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- 6 July 2022
- Reading suggestion
- gsclibrary
Recommendation by the Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU
Book selected: Auf der Straße heißen wir anders by Laura Cwiertnia
Life is not easy for the children of migrants.
The secret guilt second and third generation migrants carry with them. The pressure of navigating several cultures, whilst not feeling fully part of one, can hang heavy on their shoulders. The shadow of transgenerational trauma can sway for a long time.
Laura Cwiertnia’s debut novel Auf der Straße heißen wir anders addresses these sensitive issues with a soft sense of humour.
The book begins with a funeral. The grandmother of the main protagonist, Karla, has passed. The family have an Armenian funeral to discuss her will. Surprisingly she has left a bracelet to a Lilit Kuyumcyan, not a name Karla recognises. So she leaves with her father to Yerevan, to find Lillit, and force a reckoning with their identity.
Through flashbacks and switches in perspective, the stories of generations of her family unfold.
Karla has grown up in Germany. Her father spent time in Turkey, her grandmother came to Germany at a young age to send money to their family in Armenia.
Karla hardly knows anything about her roots. The topic of their Armenian heritage is rarely broached. In her search for Lilit, Karla is confronted with the trauma associated with the Armenian genocide: a subject which generations of her family feel the effects of for years to come.
At its core this is a father-daughter story. You can feel the disconnect between them. Her father has a side he keeps separate from her. He never speaks about his past, about his life in Turkey. And yet, this trip forces them to confront their own family history, with a view to figuring things out for the future.
This is a book about closing circles only for them to reopen again. A book about the different ways to showcase strength. A book rich with humour and heart.
Laura Cwiertnia, born in Bremen in 1987 to an Armenian father and a German mother, is deputy head of department at DIE ZEIT. Auf der Straße heißen wir anders is her literary debut.
For those wishing to unearth other German literary gems, discover more via Eureka, the online catalogue of the Council libraries.
About the Readers of Europe campaign
2022 has been designated the European Year of Youth. As such, the Council Library has chosen to devote its annual Readers of Europe initiative to youth, putting the focus squarely on new and emerging European literary talent.
The Permanent Representations to the EU have once again been invited to recommend books from their countries to read over the summer, with the third edition of our ‘Readers of Europe’ campaign. The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘Discover something new’. The idea being that every Permanent Representation selects a book from their country by an author who has published their first work within the last five years. We would then promote these selections over the summer on the Council Library blog.
Europe is awash with exciting young authors. Dive into this selection and discover stories that hum with fresh ideas and luminous prose. Novels that ask piercing questions about humanity. Stories that are edgy and beautiful, gripping and unsettling. Stories worthy of a place in any library.
So find a comfy place to sit back and relax, as we showcase some of Europe’s promising literary talent. Join us as we once again encounter the Readers of Europe
