Go, Went, Gone

Description

***** New York Times Notable Book** ***2018;* Foreign Affairs *Best Book of 2018; Lois Roth Award Winner* *** **An unforgettable German bestseller about the European refugee crisis: “Erpenbeck will get under your skin” ( *Washington Post Book World* )** *Go, Went, Gone* is the masterful new novel by the acclaimed German writer Jenny Erpenbeck, “one of the most significant German-language novelists of her generation” ( *The Millions* ). The novel tells the tale of Richard, a retired classics professor who lives in Berlin. His wife has died, and he lives a routine existence until one day he spies some African refugees staging a hunger strike in Alexanderplatz. Curiosity turns to compassion and an inner transformation, as he visits their shelter, interviews them, and becomes embroiled in their harrowing fates. *Go, Went, Gone* is a scathing indictment of Western policy toward the European refugee crisis, but also a touching portrait of a man who finds he has more in common with the Africans than he realizes. Exquisitely translated by Susan Bernofsky, *Go, Went, Gone* addresses one of the most pivotal issues of our time, facing it head-on in a voice that is both nostalgic and frightening.