she longs to put it right.
I don’t usually enjoy novels that centre on wartime experiences, yet I must admit this book was an exception. McEwan’s writing stirred powerful emotions in me: I found myself tense, teeth clenched, as I read scenes such as Briony carefully removing splinters from a wounded soldier.
Atonement is an extraordinary novel, an unflinching exploration of love, jealousy, guilt, and the painful search for forgiveness.

Author:  Ian McEwan (born 1948) is a British writer and one of the most acclaimed novelists of his generation. The son of a Scottish army major, he spent part of his childhood in places such as Libya, an experience that sharpened his eye for displacement and cultural contrasts.
McEwan’s own family history could have been drawn from one of his novels: later in life, he discovered he had a half-brother, the child of his mother’s affair, who had been given up for adoption. Such secrets, betrayals, and moral ambiguities are central to McEwan’s fiction, which often probes the fragility of relationships and the hidden fault lines of ordinary lives.

Meichtry – Wilfried Meichtry: Nach oben sinken

Nagel & Kimche

Purchased from: Buchhandlung am Kronenplatz, Burgdorf, Swotzerland

Growing up in the deeply conservative and Catholic Valais is not easy, especially for a boy whose many questions remain unanswered. And he has plenty of them.
One day, the unnamed first-person narrator notices the almost-erased name of his grandmother’s brother on the family gravestone. Curious, he begins to investigate. His search for the truth, however, costs him his place at college.
He retreats to a mountain pasture, working as a shepherd, where he experiences love for the first time. When he returns months later, he finds lodging with an elderly woman, only gradually realising that she holds the key to his uncle’s story.
The title Sinking Upwards reminded me of Oasis’s album Definitely Maybe. I don’t mean to suggest anything deliberate, but it felt as though the author had chosen the title first and was determined to use it, even if it did not entirely fit the novel’s content :-)
The narrative style carries an autobiographical tone. It is a beautifully told story, but not one that struck me as particularly unusual or deeply moving. 
Nevertheless, it is certainly worth reading.

Author: Wilfried Meichtry (born 1965) is a Swiss author and screenwriter from the canton of Valais.

Meier – Simone Meier: Die Entflammten

Kein & Aber

Purchased from: Schuler Bücher, Chur, Swotzerland

Behind many famous men stands a strong woman—and that is precisely what this novel is about. Jo, the wife of Vincent van Gogh’s brother Theo, becomes the link that unites the two brothers after their deaths. When Theo dies young, she is left with a baby and countless paintings by her brother-in-law, Vincent. Her mission: to make his art known to the world. After all, during his lifetime, Vincent van Gogh did not sell a single painting.
A hundred years later, the student Gina sets out to retrace Jo’s steps. In doing so, she discovers that her own life and Jo’s are far more similar than she first imagined.
This novel was recommended to me in several bookshops. Yet when I read the blurb, I had a bad feeling and hesitated for a long time before finally buying it. Unfortunately, my gut instinct proved correct: I found the book very difficult to read. The lack of paragraph breaks and the way direct speech was merged into the continuous text made the reading experience heavy and unpleasant.
By the end, the narrative included views and commentary that I found not only inappropriate but also contradictory. For me, this confirmed a broader frustration: how easily subjective opinion now overshadows objectivity, not just in literature, but in newspapers as well.

Author: Simone Meier (born 1980) is a Swiss author, journalist, and culture editor.

Mencarelli – Daniele Mencarelli: Für die Kämpfer, für die Verrückten (Everything Calls for Salvation)

S.Fischer

Purchased from: Leserei, Zofingen, Switzerland

Daniele is admitted to a psychiatric hospital after an outburst of rage. The choice of name is no coincidence, it is also the author’s. He is forced to stay for a week, against his will.
In a shared room with five other men, all labelled as “crazy,” he gradually begins to open up. Tentatively at first, conversations spark, and a deep, unexpected bond forms between the patients.
The result is a novel that is at once beautiful, profound, and surprisingly entertaining. Mencarelli not only confronts his own struggles but also holds up a mirror to a society that quickly marginalises those who don’t conform to its norms.
This was a wonderful recommendation from the staff at Leserei in Zofingen, one I might never have picked up on my own, but I’m very glad I did.

Author: Daniele Mencarelli (born 1974) is an Italian writer from Rome. Before turning to fiction in 2014, he published several volumes of poetry. His work often draws heavily on his own life experiences.

Menegaux – Mathieu Menegaux: Impardonnable

Grasset

Purchased from: Payot, Sierre, Switzerland

In Impardonnable by Mathieu Ménégaux, two young lives are suddenly cut short: Lucie and Quentin are killed in separate accidents by two drivers who had alcohol in their blood and then fled the scene.
The novel opens on the morning of Lucie’s funeral. Her mother, Anna, has slept for the first time since the accident, but the grief remains overwhelming. Only in a few months the trial will begin. The situation feels unbearably unjust: although the driver caused the death and fled, he faces a maximum sentence of only three years in prison. At the same time, the legal system seems full of lawyers willing to defend reckless drivers. Yet Lucie’s family’s lawyer understands their pain in a very personal way, he too once lost a child in a similar accident.
Alongside Anna’s story, the novel follows Paul Dufourcq, the man responsible for Quentin’s death. Although Quentin may not have behaved perfectly on the road, Paul’s actions ultimately caused the tragedy. Paul struggles to fully comprehend what he has done. His successful professional life has collapsed, and his family has turned their backs on him. Now he must live with guilt, isolation, and the bleak reality of prison.
One day Anna learns about restorative justice—a voluntary meeting between victims’ families and the person responsible for a crime. Both Anna and Paul agree to take part. The question remains: what will happen when they finally face each other?
The novel’s greatest strength is also its weakness. Its slow, almost heavy narrative style powerfully conveys the endless grief of the victims’ families and the agonizing wait for the trial. Paul’s internal struggle and the bleak monotony of prison life are portrayed convincingly. At times, however, the melancholy tone makes the story feel somewhat heavy and less engaging.
Only toward the end does the narrative gain momentum. Nevertheless, the novel is well worth reading, as it powerfully highlights the senselessness of traffic accidents and the profound consequences they have for everyone involved.

