I've said it before but let me mention it again. A lot of German novels revolve around serious topics. Or at least that's the idea I get from the various novels that are translated into English. This is not a judgment about the quality of these novels etc. Rather, it is more about associating German literature with specific themes. Thus, a lot of books I have come across cover the world war, the Cold War or Nazi regime. But what about the other genres?

Well, I found one more novel that plays around with a different topic. Liegen Lernen (Learning to Lie) by Frank Goosen is the book in question. It is a coming-of-age novel about a fictional character called Helmut. It follows his funny (and yet weirdly familiar) thoughts as he explores what it means to be a grownup. You get to see quite a bit of his life as he falls in love, breaks up with his girl friends and ponders about becoming more responsible. His main obsession is his first girlfriend, Britta, who played a defining role in his youth and who later on comes back to change his life again. Well, to some extent.

The book is quirky because it can apply to any of us. Teenage years can be full of strange discoveries as well as mundane little moments that, nonetheless, make an impression on us. For Goosen the two main factors appear to be women and music. A large part of his life is shaped by both these factors. This is also why I mentioned that the main protagonist's decisions and actions might seem familiar to a lot of readers. Not so much because of the affairs and the music but because everyone remembers what it was like to be a confused teen.