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Ist es ein neuer Anfang, wenn man alles hinter sich lässt? Der neue große Roman von Peter Stamm.
Ein Mann steht auf und geht. Einen Augenblick zögert Thomas, dann verlässt er das Haus, seine Frau und seine Kinder. Mit einem erstaunten Lächeln geht er einfach weiter und verschwindet. Astrid, seine Frau, fragt sich zunächst, wohin er gegangen ist, dann, wann er wiederkommt, s...more
Ein Mann steht auf und geht. Einen Augenblick zögert Thomas, dann verlässt er das Haus, seine Frau und seine Kinder. Mit einem erstaunten Lächeln geht er einfach weiter und verschwindet. Astrid, seine Frau, fragt sich zunächst, wohin er gegangen ist, dann, wann er wiederkommt, s...more
Published February 25th 2016 by S. Fischer Verlage
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Recent Questions
This question contains spoilers…(view spoiler)[Habt ihr am Ende auch den Verdacht gehabt, dass sich die ganze Geschichte nach Thomas Absturz nur in Astrids Kopf abspielt? Das würde auch das etwas 'übertriebene' Ende erklären ..
Ich vermute das, kann es aber an nichts fest machen ...
Oder liege ich hiermit völlig falsch ... (hide spoiler)]
Deutscher Buchpreis 2016 - LonglistIch vermute das, kann es aber an nichts fest machen ...
Oder liege ich hiermit völlig falsch ... (hide spoiler)]
20 books — 5 voters
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Rating details
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Nov 11, 2017Jill rated it it was ok · review of another edition
The premise of just walking away from all obligations is certainly interesting, but that is all I can take away from this book. There were many details given about irrelevant things and few to no details given to shed light on what was driving the characters. Maybe that was the point? No idea. I can tell you what they ate and how they met but nothing else about the relationship. Random & opaque....more
Nov 12, 2017Issicratea rated it liked it · review of another edition
When I think of Peter Stamm’s novels—I have read quite a few over the years—what remains of them for me is less their plots or characters or themes than a certain, distinctive atmosphere or mood. Stamm turns a cool, distanced eye on human life and human relationships, focusing mainly on capturing states of anomie and disquiet. His tense, austere prose is a perfect fit with this subject-matter, and the result can be aesthetically satisfying, in a poised, stark, minimalist way.
To the Back of Beyon...more
To the Back of Beyon...more
Jan 03, 2018Ann rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Oct 02, 2018Ana rated it it was ok · review of another edition Shelves: fiction, book-club-in-translation, found-in-translation-bookclub, in-translation, library
I found this quite a hard book to get into.
The story is about a man - Thomas - who one day, without any prompting, or marital fight, or seemingly any random reason at all, decides to walk away from his happy life with his wife and two children.
After he walks off, the story is told from the alternating point of view of the man and then his wife...
Or is it?
There's a point at which it is implied that what Astrid - the wife - is doing/saying, is solely what Thomas imagines her to be doing. So, is a...more
The story is about a man - Thomas - who one day, without any prompting, or marital fight, or seemingly any random reason at all, decides to walk away from his happy life with his wife and two children.
After he walks off, the story is told from the alternating point of view of the man and then his wife...
Or is it?
There's a point at which it is implied that what Astrid - the wife - is doing/saying, is solely what Thomas imagines her to be doing. So, is a...more
Jul 04, 2017Wally Wood rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Am I the only husband who has thought once or twice about walking away from his wife and children? Just taking off and leaving one life behind for an entirely unplanned, unstructured, utterly free new life? That's what Thomas (no last name), a middle-aged, middle-class Swiss accountant does one evening.
He and his wife Astrid have just returned from a vacation in Spain to their small town in Switzerland. They are sharing an evening glass of wine in their garden when a squabble between the childre...more
He and his wife Astrid have just returned from a vacation in Spain to their small town in Switzerland. They are sharing an evening glass of wine in their garden when a squabble between the childre...more
Sep 24, 2017Amy rated it liked it · review of another edition
Oh, boy.
If I were to label this book, I'd say that it is an absolute must-read for a book club. Given that the demographics for most book clubs indicates that they are comprised largely of women, I would LOVE to be a part of a book club that read this one.
On the evening that his family returns from a Spain holiday, Thomas's wife Astrid heads indoors after enjoy a glass of wine with him. While she is tending to their children and unpacking from the trip, Thomas walks to the gate on his property a...more
If I were to label this book, I'd say that it is an absolute must-read for a book club. Given that the demographics for most book clubs indicates that they are comprised largely of women, I would LOVE to be a part of a book club that read this one.
On the evening that his family returns from a Spain holiday, Thomas's wife Astrid heads indoors after enjoy a glass of wine with him. While she is tending to their children and unpacking from the trip, Thomas walks to the gate on his property a...more
Feb 13, 2018Kami Bratten rated it did not like it · review of another edition
Read for a description of what it would look like to walk through villages and mountains of Switzerland. Don't read for plot, character development, or anything thought provoking beyond a very literal (then possibly very nonliteral) answer to the question'What would happen if you just walked out of your life.' Readable only because it is short and quick. Ugh.