Author: Mathieu Menegaux (born 1967) is a Paris-born French novelist. Alongside his writing, he serves as a management consultant for a prestigious global company.

Michaelides – Alex Michaelides: The Silent Patient

Orion Publishing

Purchased from: WH Smith, Gatwick Airport, England

Set largely within the confines of a psychiatric hospital, The Silent Patient tells the story of Alicia, who is accused of murdering her husband and has since refused to speak a single word. Her silence baffles doctors and fascinates the public. Only one therapist seems able to reach her, though his own past—revealed in a series of flashbacks—suggests his interest is far from impartial. As their stories intertwine, it becomes clear that their connection is both deeper and darker than it first appears.
Alex Michaelides has crafted a psychological thriller of remarkable precision, plotted with the ingenuity of Agatha Christie and the suspenseful tension of Hitchcock. The novel’s final twist is both shocking and inevitable, forcing the reader to reconsider everything that came before.
Rarely has a thriller misled me so completely. I thought I knew the truth from early on, yet I kept pushing it aside, unwilling to admit it. The Silent Patient is, without doubt, one of the most accomplished and compelling thrillers I have ever read.

Author: Alex Michaelides (born 1977) is a British-Cypriot author. Influenced early on by his mother’s book collection, he developed a love of literature shaped both by Greek mythology and the crime novels of Agatha Christie. He later trained in psychotherapy, and his experience working in a clinic provided the insight that would inform his bestselling debut novel, The Silent Patient.
Michaelides studied English literature at Trinity College, Cambridge, and has also written screenplays, some of which were adapted into films featuring well-known Hollywood actors.

Mishima – Yukio Mishima: Bekenntnis einer Maske (Confessions of a Mask)

Kein & Aber

Purchased from: Calligramme, Zurich, Switzerland

The birthday of the protagonist coincides with that of the author, Yukio Mishima, which clearly suggests that the novel is deeply autobiographical.
He grows up in a family with rigid expectations, obedience to the Japanese social order is taken for granted.
When a new student, Omi, joins his class, the young man becomes intensely drawn to him. Omi’s sweat, armpit hair, and masculine physique exert a powerful fascination. Violence, too, arouses him, especially the image of Saint Sebastian, bound and pierced by arrows. Alongside these desires, suicidal thoughts begin to emerge.
To survive within society, he feels compelled to hide behind a mask, performing the role expected of him.
Eventually, he meets a girl named Sonoko, whom he loves in a purely platonic way. Yet he wonders whether he can escape the fate of marrying her.
I found the book beautifully written, with its novelistic form subtly ‘concealing’ the autobiographical elements. Personally, I am not fond of introspective monologues or the extended portrayal of inner conflict. The harsh wartime setting adds an even heavier, more oppressive mood.
What I felt was missing, however, was an emotional connection to the narrator. He remained distant and elusive to me.

Author: Yukio Mishima (1925–1970) was a Japanese author from Tokyo. The son of a high-ranking civil servant, he attended an elite grammar school where he studied several foreign languages and discovered a fascination with writers such as Oscar Wilde.
When Mishima began writing, his father strongly opposed his literary ambitions, while his mother encouraged and supported him. Over the years, he became one of Japan’s most prominent modern authors and was nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in Literature, though he never received it.
Politically active and increasingly radical in his views, Mishima played a leading role in a failed coup attempt. Shortly afterwards, he took his own life.

Molmy – Christophe Molmy: Comme un papillon

Éditions de la Martinière

Purchased from: Librairie 47 Baker Street, Èvian-les-Bains, France

Mathieu Ezcurra is a successful university professor, married to the beautiful Estelle and father of two. On the surface, his life appears perfect—yet he secretly meets women through dating apps. One night, he arranges to meet Mia via Tinder, takes her to a hotel room, and soon afterward finds himself facing a rape accusation.
While in custody, Mathieu is questioned by psychologist Manon. She hints that something in his childhood may hold the key to his behaviour but she withholds the details. This uncertainty gnaws at him. His relationship with his mother is strained, his father suffers from Alzheimer’s, and his older sister refuses to share any family truths.
Drawn to Manon, Mathieu seeks her out again, only to be rejected. Unaccustomed to refusal, he becomes fixated on her. As his life begins to unravel—he is stalked, more women come forward with allegations, his wife throws him out, and he is beaten badly enough to be hospitalised, Manon becomes his last hope. What role does she really play in this matter?
Comme un papillon grips from the very first page. It is a psychological thriller of the highest order, brilliantly constructed and unflinching. As a female reader, I was drawn so deeply into Mathieu’s perspective that, despite the accusations and his flaws, I couldn’t help but feel for him. The interrogations and dialogue ring with realism, and the twists keep you guessing right up to the final page.

