A road-trip across Europe and back in time through the Black Forest, 1960s Zimbabwe, Nazi Germany, and three generations of the Goldschmidt family to their heart and soul – from prize-winning debut graphic novelist

\“Brilliant, witty and endlessly inventive – an intimate family portrait of astonishing historical reach. It’s warm, humane, complex and with a cumulative emotional power that floored me.\” Joe Dunthorne, author of Submarine

A road-trip across Europe and back in time- the debut graphic memoir from the prize-winning author of A Funeral In Freiburg.

When her imperious, chain-smoking German Jewish grandmother dies, it falls to Astrid and her father to drive a hire van to the Black Forest and collect the family heirlooms from Gisela’s nicotine-stained apartment.

In Freiburg, they are faced with several lifetimes’ worth of belongings to sort through – infested Persian rugs, mysterious photographs, a toy monkey that started a marriage – and a grasping landlord, impatient to renovate.

As the list of demands from uncles, sisters and cousins grows longer, the rabbit-holes of history and memory grow deeper. Long-buried secrets and tales of survival are revealed – from Nazi Germany to colonial Africa – and old feuds are reignited, as father and daughter struggle with the responsibility of preserving the family legacy. More importantly, will they be able to fit everything into a medium wheel-base transit van?

Funny, bittersweet and beautifully drawn, The Crystal Vase is an odyssey of family arguments, identity crises, and late discoveries.

Author Biography

Astrid Goldsmith (@mockduckstudios) is an award-winning stop-motion animator and writer who lives in Folkestone, England. Her graphic short story, ‘A Funeral in Freiburg’ was selected as the winner of the 2021 Observer/Jonathan Cape prize by a panel of judges including Alison Bechdel. Her upcoming debut graphic novel, The Crystal Vase, is based on this short story. She is a writer for animated TV series and is a regular Visiting Lecturer at several universities.

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