The title says it all: Kruger's family of aunts, uncles and cousins; large dilapidated town houses in post war Germany. Books about books, books about nothing, books about books and alcohol consumption and more. Written with warm, dry affectionate humour.
It grew under my very eyes. One minute it was nestling on my shoulder, light as a feather, nibbling at the hairs on my neck, the next it flopped down like a sack by my knees, and, before I knew it, I was being faced down by a vast and hulking lump that bore no resemblance to the creature I had been given.