An der Grenze

The Swiss journalist Konrad Walliser, living in New York, receives a commission in 1973 from a childhood friend and colleague to travel to South Dakota in the USA to interview the former border soldier Balz Hardegger about the case of the young Roma girl Sesil. The 14-year-old refugee had been smuggled across the border in 1943 and was supposed to be brought to safety. However, the rescue attempt went awry for unexplained reasons. Walliser continues to investigate among former border soldiers and becomes increasingly entangled in an obscure story. The novel raises critical questions. Historically sensitive, yet infused with humor and irony, the narrator guides the reader through a chapter of recent Swiss history, the themes of which remain relevant today. Author: Oscar Schnider, 426 pages, paperback, ISBN 978-3-905927-27-6, CHF 29.– | EUR 29.–, published in 2013.