Author: Christophe Molmy (born 1969) is the former head of Paris’s BRI, the elite unit specialising in major robberies and hostage situations. He now leads the Brigade de Protection des Mineurs, which focuses on protecting minors. The author of several novels, Molmy draws on his extensive first-hand experience—he truly knows the world he writes about.

Morrison – Toni Morrison: Rezitativ (Recitatif)

Rowohlt

Purchased from: Lüthy Bader, Langenthal, Switzerland

Twyla and Roberta, both eight years old, meet in a children’s home.
But which girl is Black, and which is White? Toni Morrison deliberately leaves this unclear, forcing readers to reflect on their own assumptions as they try to distinguish between the two protagonists.
The girls become close friends, yet their lives take very different paths. Over the years, they encounter each other again and again, bound only by their shared past and a haunting memory of Maggie, the mute and disabled kitchen worker at the home.
For me, Maggie’s story was the most powerful part of the book. The way she was treated deeply unsettled me, and as a reader, her fate felt far more significant than the question of skin colour.
At the same time, the narrative seems to assume a familiarity with the social context of that period in American history. Because of this, I often felt a certain distance from the events.
Finally, I found the afterword by Zadie Smith unnecessary; the story, in my view, speaks strongly enough on its own.

Author: Toni Morrison (1931–2019) was a ground-breaking American author whose work explored themes of race, identity, and the African American experience. 
In 1993, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Murrin – Alan Murrin: The Coast Road

HarperCollins

Purchased from: Sneem Book Shop, Sneem, Ireland

The year is 1994, in a small coastal village in County Donegal, Ireland.
Three women take centre stage, living in a society still governed by Catholic tradition and patriarchal rules. At this time, divorce remains illegal.
When a cottage in the village of Ardglas goes up in flames, Izzy (wife of a local politician) tells the police she immediately knew it was arson. But how could she be so certain? That is where the story begins…
Colette, a writer, stands out in this small community. Admired for her beauty, she nevertheless suffers in her marriage. Her husband, Shaun, forbids her from seeing her sons. At first, she finds refuge in a B&B, but soon she turns to the Mullens (Dolores Mullen, pregnant with her fourth child) and rents a small cottage on their land. What begins as a solution quickly spirals towards disaster.
Alan Murrin’s The Coast Road is a novel about women and their relationships—yet these relationships are deeply shaped, and often constrained, by the men in their lives.
The characters are rough-edged, flawed, and strikingly real. I cannot say I liked any of them, but their authenticity kept me gripped. The scenes are written with such intensity that the novel becomes a true page-turner. As a reader, I found myself right in the thick of it, passing my own harsh judgements on the unfolding events.

Author: Alan Murrin is an Irish writer living in Berlin. Alongside his fiction, he writes on art and photography for a range of publications, including ArtReview. 
The Coast Road is his debut novel.

Muschg – Adolf Muschg: Nicht mein Leben

C.H. Beck

Purchased from: Wolf Buchhandlung, Küsnacht (ZH), Switzerland

Adolf Muschg’s novel Nicht mein Leben (“Not My Life”) offers a sort of autofiction from the viewpoint of the nearly 80-year-old teacher August Mormann, whose initials, one notes with raised eyebrow, match the author’s. The story oscillates between the second year of the COVID pandemic and the protagonist’s meandering reflections and recollections.
I can see what Muschg was reaching for: a late-life meditation delivered at arm’s length from his own biography, a calm look at life and death without slipping into sentimentality. Admirable intentions, certainly. Unfortunately, the execution left me rather cold.
Something essential was missing. Autobiographical and reflective literature is fashionable these days, but I’ve yet to encounter a specimen that wins me over, and this one didn’t even wave from a distance. I may be hopelessly old-fashioned in my desire for a story that actually… tells a story, but this novel resolutely refused to meet me halfway. I didn’t even find the prose especially beautiful, which is usually my consolation prize. A pity.
The whole enterprise felt like a book that demands reflection on reflection, and possibly footnotes explaining the footnotes. Not exactly Sybil-compatible. I’ll take my share of the blame: perhaps my intellect is simply not calibrated for recursive contemplation. But still one hopes a novel would meet the reader somewhere closer to sea level.

Author: Adolf Muschg (born 1934) is a Swiss author from Zollikon and is regarded as one of the country’s most important and politically engaged writers. His life and work were the subject of the 2021 documentary Adolf Muschg – der Andere (Adolf Muschg – The Other). A recurring theme in his writing is his lifelong struggle with hypochondria, which he explored in several of his novels.

Myers – Benjamin Myers: Offene See (The Offing)

DuMont

Purchased from: Gutenberg-Laden, Lindau, Germany

Yorkshire, in the years after the war. Robert is sixteen, and everyone expects him to follow his father and grandfather into the mines. But before surrendering to that fate, he longs to see the open sea.
He sets out across the northern English countryside, offering his labour on farms along the way—help that is gratefully received in the post-war years. Eventually, his wanderings lead him to the home of Dulcie, an unconventional and sharp-witted woman.
Dulcie takes him in for a time. She introduces him to food he has never tasted, to art and literature, and to new ways of seeing the world. From her, Robert learns lessons that extend far beyond the classroom of life he has known so far.
One day, while renovating a shed on her property, he discovers a manuscript. This hidden work not only reveals more of Dulcie’s own past but also alters the course of Robert’s future.
Benjamin Myers’ novel is beautifully written. I especially enjoyed the first half, with its tender, insightful portrait of the relationship between Robert and Dulcie. After the discovery of the manuscript, however, I felt the story lost some of its poetry, as it became increasingly driven by that thread of the plot. Still, it remains a novel very much worth reading.

