Martina Hefter

Linda Gaus

A book like a tightrope walk without a net: a sheer drop to the left, a sheer drop to the right, you want to look away but you can’t and you don’t need to, because as long as Martina Hefter is telling this story, as long as her thoughts are so luminous and life and desire are so in- tense, nothing can happen

Anne Weber, winner of the German Book Prize 2020

A triumph of sharp wit and profound humanity [...] A divine master- piece

Navigating between melancholy and euphoria, and reflecting on trust and deception, the novel combines gruelling everyday life with mythological figures and cosmic dimensions in a fascinating way. Martina Hefter writes about all this in her intelligently choreographed novel, which exerts an attraction of its very own

A book that weaves atmospheric nuances into haunting images of tragedy and bliss, never slipping into sentimentality

Every line is ready to tear down the austere fac¸ade of society

Dinçer Güçyeter, winner of the 2023 Leipzig Book Fair Prize

My book of the year. So sad and yet so funny, so elegant and tender [...] about illness and old age and loneliness and the internet and the beauty of fiction. There hasn't been a more worthy winner of the German Book Prize in a long time.

Daniel Kehlmann, author of Measuring the World

A humorous yet profound prism of privileges, caring for seriously ill dependents, and the precariousness facing freelance artists

The novel's great strength is its lightness. Hefter evokes the disparate everyday interplay of physical decline and romantic longing so entertainingly and elegantly that every detail begins to sparkle through her narrative art

An exceptional novel that is both profound and nimble

Hefter explores her characters' relationships in great detail and with great affection, especially between Juno and Jupiter. She vividly depicts everyday life with her sick partner and all the obstacles that stand in the couple's way. […] But this isn't the novel's only strength; the way Hefter tells this story is incredibly humorous without ever being cynical

Many things in one: an artist's novel, a memoir, a signal of our times, and the story of a relationship. Hefter conjures all these dimensions with ease: playfully, concentratedly, precisely, and always incredibly poetically, she juggles over the abyss of life's depths; of her own life's depths ... A text that dances on the edge

So quiet and fine and so sculpted; so sure-footed on a sentence level; as light as a feather: you can tell it was written by a poet, but also by a dancer and performer

Laconic and truthful, melancholic and witty ... In meticulously crafted language, Hefter's novel asks questions about time, and about living a good life, without pathos, and with precise sharpness

Primal experiences like loneliness, longing and love characterise this novel [...] The ending leaves readers astonished, like a great magic trick. How did the author manage to write a book which is so moving and existential but also incredibly entertaining?

It's a long time since I read such an unusual, dazzling, idiosyncratic novel, one that tells so much about us and our reality. And it's also a lot of fun.

The novel's strength lies in its subtle plot ... Hefter frees herself from straightforward narrative structure and classic suspense, focusing on the changing thoughts and multifaceted feelings that shape her protagonist's life. Her language is honest, concise, and unaffected, and with its numerous themes, creates a bridge to the reader's reality

Both touching and hilarious. It's a novel that combines lightness and depth and shows how diverse the forms of love and freedom can be. An impressive book

It is these grey areas between sad truth and equally sad lies that Martina Hefter describes wonderfully, sometimes poetically, sometimes dryly and tragic-comically

An urgent journey of exploration into needing, being needed, and exploitation

How can one describe the heaviness of life with such floating lightness! How can one demand so much depth from the banal! A stroke of luck! Bravo!

Hefter describes a form of survival with a tenderness and lightness that makes these conditions all the more comprehensible

A dance of themes and motifs, with grace, dignity, and humour, even in the most delicate moments. You'll be captivated by this outlandish autofiction, which encompasses the world, until the last page.

