Author:Heinrich Boll

FROM THE WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE
Katharina Blum is pretty, bright, hard-working and at the centre of a big city scandal when she falls in love with a young radical on the run from the police. Portrayed by the city's leading newspaper as a whore, a communist and an atheist, she becomes the target of anonymous phone calls and sexual threats. Blum’s life is systematically undone by the distortions of a corrupt press, concerned only with presenting the most salacious story. This is a chilling and unforgettable novel from a Nobel Prize-winning writer.
Boll sustains a masterly and insidious tension to the end. He is detached, angry and totally in control
—— The TimesSuch is the force of Boll's conviction, the clarity of his vision and the icy economy of his unemotive prose that within this short space he has distilled a spirit that burns into the palate the unmistakeable and lasting tang of truth
—— Sunday TimesA marvel of compression and irony
—— Sunday TelegraphOne of the most terrifying postulations about the end of the world.. One can only admire the strength and courage of this visionary
—— The TimesBrutal, addictive and extremely entertaining... strange, unsettling and harsh
—— GuardianSerious, evocative and surprising, unique in its obsessive images of encroachment
—— Christopher PriestNow, I can tell you about some women writers who truly are fantastic. One is Anna Kavan...she just keeps extending herself, keeps telescoping language and plot.
—— Patti Smith , PenthouseIce is superbly unsettling... this novel is perfect winter reading.
—— James Marriott , The TimesJust the most magnificent book...hugely enigmatic, a genuine novel of the unconscious and a masterpiece. I feel very passionate about it, as you can probably tell.
—— Frank Tallis , The GuardianHomegoing is one hell of a book... I recommend Homegoing without reservation. Definitely a must read for 2016.
—— Roxane GayThe brilliance of this structure, in which we know more than the characters do about the fate of their parents and children, pays homage to the vast scope of slavery without losing sight of its private devastation . . . . [Toni Morrison's] influence is palpable in Gyasi's historicity and lyricism; she shares Morrison's uncanny ability to crystalize, in a single event, slavery's moral and emotional fallout. What is uniquely Gyasi's is her ability to connect it so explicitly to the present day: No novel has better illustrated the way in which racism became institutionalized in this country.
—— Vogue USHomegoing is a remarkable feat - a novel at once epic and intimate, capturing the moral weight of history as it bears down on individual struggles, hopes and fears. A tremendous debut
—— Phil Klay, National Book Award-winning author of RedeploymentA marvellous novel
—— Starred Publishers WeeklyRarely does a grand, sweeping epic plumb interior lives so thoroughly. Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing is a marvel.
—— Dave Wheeler, associate editor, Shelf AwarenessHomegoing is an epic novel in every sense of the word - spanning three centuries, Homegoing is a sweeping account of two half-sisters in 18th-century Ghana and the lives of their many generations of descendants in America. A stunning, unforgettable account of family, history, and racism, Homegoing is an ambitious work that lives up to the hype.
—— BuzzfeedOne of the richest, most rewarding reads of 2016
—— ElleGyasi echoes [James] Baldwin's understanding of a common culture marked by both yearning and pain, in which black people can confront each other across differences and reach a political understanding about what unites them. What distinguishes Gyasi's presentation of this idea is its scope: She does not present us with a single moment, but rather delivers a multigenerational saga in which two branches of a family, separated by slavery and time, emerge from the murk of history in a romantic embrace . . . . . Homegoing is a reminder of the tenacity of fathers and mothers who struggle to keep their kin alive. The novel succeeds when it retrieves individual lives from the oblivion mandated by racism and spins the story of the family's struggle to survive.