Author: Benjamin Myers (born 1976) is an English author and journalist from Durham. He began his career as a music journalist for Melody Maker, where his sharp reviews once provoked strong reactions—most notoriously, drum and bass musician Goldie is said to have threatened him after a particularly negative write-up. (Frankly, neither the review nor the reaction comes as much of a surprise.)
Outside of writing, Myers is known for his love of the outdoors, which often informs the themes and settings of his work.

Natsukawa – Sosuke Natsukawa: Die Katze, die von Büchern träumte (The Cat Who Saved Books)

C.Bertelsmann

Purchased from: Buchhandlung Rupprecht, Singen, Germany

At the heart of the story lies an antiquarian bookshop, run by Rintaro's grandfather. Rintaro is an introverted student. When his grandfather dies, Rintaro is meant to move in with his aunt, but before that happens, he spends a few quiet days looking after the shop. These days deepen his bond with his grandfather’s memory and remind him of the value of books. For me, it felt like a space in which grief could be processed and a new chapter of life could begin.
Rintaro is not entirely alone: Sayo, the school’s student representative, visits him often, and a tentative friendship begins to grow between them. Then, one day, a talking cat appears and asks for his help. Books are in danger and must be saved. Together, they embark on a series of fantastical journeys. But will Rintaro be able to protect the books—and with them, the legacy and memory of his grandfather?
It is a beautifully told tale with the tone of a modern fairy story. Yet for me, it lacked emotional depth. The bookshop setting and the talking cat felt a little too clichéd; I wished for something more distinctive to draw me in.
Still, I can imagine that for the author—who works as a doctor—this fantasy world may have offered a welcome distance from the realities of hospital life.
The German translation of the book title is once again completely unsuccessful.

Author: Sōsuke Natsukawa (born 1978) is the pen name of a Japanese author. Alongside his literary career, he works as a physician at a hospital in Nagano.

Nedreaas – Torborg Nedreaas: Nichts wächst im Mondschein (Nothing Grows in the Moonlight)

Luchterhand

Purchased from: Autorenbuchhandlung Marx & Co, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Norway, 1947. A small coastal town in the harsh post-war years. Tensions run high, and people are searching for hope, for security.
At the train station, a lonely man is waiting. Then he sees her: a woman in a blue coat and flat shoes, a red suitcase in her hand. He takes her home. They are strangers, and they will never learn each other’s names. She wants only one thing: to talk.
She is the daughter of a miner, marked by a life of daily struggle. Her anchor is Johannes, her teacher. They meet in secret, grow close, and eventually become intimate. But does he love her as much as she loves him? The truth reveals itself when she is expecting his child—and she comes to realise something painful: with Johannes, you are never truly finished.
When first published, this novel was scandalous. Even today it remains strikingly relevant: a story about social class, abortion, love, longing, and loss.
I found it beautifully written, offering a profound insight into the soul of its protagonist. Nedreaas’ prose awakened all my senses; at times I felt as though I were sitting in that smoky room beside her, willing my eyes to stay open just to keep listening. Sometimes I wanted to hold her and comfort her. Other times, I longed to tell her what I truly thought.
Because nothing grows in the moonlight.

Author: Torborg Nedreaas (1906–1987) was a Norwegian author from Bergen, who also published under the pseudonym Tob Kieding. 
In addition to her novels and short stories, she wrote plays, radio dramas, and screenplays. 
Politically, she was strongly aligned with the left.

Neufeld – Regina Neufeld: Die Kraft deiner Geschichte

SCM R. Brockhaus

Purchased from: Jona Christliche Buchhandlung, Radolfzell, Germany

Imagine standing in front of a bookshelf, pulling out a volume, and discovering that it tells your own story. That is the guiding idea of Regina Neufeld’s book. The author weaves in reflections on her own life, some experiences deeply painful and on the strength she has drawn from her faith.
The book is less a narrative than a Christian guide, intended to inspire and encourage. For me, it was a personal challenge: as someone entirely non-religious, I tried to immerse myself in these 191 pages. I am glad for anyone who finds comfort and support in faith. Yet, to me, it feels too simple to attribute actions and words to God without tangible evidence.
There is no doubt that Regina Neufeld is a remarkable person, who has found resilience through her experiences and her belief in God. With this book, she seeks to pass on that strength to others. She emphasizes repeatedly how much she values stories—but I found the actual "storytelling" somewhat lacking.

Author:  Regina Neufeld (born 1985) is a German author and member of a Free Church.
The loss of her young son became a turning point in her life, inspiring her to dedicate herself more deeply to social causes. Out of this experience she also trained in biblical-therapeutic counselling, combining faith and compassion in her work with others.

Nicholls – David Nicholls – One Day

Hodder & Stoughto

Purchased from: Norli, Bergen, Norway

David Nicholls’ novel One Day tells the story of Emma and Dexter, who first meet on 15 July 1988. They couldn’t be more different: Dexter is privileged and carefree, while Emma is grounded, hardworking, and determined to make her way step by step. And yet, despite their differences, they form a deep bond.
Rather than unfolding as a conventional love story, the novel traces their lives over the next twenty years, returning to that single date—15 July—in every chapter. Through these snapshots, we watch their paths diverge and intersect time and again. Dexter rises quickly to fame as a TV presenter but struggles with self-discipline and alcohol, while Emma builds a career as a teacher and slips into relationships that never quite satisfy her, because, in truth, she only wants Dexter.
What makes the book so compelling is its ingenious structure. Nicholls skips over stretches of their lives, only to fill in the blanks later, keeping the narrative both surprising and emotionally engaging. It’s a deft blend of drama and entertainment, touching and funny in equal measure.
I also had a lovely coincidence while reading: on page 320, there’s a postcard dated 1 August which I just happened to read on 1 August. Little moments like that make me love a book even more.

