Being Inconspicuous
- English sample translation by Emma Rault available
- Film rights under negotiation
Every family has its secrets but only in few of them the parents turn out to be spies – a novel inspired by the author’s true family story
It is the turning point of his life: On a cold dark night in 1965, 18-year-old Martin Schmidt, has to watch as the Stasi arrests his parents: For many years, they had been working as spies for the West German Intelligence Service. For Martin, after that night, life in socialist East Germany is a living hell: He is bullied at school, mocked on the street, and his neighbors avoid the “traitor child.” Unable to bear the shame, his grandmother soon dies. When, years later, his mother is released, Martin follows her to the West – leaving behind the love of his life, Angelika…
Decades later, these traumatic experiences catch up with him and he decides to get to the bottom of his family’s story. When he immerses himself in the archival records, the world of intelligence agencies and dead drops, he discovers contradictions and inconsistencies that lead to shocking information about who betrayed his parents and who benefitted from it. Martin embarks on a journey to his roots, not least finding a way back to Angelika in the process.
- Publisher: Galiani-Berlin
- Release: 14.02.2019
- 336 pages
- ISBN: 978-3-86971-188-1