The Other Hoffmann Sister

A fascinating look at racism and snobbery. Broken postwar Germany is superbly drawn and events in Africa are horrific * The Times * Shortlisted for the Sunday Times/Peters Fraser & Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award in 2015, Ben Fergusson was much praised for his first novel, The Spring of Kasper Meier...The Other Hoffmann Sister confirms the talent for atmospheric, morally complex historical fiction that Fergusson showed in his first novel...An engrossing exploration of the ways that secrecy, racism and snobbery take their toll on its finely realised characters' * Sunday Times * In this intricately plotted novel, Ben Fergusson takes a little-known slice of history and fashions it into a gripping love story * Mail on Sunday * The evocative setting and the quick-paced plot takes the reader on a whirlwind tour through South Africa, to Berlin and back again, through war and its aftermath, through aristocracy and the von Ketz's crumbling estate. The novel, written by the award-winning author Ben Fergusson, would appeal to fans of Sarah Perry's The Essex Serpent. * 10 Best Book Club Reads, independent.co.uk * [An] atmospheric, morally complex historical novel * Sunday Times Culture 'Must Read' * Taut, subtle, ambitious and engrossing. A gripping story of conflicting loyalties spanning a turbulent and changing world * Imogen Robertson, author of The Paris Winter * A beautiful, compelling read with exquisitely drawn characters. Wonderful * Jason Hewitt, author of Devastation Road * Elegantly crafted and engrossing - Fergusson's The Other Hoffmann Sister is excellent * William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier * Beguiling, unsettling, and wonderfully atmospheric. A dark expedition across a nightmarish landscape of physical and emotional damage and moral decay * Sarah Waters, praise for The Spring of Kasper Meier * A richly accomplished work with a fascinating central character. And like the best historical novelists, Fergusson combines the ability both to bring the past to life with grippingly immediate vignettes, and use it to illustrate themes such as betrayal, prejudice and the deceptive nature of memory, which remain universal * i * [A] brilliant, unsettling novel . . . With echoes of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, it explores the darker, unpredictable side of human behaviour . . . this is a wonderfully atmospheric read that keeps you guessing. Highly recommended, and perfect for fans of Sarah Perry's The Essex Serpent * The Lady *

Ben Fergusson's debut novel, The Spring of Kasper Meier, was awarded the Betty Trask Prize and the HWA Debut Crown, and was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. The Other Hoffmann Sister and An Honest Man complete a trilogy of novels set in the same apartment block in Berlin at key moments in the city's twentieth-century history. His short fiction has been published in journals internationally and in 2020 he won the Sen O'Faolin International Short Story Prize. He also translates from German, winning a 2020 Stephen Spender Prize for poetry in translation. Ben lives in Berlin with his husband and son.