An irresistible and poignant novel about the upper echelons of Berlin society a grand literary
celebration and the after-party that upends the night and carries a group of guests deeper
into the city Naema an elderly princess dedicated to her pet causes is in a bind: struck by
a malady that maroons her in Montreux she’s unable to host an exclusive gala dinner in Berlin
to honor the author Masud al-Huzeil for his lifetime achievement in Arabic literature. Not only
is she unable to attend RSVPs have been slow to materialize and she’s reduced to begging the
ancient award winner to find some attendees at the last minute. Masud invites his old friend
Demian a native Berliner who in turn invites his two best friends: the troubled innocent
Livia and an American publisher Toto who will do anything for a free meal. But Toto doesn’t
come alone. In tow are his younger Internet date—she’s stood him up often enough to be
nicknamed “the Flake”—and Demian’s fifteen-year-old daughter Nicole. Not to mention the cop
who’s been trailing Nicole since she left the red-light district. Presiding over the affair is
Naema’s infinitely rich endlessly disaffected grandson Prince Radi whose pass at Nicole
culminates in an epic midnight food run that changes all their lives. With sophistication and
tenderness Nell Zink weaves a vividly colored tapestry of a milieu at odds with itself taking
her trademark ambiguity daring and humor to new heights.
