At the November German Book Club meeting, we will discuss
Jakob Arjouni's
Cherryman Jagt Mr. White (Diogenes, 2012. ISBN: 978-3257241679 8,90 € ).
The wishes of the 18 year-old Rick sound modest: an apprenticeship as a gardener, a nice girlfriend, maybe someday the publication of one of his comics in a newspaper. But in the depressed East German town where he lives, fulfilling these dreams would be like winning the lottery. Then suddenly Rick’s dreams seem fulfilled: the desired apprenticeship in big and noisy Berlin and the pretty vegetable seller with whom he dreams of a future together. If only the circumstances that lead to this weren’t so suspect: a dubious organization and its henchmen, a gang of lost teenagers, that bind Rick’s happiness with a horrifying condition. For Rick it’s a roller coaster ride between doubt and hope, cowardice and strength, from which he flees to his comics for escape. There things are simple. The hero Cherryman hunts the villainous Mr. White, to finish him off once and for all. With Cherryman’s help Rick succeeds in grasping the reality of the situation. At the beginning anyway. In the end, reality reveals itself to be much more complicated.
Kindly RSVP via email to
circulation@newyork.goethe.org if you plan to attend.
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