Nov 03, 2017KC Davis rated it it was ok · review of another edition
While the writing itself was quite good, I found the characters to be both inscrutable and unbelievable. As much as I wanted to find some purchase for empathy, I couldn't, unfortunately.
Dec 03, 2018Eleanor O'Keeffe rated it liked it · review of another edition
Did you find the first few pages hard to read because the tenses of the verbs got overly complex, with pluperfects within presents within pluperfects? Did you suspect the syntax tree didn't actually branch correctly, and that maybe the author had got a little too lost in the mundanity of describing where suitcases were?
I don't think that was a mistake.
It's a book that's fundamentally frustrating in some ways. It follows two separate plot threads: the man who walks away from family and belongings...more
I don't think that was a mistake.
It's a book that's fundamentally frustrating in some ways. It follows two separate plot threads: the man who walks away from family and belongings...more
Jan 14, 2018Diane Wallace rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I hadn't read Stamm before so I'm going to check out his older works. Great read. I loved it.
Jan 15, 2018Steve rated it really liked it · review of another edition
My wife Jeanine read this first and then passed it along to me. I wasn't familiar with Stamm, a Swiss writer. I enjoyed the book, finding the plot intriguing and the characters well-developed. There's a point in the book that my wife and I both found unclear--purposefully so, I assume--and I'd love to see what others thought about that plot point and the rest of the book, but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet.
Nov 23, 2017Erica rated it did not like it · review of another edition
I would give this book 4 stars for a lovely short story of a man taking a hike. The writing is spare but sufficient to convey the terrain, the natural wonders, the difference between populated and unpopulated places, the challenges of hiking. If only the man hadn't just left his wife and children for no apparent reason. Both main characters act like they are in a fugue state. The writing is so good I was periodically wondering 'is he trying to say x, or y, or z' but ultimately it wasn't there. I...more
Oct 16, 2017John Kaye rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Short and intense. The writing seems both bleak and rich: the descriptions are simple and spare but leave a strong impression, so kudos to the translator. And the interior life, I felt, was captured well. I suspect you need to be older to feel this.
Oct 09, 2017Mandy rated it it was ok · review of another edition
I would have enjoyed this book much more if I could have identified in any way with at least one of the protagonists. But the author doesn’t seem to be interested in allowing the reader to get to know them in any depth or to understand their plight, and the result is a curiously flat and unemotional novel, in spite of the fact that it’s about an emotional, and certainly in the case of the children, quite heart-breaking situation. The plot is fairly straightforward, almost banal. A seemingly happ...more
May 14, 2018Joy rated it did not like it · review of another edition Shelves: on-divorce-separation-lost-spouse, read-for-europe-2018-trip, set-in-switzerland
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Nov 28, 2018Anne Brown rated it liked it · review of another edition
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Aug 13, 2018Sarah Petkus rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Summary: Astrid and her husband Thomas live in a village in Switzerland with their two kids, Ella and Konrad. Shortly after they return from a vacation, Thomas leaves them without warning to wander around the country. After a few days, Astrid gets worried about his absence and contacts the police who do little to help find him. Eventually, there is evidence of him having fallen off a mountain and the police claim him as dead, even though they never found his actual body. Astrid refuses to believ...more
Nov 22, 2018Katherine rated it it was ok · review of another edition Shelves: read-in-2018, 2010s, boring, pointless, switzerland
Incredibly boring man walks away from his family one night for no real reason. He's fortunate to live in a country where apparently you are never more than half a days walk from civilization, so he can steal food and money with impunity while taking his nature hike. In the meantime his wife and children must deal with the consequences of their husband/father just going missing.
The idea of just walking away from your family and your responsibilities is extraordinarily tempting at times; trust me,...more
The idea of just walking away from your family and your responsibilities is extraordinarily tempting at times; trust me,...more
Jan 23, 2018Sal rated it really liked it · review of another edition
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
May 04, 2018Donni rated it liked it · review of another edition
Not sure how I feel about this book. Thomas and Astrid, having just returned from vacation, unpack the car and put the kids to bed. They head out into their Swiss backyard for a glass of wine. Astrid goes inside the house when a child cries. Thomas walks down the mountain and out of their lives.
WHY???
Thomas then proceeds to walk -- for miles and miles, weeks and weeks. No reason is given, but he hides from discovery, and creates a new life for himself.
Meanwhile, Astrid almost doesn't realize at...more
WHY???
Thomas then proceeds to walk -- for miles and miles, weeks and weeks. No reason is given, but he hides from discovery, and creates a new life for himself.
Meanwhile, Astrid almost doesn't realize at...more
Feb 04, 2018Jake M. rated it liked it · review of another edition
A man named Thomas simply walks away from his life for a life without a goal or destination. Stamm writes a third-person narration of Thomas's sudden life as a vagabond and his wife Astrid's reaction and coping process. This is very much a story of the everyman existential crisis of midlife, and how some actions have no clear reason, but how each small decision leads to a greater whole. The dramatic Swiss setting is contrasted by the otherwise mundane lives and personalities of the characters. T...more
Dec 31, 2017Kenneth rated it liked it · review of another edition
A typical Stamm, just not quite as compelling as usual. Familiar themes are faithlessness, man-woman dynamics, familial relationships and that peculiar, general sense of middle-class lassitude and torpor. The latter is what so often finds his protagonists foundering and doing things, or behaving in a way, they (and we, the readers) cannot quite appreciate.