Author: David Nicholls (born 1966) is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known for his sharp, heartfelt storytelling.
He began his career on the stage as an actor before discovering his true calling as a writer. Away from his desk, Nicholls is an avid reader of non-fiction, a model railway enthusiast, and a passionate hiker—an activity that inspired elements of his novel You Are Here.

Noll – Ingrid Noll: Gruss aus der Küche

Diogenes

Purchased from: Sarganser Buchladen, Sargans, Switzerland

Irma has transformed the traditional inn Zum Hirschen into a vegetarian restaurant called Aubergine, known for its creative dishes. Her small team includes her best friend Nicole, the well-educated and attractive Josh, the 17-year-old school-leaver Lucy, and Vincent, an octogenarian who helps out in the kitchen. Vincent pretends to be deaf, but in truth he secretly wears a hearing aid and hears far more than people realize.
The relationships within this circle are complex: all three women have had an eye on Josh, while Vincent harbors feelings for Irma. Eventually, he even proposes marriage, hoping to leave her his house in his will. The seemingly harmonious idyll begins to unravel—secrets that were never meant to surface can no longer be concealed.
With Gruß aus der Küche, Ingrid Noll has written an entertaining novel, full of lively and turbulent scenes. At the same time, it raises thoughtful questions about how we perceive and treat older people. The ending, however, struck me as unnecessary and far too sentimental.

Author:  Ingrid Noll (born 1935) is a German author.
The daughter of a doctor, she spent her childhood in China before returning to Germany. 
Remarkably, she published her first novel at the age of 56 and went on to become one of the country’s most successful crime writers, often described as “Germany’s Patricia Highsmith.” 
In recognition of her achievements, a street in her hometown of Weinheim has been named in her honor.

Norris – Barney Norris – The Vanishing Hours

Penguin

Purchased from: Topping & Company, Bath, England

Two elderly strangers, a man and a woman, meet by chance in the bar of a hotel in an English town. As they begin talking, they share stories from their lives: memories, experiences, and, above all, losses. What unfolds is a gradual process of confronting the past and trying to come to terms with what has been lost.
The woman is particularly haunted by the fact that her father abandoned her when she was a child. The man, meanwhile, tells of his search for someone he, too, appears to have lost. Although their stories and experiences are very different, the man’s account at times becoming abstract or even bizarre, their lives and emotions gradually seem to intertwine. At its heart, the novel explores love, emotional wounds, and, above all, loss.

For me, however, the story only partially resonated. Norris delves deeply into the inner lives of his two characters, exploring their memories and emotions in considerable detail. Yet despite this psychological depth, I found the novel somewhat lacking in both narrative momentum and emotional impact. At times, the story also felt slightly contrived.
Perhaps the title, The Vanishing Hours, simply led me to expect a different kind of novel. While I can appreciate the depth of Norris’s exploration of memory, love, and loss, the story itself ultimately left me somewhat detached.

Author: Barney Norris (born 1987) is an English writer.
He contributes regular fiction reviews to The Guardian and lectures in creative writing at Oxford University. In 2024, he also stood as a Green Party candidate in England and Wales.

Nucéra – Louis Nucéra: Les Contes du Lapin Agile

folio

Purchased from: Au Pied de la Lettre, Paris, France

Louis Nucéra’s Les Contes du Lapin Agile is a tribute to the legendary cabaret in Paris’s Montmartre district and to the remarkable artistic world that once surrounded it.
The book evokes life in Montmartre across different periods, from its earlier bohemian days through the war years and into the era when figures such as Serge Gainsbourg was making French musical history with his distinctive, melancholic songs. Above all, however, the book is shaped by Nucéra’s own memories and recollections.
Les Contes du Lapin Agile is neither fiction nor biography. It is perhaps best described as a portrait of a place, an era, and the many personalities associated with them. Unfortunately, this portrait relies heavily on lists of names. I understand that the countless famous figures from the worlds of art, music, and literature who passed through Montmartre and the Lapin Agile deserved to be mentioned, but there were pages that seemed to consist almost entirely of names, sometimes even repeating people who had already been mentioned. After a while, this became rather tedious.
There were, however, individual passages that stayed with me. One sentence I particularly liked appears on page 59: “Une ville est un livre d’images; on le feuillette en marchant.” 
Another sentence struck me as surprisingly relevant today: “L’anarchiste aime tellement l’ordre qu’il n’en supporte aucune caricature.” It is one of those observations that feels far more contemporary than one might expect,
While reading, I often found myself wondering what Nucéra would make of Montmartre today. The neighborhood is now crowded with noisy tourists, and its atmosphere seems almost the opposite of the intimate, bohemian world the book attempts to preserve. Much of the magic associated with that earlier Montmartre feels as though it has disappeared.
Beyond the excessive lists, I was also disappointed by the book’s overall tone. I had hoped for something more affectionate and vivid: stories and anecdotes that would bring these artists, musicians, and writers to life through their connection with the cabaret. Instead, many of them remain little more than names on the page. Given the extraordinary history of the Lapin Agile and the fascinating people associated with it, I felt there was much more of a story to tell.
There is, at least, something fitting about the fact that I bought my copy in Montmartre during a visit to Paris. That gives the book a pleasant personal association for me, even if the reading experience itself did not live up to my expectations. Ultimately, Les Contes du Lapin Agile offered an interesting glimpse into a vanished world, but it is not a book I would choose to revisit.

