A somewhat cheesy romance novel  A book like a melody

With his new novel, Takis Würger has written a modern fairy tale. One shouldn’t be put off by the occasional touch of sentimentality.

The love story of Hannes and Polina spans around three decades. Hannes is a boy with a remarkable musical talent and an equally deep love for Polina, for whom he unfortunately only seems to be something like a brother. The two have known each other since the day they were born, when their single mothers placed them together in the same hospital bed like twins. From then on, they grew up side by side in an old villa on the moor, along with the equally old eccentric Hildebrand.

(Not) a love story in Hamburg

The musical talent of the young, not particularly attractive protagonist is put on hold for a long time. A tragic event causes his life to “lose its rhythm in that moment.”

After losing touch with Polina, Hannes becomes a piano porter in Hamburg, despite his slight build. Through his work for Sebastian Blau, a failed professional musician, he not only meets his best friend Bosch but also enters into a relationship with Leonie - though he will never truly love her.

Recommended reading: Yes!

My advice: Don’t read the blurb beforehand! For me, that turned out to be a good decision with this book.

Für Polina (For Polina) is a remarkable book: it’s a pleasure to read, even though it's so over the top in many places that you should bear in mind that you're reading a modern fairy tale. A fairy tale that is skilfully crafted and likely to appeal more to women than men. That’s not to say men shouldn’t read it, because the journey into Takis Würger’s wondrous world of language, his fairy-tale tone, and his unusual associations is absolutely worthwhile. This sentence could easily appear in a cheap romance novel, but it wouldn’t be nearly as good there. Anyone with even a hint of a romantic streak will find this book only slightly cheesy at most.

A refuge for the soul

Part of the book’s charm lies in the refuge it offers - a place where not everything is perfect, but where, somehow, everything turns out all right. A friend of mine put it this way: “This book is a balm for the soul.”

Hannes’ friends and supporters, his large “family”, are so special that you’ll want to meet them, dip raw rhubarb into brown sugar with them, or sit in silence by the Alster, bound together by a deep sense of connection.

August 2025