“Elly is a book about the dark side of longing.”
—Hubert Spiegel, speech at the Robert Gernhardt Prize
“In few yet incredibly precise words, Maike Wetzel creates an oppressive tension around a family falling apart. A book that will not let you go.”
—Brigitte Woman
“Reminiscent of Ian McEwan’s A Child in Time, Elly will have wide appeal…Maike Wetzel’s fresh, original take on the popular literary theme of missing children is delivered in her clear, understated prose with its unflinching eye for detail.”
—New Books in German
“Wetzel tells the story of the loss of a child as a family drama from various perspectives, in permanent present tense.”
—Christoph Schröder, Süddeutsche Zeitung
“An elaborate mosaic about the unrelenting belief in a happy ending.”
—Brigitte
“A highly focused and accurate novel about that which is not supposed to happen.”
—Judith von Sternburg, Frankfurter Rundschau Online
“Breathtaking. An intense, abysmal study of the trauma of abandonment and uncertainty.”
—Hansruedi Kugler, Luzerner Zeitung
“Wetzel’s powerful narrative style reminds of Judith Hermann, who does not waste a word, but uses unusual imagery to create atmospheres that express the unconscious, the inexpressible, the outrageous.”
—Volksdorfer Zeitung
“Maike Wetzel mercilessly writes about overwhelming pain and its destructive power.”
—Hans von Trotha, Deutschlandfunk Kultur
“Psychologically refined, linguistically brilliant.”
—Sylvia Schwab, Hessischer Rundfunk
“Wetzel’s literature gets right to the core of human existence…How she conveys primal fears and their consequences is captivating and unsettling. Her laconic, unruffled style is in contrast to the inner life of her protagonists…This book fits only too well in a time when assumed certainties and principles are shattered.”
—Michael Au, Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk
“The perfect book for those moments when you forget the world around you.”
—Lydia Herms, Deutschlandfunk Nova
“So haunting and touching, so captivating and intense that you cannot resist it.”
—Andrea Heußinger, Norddeutscher Rundfunk
“An enigmatic study, a polyphonic monologue.”
—Cornelia Zetzsche, Bayerischer Rundfunk
“A fascinating narrative revolving around the question whose story is being told—and to whom stories actually belong.”
—Bettina Hesse