Author: Louis Nucéra (1928–2000) was a French writer and publishing director. His hometown of Nice honoured him by naming its main library after him. Nucéra moved in distinguished artistic circles and counted figures such as Pablo Picasso and Romain Gary among his friends.
Music also played a central role in his life: he worked as a press officer for a record company, and Jacques Brel was part of his close circle. A passionate cyclist, Nucéra died tragically in a road accident after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle.

Oates – Joyce Carol Oates: Babysitter

Ecco Verlag

Purchased from: OrellFüssli, Kramhof, Zurich, Switzerland

Detroit, late 1970s. Hannah Jarrett, in her late thirties, lives with her husband Wes and their two children in comfortable affluence. Motherhood, however, is a role she slips in and out of as it suits her. The daily care of the household and children falls largely to the maid, Ismelda, who tolerates much in silence for fear of losing her job.
One afternoon, Hannah steps into the glass elevator of a luxury hotel and makes her way to room 6183. There, she meets the enigmatic Y.K., with whom she begins a secret affair. Unbeknownst to Wes, her fascination with this man grows stronger by the day. Yet Y.K. is no romantic figure—he is, in fact, a violent predator and serial killer.
After one such encounter, Hannah is driven home by a young man nicknamed Ponytail. Her memory of the night is fragmented, her body bruised. When Wes rushes her to the emergency room, the incident is reported to the police, but suspicion falls—tragically—on an innocent Black man.
Despite everything, Hannah cannot break free from Y.K.’s grip, and her obsession leads to devastating consequences.
Rarely have I disliked a protagonist as much as the overprivileged Hannah Jarrett. I found it impossible to sympathize with her, yet the novel compelled me to keep reading, eager to see how her story would end. Unfortunately, the conclusion proved less exciting than I had hoped.

Author: Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938) is an American author and one of the most prolific voices in contemporary literature.
Her writing career began early, encouraged by her grandmother, who gave her a typewriter at the age of fourteen. Over the years, she has also published under the pseudonyms Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly. Outside of her literary work, she is known for her lifelong love of cats.

O’Brien – Flann O’Brien: The Third Policeman

Harper Perennial

Purchased from: Kirkdale Bookshop, Sydenham, England

When the nameless first-person narrator's parents disappear, he is sent to a boarding school. At sixteen, he discovers The Golden Hours by de Selby, but the last two pages are missing. When he leaves school at nineteen, he steals the book, his first sin inspired by de Selby. A far greater crime soon follows.
The narrator lives and works on a farm with John Divney, whom he never fully trusts. When the farm falls on hard times, Divney proposes robbing Mathers, a wealthy calf dealer. The robbery goes wrong: Divney knocks Mathers unconscious, and the narrator ends up killing him.
Divney hides the stolen money and later, sends the narrator to retrieve it. After losing consciousness, the narrator wakes with no memory of what happened. The black box containing the money has vanished, and his journey into an increasingly bizarre world begins.
He arrives at a police station inhabited by two eccentric policemen who firmly believe that people and bicycles exchange particles through frequent contact. Eventually, the narrator returns home and meets Divney again, but Divney reacts as though sixteen years have passed since they last met. Or has it really been only three days?

From the moment the narrator reaches the police station, the novel strongly reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. It's surreal, imaginative, confusing, and often very entertaining. O'Brien seems to delight in taking absurd ideas to their logical extremes.
The only part I didn't enjoy was the material about de Selby. The lengthy footnotes felt tedious and interrupted the flow of the story. Perhaps I simply missed the point. It wouldn't be the first time...

Author: Flann O’Brien (1911–1966) was an Irish writer and one of the most significant literary figures of 20th-century Ireland.
Little is known about his private life, perhaps because he wrote under several pseudonyms, most notably Flann O’Brien, while his real name was Brian Ó Nualláin. This use of aliases was not without reason: during his years as a civil servant, he even satirised his superiors, making anonymity a practical safeguard. Beyond his novels, he was also a prolific newspaper columnist, and many of his columns were later collected and published in book form.

O’Connor – Ryan O’Connor: The Voids

Scribe

Purchased from: Golden Hare Books, Edinburgh, Scotland

A tall apartment block in Glasgow stands nearly empty, its tenants gradually moving out as demolition approaches. On the fourteenth floor, one man remains, determined to stay until he is completely alone. The elevator no longer works, and he ignores the growing pile of letters and messages warning him that the electricity will soon be cut off.
Suspended from his job, he begins to live only for the moment. The people around him are not so much friends as fellow escapees, men and women who attempt to dull their everyday lives with alcohol or lose themselves in harder drugs. They are unreliable companions, yet in certain situations they show a rough kind of loyalty, stepping in where others would turn away. As his isolation deepens, his world becomes increasingly surreal.
Again and again, he is haunted by his past: an insecure childhood shaped by two parents trapped in cycles of alcohol and prostitution. He grew up unwanted and was ultimately rejected — just as he is now, clinging to his apartment on the fourteenth floor.
The novel is honest and unflinching throughout. Its dialogue is powerful; its portrayal of the everyday cruelty faced by society’s most vulnerable and rejected members is stark and unsparing. Yet I repeatedly found myself wondering why someone would spend what little money they have on alcohol and drugs. The relief is brief, the moment passes quickly, and one wakes again to a reality that is barely bearable. It feels like an endless loop until, somehow, you get out, with no way back. I often struggled to feel empathy.
And yet the novel also carries an unexpected poetry within its harsh language. There are striking images such as:
A steady stream of people and possessions flowing out of the high-rise like grains of sand from a broken hourglass.
or
The sky was a vast canvas that had been scratched and scored with a blunt grey pencil.
I found the passages in which the protagonist speaks about his father particularly moving. The bus scene, especially, is powerful: the boy waits on a bus that should have departed long ago, but his father never appears. And the final encounter, which takes on an entirely new dimension after the father’s death, revealed only at the very end, lingers long after the last page.
A small anecdote to finish: the bookseller who enthusiastically recommended the novel to me appears at the very beginning of the book in the short review quotes.

