22 Bahnen

CAROLINE WAHL
22 BAHNEN / 22 LENGHTS

A Novel, ca 244 pages
Spring 2023
English sample available

Torn between her responsibility for her mother and her sister, her own dreams for her future, and new love - a moving story with unforgettable characters

Discover a brilliant new voice, as rough as it is tender, touching, warm and funny



The Empowerment of Two Sisters: a Compelling, Luminous Debut

Tilda’s days follow a strict schedule: the supermarket till, maths homework, the swimming pool, cooking, looking after her 10-year-old
sister Ida — and, on bad days, her mother too. The three of them live in the saddest house on Fröhlichstraße in a small town which Tilda
loathes. After all, someone has to be there for Ida, someone has to earn money, take responsibility. They have no father in their lives anymore
and their mother is a depressive alcoholic; she tries, but the situation runs away from her more and more. Then Tilda is offered a PhD
position in Berlin, and her future flashes before her, promising freedom and possibility. But how can she leave Ida alone with their
mother? And when Viktor, Ivan’s older brother who Tilda used to be friends with, appears, her life goes off the rails. Viktor has an
unabashed grin and swims 22 lengths at the pool just like she does. Viktor is there for her when the situation at home spins out of control...

22 Lengths is a raw, tender story about shitty conditions, the devastation of family life, and finding happiness somewhere between
responsibility and freedom.