The Blind Side of the Heart

Amid the chaos of civilians fleeing west in a provincial German railway station in 1945 Helene has brought her seven-year-old son. Having survived with him through the horrors and deprivations of the war years, she abandons him on the station platform and never returns.

This is a tale of hope, loneliness and love, and of a life lived in terrible times. It is a great family novel, a powerful portrayal of an era, and the story of a fascinating woman.

Shortlisted for theIndependentForeign Fiction Prize 2010.

Julia Franck was born in Berlin in 1970. She studied the anthropology of Native Americans, philosophy, and German language and literature at the Free University of Berlin.The Blind Side of the Heartwon the German Book Prize, Germany's most prestigious literary award. She lives in Berlin.

An international bestseller, great family novel, a powerful portrayal of an era, and the story of a fascinating woman.