Go, Went, Gone

Go, Went, Gone

<p><strong><em><strong>New York Times Notable Book</strong></em><strong>2018; <em>Foreign Affairs</em> Best Book of 2018; Lois Roth Award Winner</strong></strong></p><p><strong>An unforgettable German bestseller about the European refugee crisis: “Erpenbeck will get under your skin” (<em>Washington Post Book World</em>)</strong></p><em>Go, Went, Gone</em> is the masterful new novel by the acclaimed German writer Jenny Erpenbeck, “one of the most significant German-language novelists of her generation” (<em>The Millions</em>). The novel tells the tale of Richard, a retired classics professor who lives in Berlin. His wife has died, and he lives a routine existence until one day he spies some African refugees staging a hunger strike in Alexanderplatz. Curiosity turns to compassion and an inner transformation, as he visits their shelter, interviews them, and becomes embroiled in their harrowing fates. <em>Go, Went, Gone</em> is a scathing indictment of Western policy toward the European refugee crisis, but also a touching portrait of a man who finds he has more in common with the Africans than he realizes. Exquisitely translated by Susan Bernofsky, <em>Go, Went, Gone</em> addresses one of the most pivotal issues of our time, facing it head-on in a voice that is both nostalgic and frightening.