Hool

Every person has two families: the one they are born into and the one they choose. "Hool" is the story of Heiko Kolbe and his blood brothers, the hooligans. Philipp Winkler tells of the big heart of a tough boy, one who fights to protect what is sacred to him: his boys, the best years, their legacy. Winkler has a sound that gets under your skin. With "Hool," he places himself in a great literary tradition: giving a voice to those who have none. There hasn't been a debut novel as hard-hitting, deeply sad, and darkly funny in Germany since Clemens Meyer’s "As We Dreamed." Thomas Klupp. Winkler writes movingly, powerfully, and with a keen sensitivity to the world of outsiders. For Heiko Kolbe is, in fact, a hopeless romantic, and his violence is a silent cry for love. Moritz Rinke.