Solution 257: Complete Love: A Novel

by Ingo Niermann, Amy Patton (Translator)

Ingo Niermann’s provocative new novel imagines a Berlin alternative to the activist occupation of public spaces in 2011. The completists, gathered at Alexanderplatz, aspire for justice through intimacy. They believe that only when the redistribution of material wealth includes equal chances of finding sex and love—no matter how elderly, disabled, or ugly you are—communism will become real. This volume of the Solution series is a revolutionary erotic fiction.

Karl, a freelance writer and young stay-at-home dad in Berlin, first dismisses the completists as a bunch of as fringe weirdos and burnouts. But over the course of one summer day, his outlook changes after a series of encounters both virtual and physical. Contacting him on Skype, an attractive and mysterious stranger tells him she has only three hours left to live. Their video chat starts a game of seduction and intrigue and turns into a vivid debate on the decorum of modern relationships and fantasies. Instead of satiating him sensually and emotionally, Ava enlightens him about the real completist challenge of justice through sex and intimacy. Karl must join ranks with disabled sex-rights activist Oskar Patzer before his day’s journey—culminating in an improvised public orgy prefaced by a choreographed group performance—can indicate the possibilities for completing love.

“I am thrilled with Complete Love. It is a completely strange universe I am being plunged into. And Ingo Niermann describes it with poise.”
—Elfriede Jelinek, author of The Piano Teacher

252 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2016

Reviews

[Anastasiia Mozghova · Rating 3 out of 5]

probably the weirdest book i've ever read. it took me very far from my comfort zone and challenged what i'm used to as a thinker and as a reader.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Communism and erotica, what more could you want? In a world where the redistribution of so many things is questioned, love is not one of the things we often speak about. This book brings that to the fore - all bodies are worth loving, those that are older or less abled included. I read this quickly, in one afternoon, and plan to read it again simply due to what a hopeful vision it gives me (as well as being set in Berlin!)

[Logan Hansen]

An incredibly daring high-wire polemic that occasionally works as a novel. In most cases I would dismiss a project like this as being stuck between forms, but there’s just so much conviction on display, and a few of the character moments are politically enlightening enough that I’m giving it a full pass

[Linus Bonduelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

New stuff lots to think about

[Günter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The strangest thing about this book is that it is written in English (or more precisely: written in German, translated to English and - as far as I could find out - published only in English). Especially in the first half the English doesn't appear to be a naive one, rather artificial. This gets better in the second part, especially when talking/reflecting about various theories.

But on the whole this is an excellent book on the very specific topic, combing a story with a lot of theoretical reflections, social criticism, criticism of our society etc. This book provides an entertaining opportunity for an introduction to the sexual needs of disabled people and how to satisfy or deal with them. This book could be a great start of a sociology seminar on the topic.

(Side note: I've read this book at the same time as Vernon Subutex and see several cross references.)