Lügen über meine Mutter

Daniela Dröscher writes about growing up in a family where one topic dominates everything: her mother’s body weight. Is this beautiful, headstrong, unpredictable woman too fat? Does she urgently need to lose weight? Yes, she does – her husband decides. A decision the mother is subjected to, day after day.

Lies About My Mother is two things at once: the story of a childhood in the 1980s, increasingly overshadowed by the father’s obsession that his wife’s excess weight is to blame for everything he can’t get: a promotion, social advancement, recognition in the small-town community. It is also an examination of these events from the perspective of today: What really happened back then? What was concealed, what was lied about? And what does all this tell us about the bigger picture: about society, which constantly affects us, whether we like it or not?

Unsparingly and convincingly, Daniela Dröscher allows her childhood alter ego to relive the years in which this “chamber play called family” played out. The novel she has written, is as touching as it is smart, it is about subtle violence, but also about responsibility and care. Above all, however, it is a tragicomic novel about a strong woman who never stops fighting to be the master of her own life.

This book was also selected by our jury, read our recommendation of Lies About My Mother here.

Read an English-language sample translation by Jo Heinrich here.

This book was shortlisted for the German Book Prize 2022. As the media partner for the Prize, we publish information on all six shortlisted books.