Father's Hands

"The force of the text, unfolding gently, hits directly." From the jury's statement on the awarding of the W.-G.-Sebald-Prize

English sample translation available

On the love for a difficult father and one's way into life

"Moth" is what the father calls the narrator. The father is a worker, gambler, and a drinker. In fact, Moth even has two fathers: one who can run fast, knows all the hiding places when playing, and comes up with an answer to any question. And the other, who is transferred from the factory to the office so he doesn't drunkenly saw off his hand. And about the alcohol, the mother says, it was actually the same with all the men in the family.

Moth herself has long been drinking more than is good for her. Even as a child, she played waitress at the local fair festival and drank the leftovers until she felt warm. Now, as a young woman, she sometimes sleeps in the hallway because she can no longer fit the key into the lock. Her boyfriend supports her, but he usually can't stand properly himself. Only her brother, who has become an educator, checks on her every day. When her father is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Moth looks for a way to say goodbye – to her father and to alcohol.

"Father's Hands" by Lena Schätte is a moving novel about growing up in a family living in so-called modest circumstances, which, when it comes down to it, sticks together. A tough, tender novel about the love for a difficult father and the path to life.

"an utterly astonishing writer [...] whose language is so direct, dense and tender that it is very rare to read it" - SZ, Bernhard Heckler