»Buch für die Stadt« 2025

Since 2003, the „Book for the City“ award has been presented annually in Cologne. This year’s winning title comes from author Claudia Schumacher: „Liebe ist gewaltig“ (published by dtv). The novel takes an unflinching look behind the façade of a bourgeois, seemingly perfect family. Yet cracks soon begin to show: the father is a brutal tyrant who regularly beats his wife and four children. When he will strike is uncertain – only the fear is constant.
Spanning three decades, the book follows the journey of the youngest daughter as she struggles to reclaim authorship over her own life. She wants to break the silence – but how can one truly find freedom when neither the parents nor one’s own memories can be trusted?