'Rich, moving and wryly funny... a delight' Observer *Graphic Novel of the Month*
'Brilliant, witty and endlessly inventive' 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.
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The Crystal Vase 9781787334311 Hardback
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What to do with family history
I love this book! It's beautifully illustrated to begin with. Then the author has taken her complex, multicultural, painful family history and teased it apart so that the resulting story is humorous, easy to follow, manageable and relatable. I laughed to see the illustration of granny Gisela- m…
I love this book! It's beautifully illustrated to begin with. Then the author has taken her complex, multicultural, painful family history and teased it apart so that the resulting story is humorous, easy to follow, manageable and relatable. I laughed to see the illustration of granny Gisela- my German in-laws had a similar 'Oma' figure. Since I live in Germany, I recognized and enjoyed the insights into life in this part of the world. For me, the author has taken the tragic circumstances her family had to deal with, and has created her own 'generational pact' to give a voice to the people she loves
- Authors:
- Goldsmith, Astrid
- Year Published:
- 2026
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Format:
- Hardback
- ISBN:
- 9781787334311
- Number of Pages:
- 208
- Place of Publication:
- London
- Publication Date:
- 15/01/2026
- Publisher:
- Vintage Publishing
- Language:
- English
- Imprint:
- Jonathan Cape Ltd
- SKU:
- 9781787334311