Eurotrash

A Novel

By: Christian Kracht, Daniel Bowles - translator

Narrated by: Kevin Kemp

A probing masterpiece-in-miniature of self-reflection and cultural reckoning.

From “the great German-language writer of his generation” (Joshua Cohen) comes the second novel of Christian Kracht’s career narrated by an eponymous “Christian” (the first was his best-selling debut, Faserland). Eurotrash begins in Zurich, where Christian has returned to care for his 80-year-old mother after her discharge from a psychiatric institution. Confronting the dark shadows of his family’s past—particularly his grandfather’s strong ties with the Nazi regime—and struggling to navigate the emotionally wrenching terrain of his relationship with his mother, he sets off on a road trip with her. As they traverse Switzerland together in a hired cab, mother and son attempt to give away her vast fortune, stuffed in a large plastic bag, to random strangers.

By turns disturbing, disorienting, hilarious, and poignant, and brilliantly rendered in English by prize-winning translator Daniel Bowles, Eurotrash tells an intensely personal and unsparingly critical story of contemporary culture; a story that shows us a writer at the pinnacle of his powers of insight and observation.

©2024 Christian Kracht; Translation copyright 2024 Daniel Bowles (P)2024 Audible Inc.

The relationship between son and mother.

Excellent narration by Kevin Kemp. His narration kept me throughly engaged. It was a very enjoyable book. I will highly recommend this book to my friends and family.

I loved the interaction between mother and son

The play between Don and mother was heartbreaking and funny. It is so relatable for any of us with aged and troubled parents or in-laws. It’s a quick, beautifully written book!

Beautifully cynical and heartwarming

Really good book. I love the narrator’s relationship with his mother, and how the power of stories bring the two together.

Unusual, initially opaque

This short novel is set over a a couple of days as a son takes his deranged mother on a brief road trip through Switzerland. Mother’s pronouncements and predicaments, delivered in a posh upper crust voice, are often laugh out loud funny. Son, a model of self-loathing, somehow indulges his mother. It’s a short listen, worth the time. Sadly I don’t have enough German, Swiss and French literary background to fully appreciate all the literary references made by this urbane, educated pair: a print version would be superior for fully grasping them. It helps to know a bit about the Swiss and Switzerland. Lovely in its layers.

Superb storytelling

Dark, depressing, endlessly funny. An extraordinary book to stumble upon. Give this mamá (“emphasis on the second syllable”) an Oscar already.