Katja Lange–müller - Böcker

The English debut of an idiosyncratic narrative voice.“What now?” wonders Asta, a nurse who has returned to Germany after a final assignment in Nicaragua. After over twenty years working for international aid organizations, her services are no longer needed. No one is waiting for her. She has nowhere to go. Even the language has lost its familiarity. She stands next to a revolving door at Munich airport, observing the other travelers as she smokes one duty-free cigarette after another. Some of these strangers resemble figures from her past, bringing memories of an adventurous life flooding back. Her catalog of tragicomic attempts at assistance in Germany, Nicaragua, India, Mongolia, and Tunisia raises questions about what it takes to help and whom we are really helping. Katja Lange-Müller’s works have been critically acclaimed for their dark humor and affectionate, nuanced portrayals of characters wrestling with knotty situations and relationships. Revolving Door marks a fitting English debut of this most idiosyncratic of narrative voices.

A touching and sensitive tale of love and loss that unfolds in a divided Berlin in the 1980s.  Against the backdrop of West Berlin in 1987, meet Soja—a skilled typesetter, a refugee from East Germany, and a temporary florist with a generous heart. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with Harry—a tall, free-spirited individual with a quietly determined demeanor, haunted by a complex past and an uncertain future. Their encounter sets in motion a fateful connection that leaves a lasting mark on Soja’s life.  The remnants of their story are encapsulated in a school notebook, containing precisely eighty-nine undated entries where Harry chronicled his thoughts during their time together. However, conspicuous by its absence in the narrative is Soja herself. Years later, driven by the need to tell their tale and fill the void left by Harry, she embarks on a poignant journey of remembrance.  As Soja revisits the man who both impressed her with determination and disconcerted her with a mysterious gift, she finds herself captivated by his childlike essence. Despite Harry’s troubled history—ten years in prison, probation violations due to discontinued drug therapy, and the looming threat of immediate imprisonment—Soja remains resolute in her passion for him.  Katja Lange-Müller, an acclaimed storyteller, skillfully draws readers into the heart of this novel. With sensitivity, humor, and melancholy, she unfolds the narrative of an unhappy love story that transforms into the greatest happiness in life. Along the way, Lange-Müller paints an atmospherically dense portrait of the divided and stagnant Berlin of the 1980s, creating a captivating and emotionally charged reading experience.