Joe Dunthorne Book order (chronological)

Als der britische Autor Joe Dunthorne einen Vortrag über seine Familie im »Dritten Reich« vorbereitete, machte er eine erstaunliche Entdeckung: Sein jüdischer Urgroßvater, Siegfried Merzbacher, war in den 1920er- und 1930er-Jahren Chemiker in Oranienburg und entwickelte unter anderem radioaktive Zahnpasta. Später war er an der Produktion chemischer Waffen für die Nazis beteiligt. Die Familie musste in den 1930er-Jahren emigrieren, und diese schmerzliche Erinnerung belastete sie über Generationen. Dunthorne begibt sich auf eine fesselnde Spurensuche, die ihn nach Oranienburg führt, wo die Vergangenheit durch Blindgänger und die Hinterlassenschaften der chemischen Kriegsführung noch immer spürbar ist. Merzbacher, der 1935 das Land verlassen musste, ließ in seinen Memoiren, die von 1890 bis 1970 reichen, diese Episode unerwähnt, was auf die Auswirkungen seines Lebens im Exil hinweist. Die Erzählung ist eine tiefgreifende Reflexion über individuelles und kollektives Erbe, Traumata und die Suche nach Wahrheit. Dunthorne bietet eine kluge Erkundung seiner Familiengeschichte, die den Leser auf ein bemerkenswertes Abenteuer mitnimmt, und schafft es, intime und historische Widersprüche zu beleuchten.

This memoir delves into the complexities of a Jewish family, exploring themes of delusion and unspoken truths with an off-beat and irreverent tone. The author, known for the cult classic "Submarine," uses humor and subversion to navigate personal and cultural narratives, offering a unique perspective on family dynamics and identity.

Ray è giovane, arguto e brillante, incarnando i valori del suo tempo. Xennial spiantato e creativo, si prepara alla nascita del suo primo figlio affrontando le responsabilità con leggerezza. Come giornalista tecnologico freelance, scrive per Techtracker.co.uk, guadagnando dieci pence a parola, e si vendica inserendo frasi brevi nei suoi articoli, compiacendosi del valore che ne ricava. La situazione economica rende difficile acquistare una casa a Londra, dove è continuamente superato da acquirenti pronti a pagare in contante. Tuttavia, Ray disprezza l'idea di quella "orribile villetta a schiera", pur cercando di garantirsi una chance di ottenerla, anche ricorrendo all’effrazione. Quando la moglie Garthene, infermiera incinta di otto mesi, ha un turno di notte, Ray decide di andare a una festa da solo, fingendo di annoiarsi mentre flirta con l’amica Marie, mantenendo le scarpe ai piedi, il che per lui fa una certa differenza. Nonostante i disordini che infuriano a Londra nell'agosto del 2011, Ray si avventura per strada, accettando birre di dubbia provenienza e facendosi immortalare in un momento di apparente felicità. La sua capacità di surfare sulla vita e sul web, che considera la sua vera casa, lo porta a ignorare un semplice avvertimento: se qualcosa può andare male, lo farà.

Ray Morris est un journaliste free-lance au physique banal, un Londonien de classe moyenne légèrement paranoïaque entouré d’amis choisis et fidèles et d’une femme très enceinte, Garthene. Ray est le genre d’homme à n’avoir jamais vraiment trompé sa femme. Il n’a jamais reçu de coup de poing au visage. Il n’a jamais participé à une émeute, ni été recherché dans tout le pays, ni arrêté par la police, ni haï sur Internet par le monde entier. Du moins pas avant l’été 2011, où les rues de Londres et son mariage partent en flammes. Ray ne le sait pas encore, mais il va bientôt découvrir qu’il possède un véritable talent pour le pire. Les désaccordés pourrait être un roman sur le passage à l’âge adulte, si le protagoniste n’avait pas déjà trente-trois ans. Au fil d’une série de catastrophes aussi risibles qu’affligeantes, cet antihéros pince-sans-rire à tendance misanthrope verra progressivement l’harmonie de son couple se briser et ses relations sociales sonner de plus en plus faux. Avec une vague idée de ce que doit être un adulte accompli, et un sens de l’humour discutable comme unique recours à la solitude, au désespoir et à l’angoisse de la parentalité, il fera de son mieux pour être presque à la hauteur. Avec un mordant et une précision redoutables, Joe Dunthorne sonde les tourments dérisoires ou tragiques d’une nouvelle génération perdue. Pour notre plus grand plaisir.

Impertinent owls, an immersive theatre troupe, ancient men from the Great War and idiot balloonists - such characters dramatise our human fancies and foibles, joining the protagonist in scenarios both humorously bizarre and all- too-familiar.

Ray is not a bad guy. Sure, he's just cheated on his heavily pregnant wife. He secretly despises all of his friends. His career as a freelance tech journalist is dismal, and he can't afford any of the hovels that pass for a first-time-buyer's house, and he spends his afternoons churning out listicles in his pants. But Ray is about to learn that no matter how low you sink, things can always get worse... Brace yourself for a wickedly funny look at modernity from the comic genius behind Submarine. The Adulterants is a tale of sadistic estate agents and catastrophic open marriages, helicopter parents and internet trolls, riots on the streets of London, and one very immature man finally learning to grow up.

Kate and Albert, are not yet the last two human beings on Earth, but Albert is hopeful. The secluded communal farm they grew up on is disintegrating, taking their parents' marriage with it. They both try to escape: Kate, at 17, to a suburbia she reads about, and Albert, 11, into preparations for the end of the world.

The dryly precocious, soon-to-be-fifteen-year-old hero of this engaging debut novel, Oliver Tate, lives in Swansea, Wales. As a self-styled social scientist and a budding emotional explorer, he navigates the murky waters of adolescence. His goals include uncovering the secrets of his parents’ troubled marriage, unraveling the mystery of his intriguing classmate Jordana Bevan, and finding his place among the diverse personalities around him. When he learns that his affable dad is struggling with depression, Oliver employs his limited pop-psychology knowledge and vivid imagination to try to mend things. However, this venture into the complexities of adult life proves challenging for a teenager still learning about the highs and lows of existence. His awkward yet passionate relationship with Jordana is accelerating toward a pivotal moment, while his detective work leads him to confront his mother’s old flame, who threatens to disrupt their family dynamic. Juggling the delicate balance of his parents’ happiness, his own burgeoning sexuality, and the intricacies of human emotion, Oliver stands on the brink of innocence and experience, determined to take the plunge into adulthood.