The Hunger Angel

By Herta Muller, Philip Boehm (translator),

Book cover of The Hunger Angel

Book description

'I know you'll return'. These are his grandmother's last words to him. He has them in his head as he boards the truck at 3am on a freezing mid-January morning in 1945. They keep him company during the long journey to Russia. They keep him alive - through hunger, pain,…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Hunger Angel as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This historical novel is about a young Romanian German who is deported to a Soviet labour camp by Stalin after the Second World War. Herta Müller herself grew up as a member of the Romanian German minority, and the novel is inspired by her conversations with survivors of the camps.

What made this book truly spellbinding for me–in addition to the story–was the playful melody of the language. It is a reminder of how rich and diverse the German language and culture were with the various communities in Central and Eastern Europe until the Second World War and the deportations…

If you love The Hunger Angel...

Ad

Book cover of The Last Bird of Paradise

The Last Bird of Paradise by Clifford Garstang,

Two women, a century apart, seek to rebuild their lives after leaving their homelands. Arriving in tropical Singapore, they find romance, but also find they haven’t left behind the dangers that caused them to flee.

Haunted by the specter of terrorism after 9/11, Aislinn Givens leaves her New York career…

Want books like The Hunger Angel?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Hunger Angel.

Browse books like The Hunger Angel

Book cover of To The Bitter End: The Diaries of Victor Klemperer 1942-45
Book cover of German Angst: Fear and Democracy in the Federal Republic of Germany
Book cover of I Have No Regrets: Diaries, 1955-1963

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,855

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Hunger Angel, you might also like...

Book cover of A Theory of Expanded Love

A Theory of Expanded Love by Caitlin Hicks,

Trapped in her enormous, devout Catholic family in 1963, Annie creates a hilarious campaign of lies when the pope dies and their family friend, Cardinal Stefanucci, is unexpectedly on the shortlist to be elected the first American pope.

Driven to elevate her family to the holiest of holy rollers in…

Book cover of Love and War in the Jewish Quarter

Love and War in the Jewish Quarter by Dora Levy Mossanen,

A breathtaking journey across Iran where war and superstition, jealousy and betrayal, and passion and loyalty rage behind the impenetrable walls of mansions and the crumbling houses of the Jewish Quarter.

Against the tumultuous background of World War II, Dr. Yaran will find himself caught in the thrall of the…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in concentration camps, prisoners, and Ukraine?

Prisoners 106 books
Ukraine 99 books