Of a kidnapping by mistake teaching all involved in a delightful way not to run away from life, but to arrive at themselves.

HENRY
by Florian Gottschick
Penguin Germany, August 2021

Twelve-year-old Henrietta, whom everyone calls Henry, lives in Berlin’s Wilmersdorf district and is longing for adventure. When her overprotective mother leaves her brand-new BMW on the street with her daughter asleep on the back seat, a young man gets into the unlocked car and drives off. He was only going to drive it round the block, but when Henry wakes up she convinces him to drive on. Sven, his girlfriend Nadja and Henry take off on a road trip, and the exuberant, taboo-breaking trio become a close-knit team as they take a journey that will change their lives for ever.
A fast-paced, original, funny and vividly told novel by the award-winning filmmaker Florian Gottschick – the story of an accidental abduction, which teaches three young people the most important thing of all: if there’s a purpose to life, it’s living it. And it’s never too late to look for the place where you’ll find yourself.

Florian Gottschick has graduated from the Babelsberg Film Academy in 2013 with a degree in film directing. His films have been shown at more than 70 international festivals. His graduate feature « Nachthelle » (« Night Light ») was nominated for the Grimme Prize, and can be viewed online alongside his other films. His latest projects include three TV series for ARD and ZDF, as well as one of only three German Netflix Originals produced in 2020. He teaches screen acting, screenwriting and directing. HENRY is his debut novel, and he is currently working on his second book.