The narrative alternates between the married couple Thomas and Astrid. It is very skillfully done and weaves in and out, creating an odd, amb...more
The narrative alternates between the married couple Thomas and Astrid. It is very skillfully done and weaves in and out, creating an odd, amb...more
Jun 19, 2019Kolumbina rated it liked it · review of another edition
A short novel (a quick read) and my first book by Swiss writer Peter Stamm which portraits quite well a breakage of Astrid’s and Thomas’s marriage. They were on holidays with their young children, returned home, the couple had a glass of wine in their yard and when alone Thomas walked away (without saying anything) from his home, marriage, children, job…
In a way an interesting story, but was a bit bored with descriptions of Thomas walking around, washing himself, eating, finding jobs and not th...more
In a way an interesting story, but was a bit bored with descriptions of Thomas walking around, washing himself, eating, finding jobs and not th...more
Mar 10, 2018John rated it liked it · review of another edition
This book is intriguing, not least because of the ambiguity introduced two-thirds of the way through about the fate of Thomas, the main protagonist. Does it end happily or not? This uncertainty adds to the compulsive nature of the story - who hasn't had a weird desire to just drop everything and walk away, or at least hasn't wondered what would happen if one did? Stamm explores this theme in a most convincing way.
I was reminded several times of 'Night Work' by Thomas Glavinic, which explores ano...more
I was reminded several times of 'Night Work' by Thomas Glavinic, which explores ano...more
Apr 09, 2019Michael rated it liked it · review of another edition
This is a 'father who went out for cigarettes and didn't come back' story. The adventure is well written and captures the experience of wandering. The reader is given very little information on the protagonist's internal state. I took stars off because the protagonist (Thomas) is not a believable person. Had Thomas been considering his leaving for a while? Was he dissatisfied with his life? Does he consider his abandoned children? The answer to these seems to be no, but I can't reconcile that wi...more
Jan 03, 2018Barbara Klein rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
A perfect book for this frigid weather. A man just ups and leaves his family, simply walks away into the mountains. The story is told from the man's point of view alternating with his wife's shock and struggle to cope with the uncertainty of his leaving.....is he dead or simply disappearing into the mountains. The writing had a benumbed, sleepwalkers pacing, devoid of strong passions. The act of living minute to minute, day to day, putting one foot in front of the other, being practical overrule...more
Nov 26, 2017Kelsi H rated it liked it · review of another edition
Please read all of my reviews at http://ultraviolentlit.blogspot.ca!
This is a quiet, atmospheric novel that explores the unsettling spaces in between relationships. Seemingly out of the blue, Thomas walks out of his backyard, leaving his family behind with no obvious reason. His wife Astrid is left behind, and her character allows us some access to the emotions involved in this event, while Thomas is almost a blank slate. I would have liked a little more access to these characters' motivations,...more
This is a quiet, atmospheric novel that explores the unsettling spaces in between relationships. Seemingly out of the blue, Thomas walks out of his backyard, leaving his family behind with no obvious reason. His wife Astrid is left behind, and her character allows us some access to the emotions involved in this event, while Thomas is almost a blank slate. I would have liked a little more access to these characters' motivations,...more
Jul 23, 2018Hotaru rated it it was ok · review of another edition
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Nov 14, 2017Lance rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I might have liked the book even more if the translation had not been so odd. There was misuse of idioms. There were some extremely unusual words. I like learning new words, but in this book I wondered if the translator didn’t know English well enough to realize that “dinch“ might now mean anything to us. That word is so obscure that it’s not even in the OED.
Overall, I enjoy the mystery of Thomas’s disappearance and the strange parallel stories after he leaves him. For instance, as we go from A...more
Overall, I enjoy the mystery of Thomas’s disappearance and the strange parallel stories after he leaves him. For instance, as we go from A...more
Aug 19, 2017Daren Kearl rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I enjoyed this short 130pp read. Maybe it's because I, perhaps all of us, occasionally have the whim of leaving everything tying us down and just exploring the world. The story delves into the realities, however; finding food and shelter, companionship and how family deal with being left behind.
The story alternates between Thomas as he walks away and Astrid dealing with the fallout. I was left feeling unsure towards the end as to what was real and what was fantasy in the heads of the two but th...more
The story alternates between Thomas as he walks away and Astrid dealing with the fallout. I was left feeling unsure towards the end as to what was real and what was fantasy in the heads of the two but th...more
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Peter Stamm grew up in Weinfelden in the canton of Thurgau the son of an accountant. After completing primary and secondary school he spent three years as an apprentice accountant and then 5 as an accountant. He then chose to go back to school at the University of Zurich taking courses in a variety of fields including English studies, Business informatics, Psychology, and Psychopathology. During t...more