Hefter has a wonderful ability to tackle major life issues in a profound and touching way, yet without heaviness

A rollercoaster ride through our present. […] Martina Hefter has a very unique tone; a defiant optimism triumphs over the widespread tendency to complain

Hefter's subtle humor is like a fertilizer on which everything grows and which makes sadness a little more bearable

Very touching ... Very, very well written

A great narrative art, which we find all too rarely

Martina Hefter has an unparalleled ability to narrate the world of the wise middle-aged woman, taking us into analogue insomnia and digital distraction, into precarious artistic existences and everyday yearnings

A moving book. Martina Hefter has a truly shattering way of writing [...] and a very imaginative, creative language. Her thoughts, reflections, and observations range from sober and laconic, to occasionally very ironic and cautiously emotional.

A tender rebellion against misunderstood utilitarianism, a melancholic love affair, a watchful acceptance of human suffering

An absolute stroke of luck. So glittering and bouncy, like that title greeting 'Hey, good morning, how are you?' After reading it, you can't help but respond with a deeply honest "Very good!"

Hefter's great talent for revealing the big in small things is evident.

The book transforms atmospheric elements into haunting images of tragedy and happiness, without ever becoming mawkish

Hefter's voice is completely unflinching. Searingly honest and direct, but also droll and intimate, she entertains and confronts you (a winning combination) with both expert precision and restrained heart

Hey, Good Morning, How Are You? is incredibly addictive. It thrums with energy and excitement, from the moment we encounter Juno. This book is about so much: different kinds of work in the 21st century, from care-giving roles, to dance; the pitfalls and joys of the online world, and all that we owe each other. In Hey, Good Morning, How Are You?, you really feel as though you’re being let into a private world— and I couldn’t help but feel privileged to witness the beautifully-crafted exchanges between Benu and Juno. (It really does contain the best text exchanges I’ve ever read …) What a brilliant novel.

Juno Isabella Flock is a dancer and performance artist who spends her days caring for her ailing husband, and her nights chatting to love scammers online. She’s aware of the risks these men pose – she’s watched a documentary about them – but she’s also discovered a heady freedom in these online conversations, and the things they allow her to say. 
 
When Juno meets Owen_Wilson223 – or, to use his real name, Benu - she senses an immediate connection between them, even though they're separated by thousands of miles. Gradually, they reveal more and more about themselves to each other: about their real selves, and about who they really want to be. And just as Juno sees through Benu’s lies, he sees through hers too. 
Hey, Good Morning, How Are You? is a whirlwind of a novel. It’s about yearning to stay young while age marches on; it’s about how to stay truthful while the internet changes everything; it’s about love and desire in all their many, conflicting forms. And most of all, it’s a novel about the way we are all connected, by the same constellations and the same night sky, however different our circumstances.

Martina Hefter

Praise for Hey, Good Morning, How are you?

A book like a tightrope walk without a net: a sheer drop to the left, a sheer drop to the right, you want to look away but you can’t and you don’t need to, because as long as Martina Hefter is telling this story, as ...

A triumph of sharp wit and profound humanity [...] A divine master- piece

Navigating between melancholy and euphoria, and reflecting on trust and deception, the novel combines gruelling everyday life with mythological figures and cosmic dimensions in a fascinating way. Martina Hefter writ ...

A book like a tightrope walk without a net: a sheer drop to the left, a sheer drop to the right, you want to look away but you can’t and you don’t need to, because as long as Martina Hefter is telling this story, as ...

A triumph of sharp wit and profound humanity [...] A divine master- piece

Navigating between melancholy and euphoria, and reflecting on trust and deception, the novel combines gruelling everyday life with mythological figures and cosmic dimensions in a fascinating way. Martina Hefter writ ...

A book like a tightrope walk without a net: a sheer drop to the left, a sheer drop to the right, you want to look away but you can’t and you don’t need to, because as long as Martina Hefter is telling this story, as ...

A triumph of sharp wit and profound humanity [...] A divine master- piece

Navigating between melancholy and euphoria, and reflecting on trust and deception, the novel combines gruelling everyday life with mythological figures and cosmic dimensions in a fascinating way. Martina Hefter writ ...

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