Freie Zeit

Marianne and Christian feel destined for each other. Nevertheless, she chooses another man with whom she can live out her need for passion and escape her family home. However, his lack of ambition disappoints her, and his drug-related absences when she needs him most destroy her hope for togetherness. Out of fear, she subsequently opts for seemingly safe partners.

After losing her, Christian finds refuge in a relationship whose value he only realizes when it is beyond saving. Subsequent affairs provide him with temporary relief. When he believes he has found true love again and fails once more, he loses confidence and stability.

At the end of their studies, a single phone call leads to a reunion. They quickly grow close until he sparks a discussion about her risk of AIDS. Outraged, she exposes the true reason for his curiosity.

Years later, they meet again. In a whirlwind of love, she plunges her surroundings into chaos. He, on the other hand, tries to prevent his world from turning into a pile of shards.

The novel begins in the early 1980s, just before Marianne and Christian's high school graduation. Both come from typically German, still large families. Their parents, shaped by the post-war era, made significant compromises in their choice of partners. The fathers' lives revolve around work, while the mothers are content with the appearance of a cozy home. Both can reap the fruits of sexual liberation and determine their own lives. However, no one equipped them with the necessary tools to navigate this freedom or the right balance for dealing with love and partnership.

Their time at university is marked by peace, anti-armament, and anti-nuclear movements, as well as societal pressure for self-exploration. After entering the workforce, their ideals increasingly give way to materialistic interests.