August
- date of publication: 19.04.2021
- 256 Pages
- Hanser Verlag
- hardcover
- ISBN 978-3-446-26763-3
- Deutschland: 22,00 €
- Österreich: 22,70 €
- ePUB-Format
- E-Book ISBN 978-3-446-26997-2
- E-Book Deutschland: 16,99 €
Two couples and the end of summer: a brilliant satire on the promises of modern happiness
Richard and Stefanie, and Alec and Vera, think they’ve made it. They’ve left Berlin behind and now live in New York. One long August, they treat themselves and their children to a holiday between the pool and the sea from where they have a good view of real wealth on display in the Hamptons. But by the end of their holiday, they will no longer know how to continue with their lives.
A man is doing the rounds of the luxury holiday homes on Long Island, selling ideas of “inner growth” to super-rich holidaymakers. He deems any remedy suitable to this end, from the secretions of exotic frogs to mystical morning yoga. In Stefanie he finds an enthusiastic follower – and this sets several catastrophes in motion at once. Peter Richter proves his talent for analysing the times we live in: he presents a society that even turns the aversion to its own greed into a status symbol. With an assured feel for comedy in his description of the couples’ struggle for happiness and melancholy when describing their dashed hopes, he depicts an acute fear of emptiness at the height of the summer of a lifetime.
“The way in which Peter Richter portrays precarious relationships is reminiscent of Thomas Lang and Andreas Maier. What links him to these renowned writers is his concrete, factual style. His background as a journalist often shines through, a craft that he learned from the bottom up and which he has mastered perfectly.”
- Ulf Heise, MDR Kultur
“Richter is a good, detached observer, finds subtle formulations, writes with wit and humour, and paints in pastel colours the picture of a bizarre group of people that will do to great lengths to belong.”
- Christine Westermann, WDR5
“The result is a novel made for beach-reading, which is over far too quickly after 250 pages. A light but not lightweight pleasure to read.”
- Peter Helling, NDR Kultur, Neue Bücher
“Peter Richter describes the goings-on with mocking distance and a brisk style. He portrays four people who are fooling themselves and others. They are playing at being on holiday yet remain trapped within the constraints of their everyday lives. Here, dreams that are long over are nurtured. Welcome to the mid-life crisis.”
- Karin Grossmann, Sächsische Zeitung