Author: Ryan O'Connor is a Scottish writer from Falkirk who now lives in Glasgow with his family.
He wrote his first novel at the age of nineteen, having begun to write much earlier while still at school. 

Ojla – Sukh Ojla: Sunny

Hodder & Stoughton

Purchased from: Cartolibreria Leone, Stresa, Italy

In her early thirties, Sunny still lives with her parents, caught between the conflicting expectations of her British surroundings and her Indian family. She longs for recognition, struggles with shame and body image, yet remains reluctant to take charge of her own life.
As a protagonist, Sunny never won me over. Too often she seemed trapped in a self-chosen victim role, which made it hard to sympathize with her. At times, she was as irritating as her shallow, privileged friends.
Sukh Ojla writes with the same wit and energy she brings to her comedy, making the novel entertaining. But despite its humour, the story didn’t resonate with me.

Author:  Sukh Ojla (born 1984) is a British author and stand-up comedian.
Her full name is Sukhjeet, though she goes by Sukh. One of her comedy tours, playfully titled Life Sukhs, showcased her sharp wit and self-deprecating humour.

Oliver – Diane Oliver: Nachbarn (Neighbors)

aufbau

Purchased from: Scheltema, Amsterdam, Netherlands

A family prepares for their first grader’s first day at a new school. Nothing remarkable, one might think, except that the child is the only Black student in a time when American society was still deeply marked by racial segregation. The family is acutely aware of this reality, and though they try to stay hopeful, an uneasy feeling lingers. That unease becomes chillingly real when, on the night before school begins, their home is attacked.
Neighbours is a collection of several short stories, and the one described above is the title piece, arguably the most powerful of them all.
At first glance, the stories seem calm and orderly. Yet the deeper you read, the more the everyday struggles of the characters surface: a restaurant where the only Black patrons are refused service and the rest of the guests quietly walk out, lives weighed down by dependencies, or the grim reality of second-class medical care. The author captures these situations vividly.
One story particularly stayed with me because it is set in Switzerland. The Black visitors are met not with open hostility, but with a kind of cold ignorance, as if the locals have no idea where they might be from. I caught myself smiling at this portrayal, because my own experience has often been the opposite. Of course, this was in a completely different era.
What I found somewhat lacking, however, was a critical examination within the Black community itself, such as questioning why some families have so many children, a “choice” that often only deepens their struggles, or exploring the prevailing image of women held by many men.
Nonetheless, Neighbours remains, in every respect, a highly readable book by a keen and perceptive contemporary witness. 

Author: Diane Oliver (1943–1966) was an American author.
In the 1960s, she received a scholarship to the University of Iowa, where she and fellow writer John Edgar Wideman were the only Black students in the creative writing program. Tragically, she died young in a road accident. 
For many years her work remained largely unknown, only later receiving the recognition it deserved.

Orelli – Giovanni Orelli: Der lange Winter

Limmat

Purchased from: Libreria Casagrande, Bellinzona, Switzerland

In his novel, Giovanni Orelli draws on his own experiences during a winter in the 1950s, when his mountain village in Ticino was struck by an avalanche.
The avalanche is coming, that much is certain. The only question is when.
Tourists know the mountain by name, but for the villagers it is simply the mountain.
At first, Orelli describes the snow: how it slowly buries everything beneath its heavy blanket, asserting its power. It dominates people and animals alike, unpredictable and relentless. As a resident, you never know exactly what will happen. At four in the morning, nature seems on the verge of going mad.
At first, they continue to live in their homes, but gradually they gather in the safest buildings and sleep together in communal rooms. The animals still need to be cared for, that duty remains.
For the first-person narrator, the village doesn’t hold the same meaning it does for the farmers, whose lives are bound to the land and their animals. One day, a vote is held on whether the inhabitants should be evacuated. The older villagers wish to stay; the younger ones want to leave. For the narrator, the evacuation feels like a final farewell, he knows he will not return.
I especially liked the beginning of the story, which Orelli describes with striking atmosphere and tension. I also appreciated how he portrays the villagers, the older generation who only cry when someone dies, and otherwise work tirelessly and stoically. When the evacuation finally takes place, the tourists’ cars are loaded onto the train before the villagers and their many animals. The arrogance is palpable.
I would have liked the story to focus more on the villagers who experience events less distantly than the narrator. But, of course, that distance reflects Orelli’s own perspective as someone who lived through it.
The ending felt a little rushed to me.
However, the theme feels deeply relevant today, as climate change causes more and more debris and rock to tumble from the mountains, burying whole villages beneath it. It seems to me that nature is slowly, almost silently, taking its revenge, reminding us of our arrogance in believing we have the right to leave our mark everywhere.