—— BookforumA memorable epic of changing families and changing nations
—— Chicago TribuneEpic...astonishing...page-turning
—— Entertainment WeeklyYaa Gyasi establishes herself as an exciting new literary voice with a powerful debut
—— BookPageA hypnotic debut novel by... a stirringly gifted young writer
—— New York Times Book ReviewTremendous...spectacular...[Homegoing is] essential reading from a young writer whose stellar instincts, sturdy craftsmanship and penetrating wisdom seem likely to continue apace - much to our good fortune as readers
—— San Francisco Chronicle[A] sprawling epic... brims with compassion... In Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi has given rare and heroic voice to the missing and suppressed
—— NPRA bold tale of slavery for a new 'Roots' generation
—— Washington PostRich, epic. . . Each chapter is tightly plotted, and there are suspenseful, even spectacular climaxes
—— New York MagazineRarely does a grand, sweeping epic plumb interior lives so thoroughly. Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing is a marvel
—— Shelf AwarenessTerrific
—— Ann PatchettSpectacular
—— Taiye SelasiHomegoing is stunning - a truly heartbreaking work of literary genius
—— BustleThis is, hand on heart, a completely brilliant novel...a brilliant debut. If this isn't shortlisted for some prizes next year, I'll be disappointed
—— Stylist's pick of the best new books for 2017Encompassing events major and minor, but skilfully skipping the civil war, it humanises big issues by giving us unforgettable characters. It could not be more relevant or needed
—— Damian Barr , Observer Books of the YearGyasi imbues indigenous life with richness and dignity, in a style that owes something - though by no means everything - to Chinua Achebe...it serves as the engine for a powerful message
—— Daily TelegraphA future classic and a novel that you'll want to pass on to everyone you know...the real deal...2017 is set to be the year of Homegoing
—— StylistWhile the issues she wrestles with are heavy, her writing is a joy....Now, more than ever, we need books like this one
—— RedHugely courageous and really important
—— Sathnam SangheraHomegoing is remarkable...the writing at the end of the book is every bit as vital as that at the start...she has produced a contemporary classic - one you'll actually want to read
—— Daily MailAn epic debut novel
—— Good HousekeepingIntriguing debut...a noble enterprise
—— Mail on SundayBrilliant
—— Sunday TelegraphVivid and ambitious debut
—— Sunday ExpressToni Morrison's Beloved spoke to a generation. Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing will do the same for a new one. In a word, it's brilliant. And not just "for a debut"
—— The PoolThe powerful narrative of Yaa Gyasi's accomplished first novel do more than reveal the history that still troubles the United States. They make that history immediate
—— Harper's BazaarA fascinating view of the history of slavery...Gyasi gives voice to suppressed stories, and that feels hugely important....it certainly deserves our attention
—— Sunday TimesA searing indictment of racism and a very impressive debut
—— Sunday ExpressAmbitious, superbly written, important - don't miss this one
—— Woman & HomeIt is written with such maturity and beauty, that it is hard to believe it is Gyasi's first published work...Gyasi has created a masterpiece which is educational, highly ambitious and extremely touching. Her writing style is raw and intense and leaves one desperate to see what work she will produce in the future
—— Press AssociationExtraordinary
—— GlamourThe hype is justified
—— Emerald StreetThis unputdownable tale spans three continents and seven generations to tell the story of a family and of America itself
—— Reader's DigestA bold and ambitious debut...full of fire and youthful confidence
—— Daily ExpressHere is a book to help us remember. It is well worth its weight
—— GuardianHands down the best book I've read in months...I can't wait to see what Yaa Gyasi does next
—— GraziaGyasi has created a masterpiece which is educational, highly ambitious and extremely touching
—— The iThrough her words we come to understand parts of history that are sometimes ignored
—— PrideAn epic saga
—— ScotsmanA wonderfully evocative and compassionate novel - one that shows deftness, depth and maturity. Homegoing is a gift to its readers and a treasure to cherish
—— Petina Gappah , Financial TimesThe structure is fantastically strong, but it would have been nothing without Gyasi's ability to bring each character alive. At every turn she resists cliché and dogma ... she deftly weaves in just enough historical information without sacrificing its complexity ... Homegoing has something better than perfection, and that is a touch of magic... [Gyasi is] the right artist at the right time
—— Alice O'Keefe , New StatesmanGyasi's debut novel has a distinctive strength and courage ... a descendent of Alex Haley's Roots and Toni Morrison's Beloved, an extended response to Joyce Carol Oates's Last Hundred Years trilogy
—— Times Literary SupplementA confident, vivid, engrossingtale [that] winds towards a moving conclusion
—— Radio TimesGyasi's widescreen view of history powerfully drives home her view that we are all responsible for ourselves and for each other ... a highly compassionate feat of storytelling
—— MetroEntwining history, politics and personal events, this is an ambitious novel that is, and will continue to be, highly culturally relevant
—— Big IssueAstoundingly ambitious
—— New BooksAmbition and talent don't always go hand-in-hand; here they unquestionably do
—— Daily MailTracing the descendants of two women across seven generations, this unflinching debut from Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi examines the lingering effects of slavery from the 18th-century Gold Coast to the US at the turn of the 21st century
—— Financial TimesAmbitious, multi-generational saga of the effects of the slave trade
—— Guardian Books of the Year