Author Christine Westermann presents her book discoveries here every two weeks. This week: “The Most Beautiful Version” by Ruth-Maria Thomas.
Before the book was published, the author Ruth-Maria Thomas made a deal with her partner. He reads all the reviews, forwards the good ones to you, and hides the bad ones. He probably told her that “The Most Beautiful Version” was on the longlist for the German Book Prize.
He may have kept to himself the fact that she no longer appears on the shortlist. It could be that she will soon receive another prestigious award, that of “Aspekte” for the best German-language prose debut. She is nominated along with three other debutants.