Jan Drees, SANDBERG’S LOVE

Secession - Novel - Hardcover - January 2019 - 190 pages

Kristian Sandberg, a talented young PhD alumnus, gets the desired career start as an employee of a literary agency. All signs are pointing to an upswing. But Sandberg is lonely. His dream of great love has remained unfulfilled up to now. As a man of his time, he uses dating apps, driven by the hope of finally meeting the woman who will make him happy and will protect him. One evening he sits on the terrace of a café and has a match. A little later he meets Kalina. A romantic relationship begins, whose sexual intensity and tender interaction make Sandberg think that he has actually found the woman of his life.

Within a few weeks, however, he becomes emotionally addicted to his “dangerous lover”. While he himself does everything possible to prove his love to her, she pulls away the ground under his feet. The initially euphoric relationship turns out to be a hell of a journey into the abyss of emotional abuse.

• "An almost psychedelic thriller about emotional abuse of power and love in modern times - or what is considered love in modern times." - NDR book of the month

• "By meticulously documenting the crisis talks and emotional aftermath, Drees succeeds in creating a dense record of a toxic love affair." - Rolling Stone

• "Drees' biographically inspired novel tells more than just the story of a failed love affair: it vividly shows how the modern form of relationship initiation via dating apps and communication via WhatsApp plays into the hands of mental abuse." - FAZ

• "On a high literary level you follow 'Sandberg's love' into the abyss". - STERN

• "A very exciting read on a little-known but all the more dangerous phenomenon of psychological violence." - RBB