Reading with Alexa Henning von Lange

She started the series in 2022 and the first volume - "Die karierten Mädchen" (The Chequered Girls), which was a Spiegel bestseller - is a novel about a woman who wants to stay out of history and yet becomes a perpetrator. The second volume was published in 2023 and is about a love in dark times and a woman who has to ask herself the question of guilt. Hennig von Lange draws inspiration for the novels, which begin in 1929 and continue into the 1960s, from her grandmother's memoirs. At the age of 90, she began recording her life story on 130 cassettes. "Between Summers" starts in 1939: Klara and Gustav get married, and although it is only a small celebration, everyone has the feeling that something big is about to begin. They make their home in a little house next to the women's education centre that Klara runs for the National Socialists. The Jewish girl Tolla, who Klara has hidden with her for years, is to be transported abroad to safety. Now a bit of normality seems possible, at least for a short time. Alexa Hennig von Lange, born in 1973, became one of the most successful authors of her generation with her debut novel "Relax" in 1997. This was followed by numerous other novels, short stories, theatre plays and books for young people. The author lives in Berlin with her husband and five children.