Mareike Fallwickl & Eva Reisinger on angry women  A Liberation for Bloodthirsty Man-Haters

At last, a book for – and about – women who have simply had enough. Watching them break free of convention brings a sense of relief. However exaggerated or extreme their reactions may seem, who among us hasn’t secretly wanted to smash the window of the car that overtakes us on the inside lane?

When I spotted the title The Pen!s Museum among the announcements of new releases, I knew immediately that I had to read it. I expected a lively assortment of witty short stories about women who – as the blurb promises – “behave differently from what society expects of them and no longer have to function.” And indeed, some of the stories are so funny that you can’t help but laugh out loud. But what lingers far more are the bitterness and heaviness, the frustration and anger that remain after many of them. It is fitting that one of the main authors, Mareike Fallwickl, also wrote the feminist bestseller Die Wut, die bleibt – The Rage That Remains.

Women’s Needs First

Together with Eva Reisinger (Männer töten – Killing Men), she guides us through twenty short stories, with guest appearances by Jovana Reisinger (Pleasure) and Sophia Süssmilch. The narrative shifts between styles – traditional storytelling, Loriot‑like dialogue, text messages, even lists. Recurring characters weave the stories together, accompanied by illustrations by Andrea Z. Scharf. These are stories about women who take what they want. Not because they are trying to make a statement, but simply because their needs come first – just as men’s usually do. As you read, you realise how unconventional that still is – and how ordinary it ought to be. Everything in you initially resists the idea of a heavily pregnant woman cheating to satisfy her sexual needs. Yet haven’t we read countless books about the reverse scenario – the man cheating on his heavily pregnant partner? Anyone expecting shallow penis chatter will be disappointed by The Pen!s Museum. Readers should certainly not be squeamish about sex, the male organ, or various bodily fluids, but this is not erotica. Rather, it is a collection of feminist stories that sometimes feel like vindication, the perfect revenge, a liberating scream – but also like a comforting embrace whispering, “You’re not alone.” Often the protagonists speak straight from my soul: with their fight for equality that so often falls on deaf ears, with their constant exhaustion, and with their cry of “I can’t do this anymore.”

A Very Particular Act of Revenge

Already in the first story, you recognise yourself in a strangely amusing way. Although the situation is absurd, you understand the protagonist and her actions. Simone lives in a loveless marriage, with a cheating husband and an unequal division of household labour. She isn’t angry that her husband is unfaithful, no longer wants sex with her, or takes it for granted that she cooks while he takes a nap every day after work. It isn’t his cheeky assumption that she will look after him while he rests that drives her up the wall – it’s the fact that she herself would never be able to relax if nothing were planned, cooked, or bought. So, she begins secretly taking photos of his flaccid penis as an act of revenge. Not to humiliate him publicly – just for herself. Her very own private penis museum.

How this later comes to light is revealed in the stories that follow. As Simone’s penis museum accompanies us through the book, we repeatedly recognise ourselves: in the everyday fat‑shaming of women, in the eternal “oh, just smile” nonsense. The new mother Anna writes to her friend: We feel that, Anna.

In a critical examination of the penis as an instrument of power in a patriarchal world, it is no surprise that heavy themes such as sexual violence and coercion are addressed directly. But these are not stories of women in the same old victim role; they are stories of revenge fantasies. The women’s reactions match the men’s actions: emotionally cold, sometimes bloody, barbaric poetry.

Absurd and Real

What distinguishes the book is the absurdity of some of the stories. At the same time, they are rooted in real events that strongly influence current debates on feminism and equality: Gisèle Pelicot, the man‑or‑bear debate, Taylor Swift. This interplay between real incidents and absurd exaggeration often makes you pause and wonder: Are the women’s actions too extreme? Or entirely understandable? Are the stories over the top? Or would they be expected if the protagonists were men?

Often, I feel satisfaction and affirmation while reading. But often also anger at my partner – even though he is “one of the good ones.” I am angry at him simply because he is a man. Unfair? Perhaps. But is my anger enough to balance all the situations in which women are treated badly – or worse – simply because they are women?

March 2026