Author:  Giovanni Orelli (1928–2016) was a Swiss author from Bedretto in Ticino.
An active member of the left-wing Partito socialista autonomo (PSA), he combined his political engagement with a career as a teacher and as a contributor to Italian-language television in Switzerland. Orelli wrote novels, poetry, and essays, often blending realism with irony and experimental narrative forms. His works explore the culture, dialects, and everyday life of Ticino while also addressing broader social and political questions.
He received numerous awards for his writing, including the Schiller Prize of the Swiss Schiller Foundation.

O’Sullivan – Katriona O’Sullivan: Poor

Vermilion

Purchased from: Crystal Cave & Bookshop, Killorgin, Ireland

Irish roots, a childhood in a disadvantaged Birmingham neighborhood, Katriona O’Sullivan grew up in circumstances shaped by far more than a lack of money. She and her brothers were raised in a household where both parents were addicted to heroin. Despite moments of family cohesion and the occasional refuge of books, the children lacked the basics of daily life. At school, Katriona was mocked for her unkempt appearance and largely rejected by the adults around her.
On top of poverty came abuse from those in the family’s immediate environment. No one intervened—not even her parents. When social services finally stepped in, the support was short-lived, and the cycle began again. Eventually, Katriona became pregnant and homeless.
It may sound like the outline of a Hollywood drama, but it is her true story. As the narrative follows her into adulthood, however, the intensity diminishes somewhat. After moving to Dublin, she reconnects with an acquaintance who opens new perspectives for her at Trinity College. 
I often felt she was trying to cover too many experiences at once, material enough for a book twice as long.
Poor is a memoir that can give hope to those who feel trapped by poverty, showing that a way forward is possible. At the same time, as O’Sullivan acknowledges in her epilogue, poverty remains for many a dead end.

Author:  Katriona O’Sullivan is an Irish author who was born and raised in England.
Her life and career are recounted in detail in her memoir Poor, summarized above.

Ota – Shiori Ota: Das kleine Café der zweiten Chancen

Droemer Knaur

Purchased from: Buchhandlung am Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland

Himari Misaki (her name translates as sunflower) is a gifted young girl. At an early age, she is sent to a prestigious music boarding school in England, driven by her mother’s grand ambitions for her prodigy daughter.
Then tragedy strikes. Himari survives a serious accident, but her fingers are almost torn off. Her promising career as a pianist is abruptly over, and she returns to Japan.
On her way to her first day at a new school, she encounters the flamboyantly dressed Mrs. Sugiura. The woman offers her encouragement and a cup of coffee. This brief meeting leaves a lasting impression on Himari’s life.
When she later tries to visit Mrs. Sugiura’s house, she discovers that it has vanished. In its place stands a bleak parking lot, and she learns that the house has been gone for years. Soon after, Himari finds a café that will profoundly influence not only her own life but also the lives of her friends. Through this café, she gains the ability to travel back in time and alter events. This raises an unsettling question: was her own accident truly a coincidence?
Unfortunately, I didn’t particularly enjoy the story. To me, it felt like a patchwork of encounters - philosophical, lightly magical, and clearly intended to be moving, but ultimately ineffective. I also found the prose unappealing. Rather than evoking The Neverending Story, it reminded me more of Back to the Future. This may partly be due to the translation, but overall the novel felt overly contrived and choppy.

Author: Shiori Ota (born 1978) is a Japanese author.
She is best known as the creator of the anime series Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation, which follows Sakurako Kujō, a woman with an unusual obsession: bones. 
The series was a major success and earned her wide recognition.

Owens – Delia Owens: Der Gesang der Flusskrebse (Where the Crawdads Sing)

Heyne

Purchased from: Baeschlin Bücher, Glarus, Switzerland

Kya is the youngest of five children. Her closest bond is with her brother Jodie, who is seven years older than she is. They live in a small shack deep in the marshes. Growing up surrounded by wilderness, Kya develops an intimate knowledge of nature: every shell, every blade of grass, every sound of the wetlands is familiar to her.
One day, her mother leaves home carrying a suitcase. Kya clings to the hope that she will return, but she never does. Kya’s father, often drunk, is violent, and neither his wife nor the children are spared his outbursts. One by one, the siblings flee the house. Kya stays behind for a while with her father, until she eventually finds herself completely alone. A struggle for survival begins. She must face hunger, isolation, prejudice, and contempt. The only support she receives comes from Tate, who teaches her how to read, and from a kind-hearted couple.
When Tate leaves to pursue his studies, Kya is once again abandoned to solitude. She is later drawn to the handsome Chase, who deceives and betrays her. This relationship has serious consequences: Chase is found dead. Kya becomes the prime suspect. Now a respected biologist and author, she must confront the central question of the story: was it an accident, or was it murder?
The novel is beautifully written. The descriptions of nature are so vivid that the reader can see, feel, and almost breathe the marshes. The structure of the book is equally successful, and the immediate connection one feels with the heroine from the very first pages is a testament to the author’s talent. I especially appreciated the beginning of the novel, whose slow pace mirrors that of nature itself. Toward the end, however, some passages feel rushed. Nevertheless, the conclusion is wonderful, offering a surprising and memorable ending.

Author: Delia Owens (born 1949) is an American author and zoologist.
She spent 23 years in some of Africa’s most remote regions, studying lions, elephants, and other wildlife.
Owens achieved international fame with her debut novel Where the Crawdads Sing (2018). The novel became a global bestseller,
I didn’t find the film particularly engaging.