First published 1999
Hermann Müller weighs every morsel that passes his lips. He carries dog-eared calorie tables in his jacket pocket and calculates the energy content of restaurant meals before ordering. His apartment kitchen resembles a laboratory, complete with digital scales and measuring cups arranged with military precision. His wife grows increasingly distant as Hermann's fixation consumes their dinner conversations and social outings. When his doctor suggests he might benefit from professional help, Hermann must confront whether his methodical approach to food represents control or captivity. The numbers that once provided comfort begin to feel like prison bars. Kempe crafts a portrait of modern anxiety through one man's relationship with food and measurement.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, obsession
Paperback · Südwest-Verlag
Content warnings: anxiety, mental-illness