a.k.a. Haus ohne Hitter or Tomorrow and Yesterday, this was probably regarded as the first of Böll's 'classics'. Utilising a shifting narrative voice, this is a moving novel that explores the ways in which members of different generations assess their pasts and their collective futures and get on with living. Set in Germany and written just a decade after World War Two, this is a harrowing portrait of learning to deal with the ghosts of the past and the uncertainty of the future. I really loved this one and couldn't recommend it more highly.