Willenbrock
From AwardAnnals
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| Author(s) | Christoph Hein, Philip Boehm |
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| Subtitle | A Novel |
| Publisher | Picador |
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| In the new unified Germany, Bernd Willenbrock is the perfect man for the season. A latecomer to the free-market feast, this former East German engineer has shown an ability to adapt to the changed environment that is downright Darwinian. The proud owner of a thriving used-car dealership and an attractive second home, he is a generous husband, pleased with his role as provider. The business practically runs itself, leaving Willenbrock free to spice up his days with extramarital adventures. Prosperity seems guaranteed by a steady stream of cash-only clients from… | |
In the new unified Germany, Bernd Willenbrock is the perfect man for the season. A latecomer to the free-market feast, this former East German engineer has shown an ability to adapt to the changed environment that is downright Darwinian. The proud owner of a thriving used-car dealership and an attractive second home, he is a generous husband, pleased with his role as provider. The business practically runs itself, leaving Willenbrock free to spice up his days with extramarital adventures. Prosperity seems guaranteed by a steady stream of cash-only clients from Eastern Europe, and plans for a glitzy new showroom are firmly under way.
Willenbrock’s self-satisfaction appears impregnable. Yet, little by little, a series of ever-more menacing incidents—an attempted break-in, the theft of several cars, a vicious beating—erode his innermost certainties. No amount of locks and latches, it seems, can contain his growing obsession with external safety, relieve his suspicion of those closest to him, or stop the coming violence.
