In his wildly ambitious and darkly funny debut novel, Jonathan Garfinkel probes the fractured nature of identity, the necessity of lies, and the bloody legacy of the Soviet Empire.  

Spanning generations, continents, and cultures, In a Land without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark (German title: Platz der Freiheit) is an electric tale about a nation trying to emerge from the shadow of the Soviet Union to embrace Western democracy. Driven by a complexly plotted mystery that leads from Moscow to Toronto to Tbilisi, punctuated by wild car chases and drunken jazz reveries, and featuring an eccentric cast of characters including Georgian performance artists, Chechen warlords, and KGB spies, Garfinkel delivers a story that questions the price of freedom and laughs at the answer.  

With exhilarating prose reminiscent of Rachel Kushner and more twists than a John le Carré thriller, this is a daring, nuanced, and spectacularly entertaining novel by an exceptional talent. 

Reading in German performed by Peter Weiß.

Moderation: Gabriela von Habsburg

This event takes place as part of our Amerikahaus Book Talks series. 

Photo: Cover of "In a Land without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark" ©Amerikahaus München