Foreign Rights represented by Kathrin Scheel at This Book Travels
Sascha Reh
Aurora
novel
184pp (36,000 words)
>> Shortlisted for the Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize 2018
Just before Christmas Eve, a fierce snowstorm breaks across the usually mild island of Bornholm. Ole, a local reporter sent to report on the storm, feels the job is beneath him.
By a quirk of fate he ends up in a tank with Eric, a young soldier on an urgent errand: a woman is about to give birth in a village cut off by the snow, and Eric has apparently been instructed to transport the midwife to her. Yet as soon as the midwife gets into the vehicle, trouble begins to brew between these three very different people. When the tank gets stuck in a snowdrift, the reporter realizes where he can find the big story he so urgently needs: in the psyche of his travelling companions.
AURORA is not simply an alternative, satirical retelling of the Christmas story – it is also an intimate snapshot of the relationship between men and women in contemporary society, claustrophobic, fast-paced and sparkling with wit.
Reviews
»This author’s many gifts are almost frightening.«
DER SPIEGEL
»A fast-paced novel with a clever take on contemporary dynamics between men and women. AURORA plays on Scandi noir conventions while adding humorous and personal brushstrokes to the crime plot, which turns out not to be a crime at all. The novel handles big questions - the 'crisis' of masculinity, the pressure of fertility and the desire to fit in - with a light touch. These elements combine to produce a rich and exciting read which is difficult to put down.«
New Books in German - special US Jury Pick
»Sascha Reh tells a trenchant Christmas story from the heart of a snowstorm.«
Fridtjof Küchemann, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
»Reh takes a look at the worries and needs of today’s men (…) – delicately wrapped up in a breathtaking story.«
Britta Heidemann, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung
»A stimulating and amusing reading experience that gives scope for the imagination.«
Hadwiga Fersch-Röver, Hessischer Rundfunk (hr2 kultur)
»A fast-paced character study. (...) Surprising and entertaining.«
Joachim Dicks, Norddeutscher Rundfunk
»A fast-paced and exciting novel that turns the interior of its protagonists outward.«
Roana Brogsitter, Bayerischer Rundfunk
»A Christmas story of a very different kind and thrilling psychodrama. Highly recommended!«
Ronald Schneider, Rheinische Post Online
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