Her Father’s Voice

Schwarz captures the complexity of family relationships and explores issues of belonging with great precision

»Would I have turned out differently if my father had been around while I was growing up?« Nina is in her late forties and is separated from her partner with whom she has a son, Lenny. She has never had any contact with her own father. When Lenny writes to him, Hans suddenly comes back into her life. At first, they connect surprisingly quickly, but painful questions soon arise about the past and cracks come to light. Had she missed out, or is quite the opposite true – was everything better the way it was? An answer emerges when she learns of the tragic death of her brother, whom she never met. With honesty and empathy, Tanja Schwarz pens characters whose family relationships are not always simple, but painfully familiar.