The modern German classic that has shaped an entire generation.

A mother and her two teenage children sit at the dinner table.

In the middle stands a large pot of cooked mussels. Why has the father not returned home? As the evening wears on, we glimpse the issues that are tearing this family apart. 'I wrote this book in August 1989, just before the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

I wanted to understand how revolutions start. It seemed logical to use the figure of a tyrannical father and turn the story into a German family saga.' Birgit Vanderbeke 'Vanderbeke portrays her calculating anti-hero with chilling precision.' Der Spiegel 'Vanderbeke's words draw the reader into a frightening whirlpool of obsession and misfortune.

Ultimately, however, they create a beautiful image of hope.' Marie France