Theobald Thomas and Bluma Janek have been destined to be together since they came into the world, and books are what unites them. However, post-war Berlin menaces to contradict destiny: one August night, without warning, the city is torn apart by history’s most famous wall, and their first kiss remains a promise.

This new novel by Afonso Cruz starts from a real event in which love and war intertwine, seeking to questions certain limits and, through the fate of two lovers, reflect on something universal. What are we willing to do for passion? What barriers would we overcome? Can love jump walls without somebody getting hurt?

FINALIST OF LIVRARIA BERTRAND’S BOOK OF THE YEAR

 

“Cruz has earned his own place in contemporary Portuguese literature through the clarity and optimism of his prose. […] The successor to The Karenina Principle, set in Cochinchina, maintains the characteristic features of Afonso Cruz’s prose: fast, with an appetite for aphorism, philosophical.” Mário Rufino, Comunidade Cultura e Arte

“[Afonso Cruz’s] way with words transforms each paragraph into something exciting and generous, which educates and teaches us […] The meticulous and cunning way in which Afonso describes and delineates his characters makes them unique.” Cláudia Paiva Silva, Público

 

184 pages – Original Language: Portuguese (Companhia das Letras, 2021).