First published 1974
Katharina Blum meets a man at a party. He disappears before dawn, and she learns the police want him. A journalist decides Katharina makes perfect prey. He writes articles that paint her as a dangerous woman who aids criminals. The stories spread. Anonymous callers threaten her. Neighbors turn hostile. Her employer questions her character. The journalist keeps pushing, twisting every detail of her life into evidence of corruption. Katharina watches her reputation crumble under the weight of lies printed as truth. The harassment grows worse each day. People she trusted abandon her. The journalist contacts her mother, who dies from the shock of seeing her daughter portrayed as evil in the newspapers. Katharina realizes the attacks will never stop. She sees only one solution to end her torment. This story starts with her confession and works backward to show how sensational journalism can drive an ordinary person to violence.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Period: 20th-Century
140 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics
Content warnings: abuse, death, emotional-abuse, violence