The pine islands - Marion Poschmann

SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2019AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERWhen Gilbert wakes one day from a dream that his wife has cheated on him, he flees - immediately and inexplicably - for Tokyo, where he meets a fellow lost soul: Yosa, a young Japanese student clutching a copy of The Complete Manual of Suicide. Together, Gilbert and Yosa set off on a pilgrimage to see the pine islands of Matsushima, one looking for the perfect end to his life, the other for a fresh start. Playful and profound, The Pine Islands is a beautiful tale of friendship, transformation and acceptance in modern Japan.

Marion Poschmann was born in Essen in 1969.
A prize-winning poet and novelist, she has won both of Germany's premier poetry prizes, has been twice shortlisted for the German Book Prize and won the 2013 Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize.

Miraculous ... Poschmann has all the air of uncovered greatness
Guardian - John Self

A remarkably tender exploration of modern life ... Poschmann reveals the still beauty to be found in life beneath a mask of black humour.
Irish Times - Mia Colleran

A blackly funny novel, in which the rhythms of modern life slowly give way to the restorative poetry of the natural world.
Daily Mail - Claire Allfree

If you've ever wondered how a writer of imagination and wit might blend Murakami-style mysticism with black-humoured realism, this diverting novel will tell you everything you need to know.
Big Issue

Funny, strange and sad ... a refreshing book for the curious reader
Herald

Really fascinating ... on the face of it a simple story with a sort of surreality to it, a playfulness as well ... interesting, left-field ... we absolutely loved it ... a comic confrontation with mortality
Bettany Hughes, chair of the 2019 Man Booker International Prize judges

Absurdly delightful
Straits Times

A masterpiece
Die Zeit

Clever, poetic, funny
Tagesspiegel

A dazzling little novel
Sddeutsche Zeitung

Profoundly serene, flawlessly beautiful
TAZ

Ravishingly funny
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Simply wonderful
Stern