Deutschklub: "Unser geteilter Sommer" by Sophie Hardach

Dive into a story of East and West Germany and the devastating impact that political division has on an ordinary family’s life when the quest to find a missing sibling and the truth about a childhood in the GDR becomes an obsession. Set mainly in Berlin in 2010 and during the dying days of communism in 1987, this story is an exploration of a family cruelly torn apart, and the consequences that seep through generations.

Join the Goethe-Institut’s free Reading Circle to explore Sophie Hardach's 2022 novel Unser geteilter Sommer (published in 2017 as Confession with blue horses). Beautifully written, funny and life-affirming, it showcases intimate family life and its strength in the most difficult of circumstances.

Summary: Tobi and Ella’s childhood in East Berlin is shrouded in mystery. Now adults living in London, their past is full of unanswered questions. Both remember their family's daring and terrifying attempt to escape, which ended in tragedy; but the fall-out from that single event remains elusive. Where did their parents disappear to, and why? What happened to Heiko, their little brother? And was there ever a painting of three blue horses?
In 2010, Aaron who works for the Stasi archive, making his way through old files, is piecing together the tragic history of thousands of families. One file in particular catches his eye; and soon unravelling the secrets at its heart becomes an obsession.
When Ella is left a stash of notebooks by her mother, she and Tobi embark on a search that will take them back to Berlin. Her fate clashes with Aaron's, as they piece together the details of Ella's past ... and a family destroyed.

Email us to receive a free copy of excerpts of Unser geteilter Sommer to read in preparation of our in-person discussion: [email protected]

More on this topic:

Niños Robados. Gestohlene Kinder. Stolen children: Please join us from November 3 to 30 for this free exhibition about the removal of children from their families as a means of political repression. Twelve panels highlight how families and communities were destroyed in the 20th century through the removal of children.Biographies of those affected from Canada, Nazi Germany, the GDR and other countries are presented in their respective historical contexts.

Picture sources: Book cover: © Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH, Portrait: © DAAD/Hardach

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