Madeline Cash - Harbour Front Literaturfestival

Reading and Discussion with Samuel Benke (German-English)
Presented by Thalia

“Normally, I wouldn’t even touch a book with a yellow-and-purple cover,” says philosopher and author Wolfram Eilenberger on *Literarisches Quartett*. Such suspense novels aren’t really his thing. But then even he begins to rave about Madeline Cash’s debut novel, *Verlorene Schäfchen*. Ijoma Mangold admits to having read the book all the way to the last page. And Thea Dorn goes into a veritable rave: The dialog “sparkles with linguistic wit and quick-wittedness,” the density of punchlines is enormous, and yet the novel is “more than just an occasion to laugh out loud.” It has a “deeper dimension,” and the actual theme of *Lost Sheep* is “transcendental homelessness.” The book can be considered literature, “full of sarcasm without ever becoming cynical—a true literary miracle.” The panel of the Literary Quartet agrees: Even sitcom humor can be literature.

At first glance, “Lost Sheep” tells the story of a perfectly ordinary American suburban family: mother, father, three daughters, church on Sundays. But behind the facade, chaos reigns: the mother is having an affair, the father joins a dubious self-help group called “Lost Sheep,” and the daughters lose themselves amid conspiracy theories, fundamentalist online acquaintances, and a friend nicknamed “War Criminal Wes.” And suddenly, all the threads converge on a mysterious billionaire.

With captivating laconism, dry humor, and razor-sharp insight, Madeline Cash paints a family portrait that is as whimsical as it is touching, with characters reminiscent of a Wes Anderson film. Behind this fast-paced tragicomedy, however, lies a precise look at contemporary America.
As the Literarische Quartett aptly put it: “The question of what holds a family together is, here, synonymous with the question of what holds America together.”

Viewed in this light, Madeline Cash’s satirical family novel becomes a contemporary work about the American middle class—and thus also about our own reality—exploring lingering religious beliefs, body optimization, fantasies of control, and digital disorientation: “one of the most remarkable debut novels of recent years” (Thea Dorn).

The Financial Times US calls Madeline Cash “one of the most talented voices on the New York literary scene”; the New York Times describes the novel as “a quirky mystery, cult satire, and heartwarming tragicomedy all in one”; and Bret Easton Ellis simply states: “One of the best debuts I’ve read in a long time.”

Madeline Cash (b. 1996) is a co-founder of the online magazine Forever Mag and the author of the short story collection *Earth Angel*. *Lost Sheep* is her debut novel and entered the U.S. indie bestseller list immediately upon its release. She lives in New York and, at times, in London.

Samuel Benke lives in Berlin and is an author, literary journalist, book blogger, and host. In his writing, podcasts, and stage performances, he explores literature, pop culture, and social issues.