{"title":"Inka Parei","description":"\u003cp\u003eDiscover the enigmatic world of \u003cem\u003eInka Parei\u003c\/em\u003e, an acclaimed German author known for her compelling narratives and thought-provoking themes. Parei’s work delves into the complexities of modern life, exploring themes of memory, identity, and the passage of time through her distinctive storytelling style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer novel, \u003cstrong\u003eThe Cold Centre\u003c\/strong\u003e, is a masterful exploration of post-reunification Berlin. It weaves a gripping tale of personal discovery set against the backdrop of a changing cityscape, offering readers a profound reflection on history and personal loss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cstrong\u003eWhat Darkness Was\u003c\/strong\u003e, Parei takes readers on an evocative journey through the shadows of the past, crafting a story that is as haunting as it is insightful. The novel intricately examines the boundaries between light and darkness, both literally and metaphorically, keeping readers engrossed from start to finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eParei’s novels are a must-read for enthusiasts of general fiction who appreciate deep, immersive narratives that provoke thought and linger in the mind long after the final page. Embark on a literary journey with Inka Parei's works and uncover the layers of meaning within her meticulously crafted stories.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-cold-centre-by-inka-parei-9780857428318","title":"The Cold Centre","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInka Parei's novel \u003ci\u003eThe Cold Centre\u003c\/i\u003e begins with a man who receives a startling call from his ex-wife. She's in the hospital, awaiting a cancer diagnosis. His mind races as he suddenly realises he must find out whether she was contaminated by fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eQuickly returning to the city, he tries to reconstruct the events of a few days so many years ago, and he revisits and questions his own memories of working in the chilling 'cold centre'—the air conditioning plant for the East German party newspaper. Did she come in contact with a contaminated truck from the Ukraine? Was he a cog at the heart of the system, failing to prevent a tragic accident? Can he find out what happened before it's too late?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHe soon begins to lose control over his days in Berlin, entering into a desperate search for orientation over a fracture in his own life—one he has never gotten over.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWritten in Parei's characteristically precise prose, \u003ci\u003eThe Cold Centre\u003c\/i\u003e is a timely reminder of how we react to accidents—nuclear and otherwise—and a bleakly realistic description of East Berlin before the Wall fell. Its tight and dizzying structure keeps readers on the edge of their seats as the narrator tries to solve his mystery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46715834499308,"sku":"9780857428318","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/7208713482493.jpg?v=1754414438"},{"product_id":"what-darkness-was-by-inka-parei-9780857428325","title":"What Darkness Was","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGermany, 1977. Close to death, an old man collapses and struggles to his bed. The sounds of the endless night unsettle him, triggering images, questions and memories. In \u003ci\u003eWhat Darkness Was\u003c\/i\u003e, Inka Parei allows the reader to inhabit a singular German mind. Precise and observant—but uncomprehending and on the brink of hysteria—the old man wracks his brain as the questions flow like water: Why did he inherit the building he now lives in? Why did he leave the city that was his home for so long? Is he even here voluntarily? And who was that suspicious stranger on the stairs? Lying in bed, the old man is aware that these questions may be the last puzzles he ever solves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCombining tight prose with a compulsive delight in detail, \u003ci\u003eWhat Darkness Was\u003c\/i\u003e presents a dynamic portrait of the West German soul from World War II through the German Autumn of 1977—a series of killings, bombings and robberies by the Baader-Meinhof Gang and other left-wing protest groups.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Of all the Holocaust novel genres, the most interesting is often the one that doesn't describe clearly defined horrors . . . Inka Parei's\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhat Darkness Was\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003etakes this forward, acknowledging that history has been made in Germany since the Holocaust, and that it too can be poorly understood and put into a larger continuum of culture, and lost or denied culture. Set in late 1977 in West Germany and within the addled, lost consciousness of an old man,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhat Darkness Was\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003eisn't a novel of direct connections, of completeness, of action and reaction, or of explanations for the reader, but instead of gestures toward, of using abstraction, atmosphere to set the reader up to find how it comes together, and what it has to offer from the past and for the future.”\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e- Three Percent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat Darkness Was\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003egives shape, sound and presence to a world deprived of dimension and leaking its memory.” - Ron Slate,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eOn the Seawall\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46847111364844,"sku":"9780857428325","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/7208783482493.jpg?v=1758932609"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/inka-parei.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}