Once a handsome teenager, seventeen-year-old Marek is left badly disfigured after a Rottweiler attack. Now his mother sends him to a support group for young people with physical disabilities—what he calls “the cripple group”—led by an eccentric older man only known as “the guru”. Angry at the world and dismissive of the group, Marek sees no connection between their misfortunes and his own. Then a family crisis forces Marek to face his demons, and he finds himself in dire need of support. But the distance he has put between himself and the guru’s misshapen acolytes may well be too great to bridge. cements Alina Bronsky’s reputation as one of Germany’s most compelling and stylish young authors. An atmospheric evocation of modern Berlin, a vivid portrait of youth under pressure, and a moving story about learning to love, this new novel from the author of and is an irreverent look at the sometimes-difficult work of self-acceptance.