Sixteen irresistible stories written in a dizzying array of moods and locales. With the compulsive focus of a video freak and the intensity of a hungry reporter covering a weird series of events, Doris Dörrie takes us on a magical misery tour of human behaviour. Ranging from the psychologically dark terrain of her native Germany to the bleak brilliance of southern California, the storis explore the longings of the lonely, the sad farces of the mismatched, and the dangerous comedy of those fuzzed-out enough to believe their own lies. Zooming in through the surface layers to explore the anarchy that lurks beneath, Dörrie allows little to escape her quietly ironic view.

Whether she writes about men, the father of the bride or the question »Am I beautiful?«, Doris Dörrie takes a close look, surprises us with unexpected twists and very refreshing comedy. Doris Dörrie's best stories in one volume.

Rudi and Trudi have been a couple for thirty years. When Trudi dies suddenly, Rudi flies to his son Karl in Japan to see what was important for Trudi and what they were no longer able to experience together: their son in Japan, the legendary cherry blossoms, Fujiyama and also the Butoh dance, which had been Trudi's great passion once upon a time. The book contains images from the film with the abbreviated version of the story in subtitles, the complete screen play and background information by Doris Dörrie about filming at Fujiyama, her relationship to Japan, the Butoh dance and about Zen. A book for the film, a book about the film, a book for after the film.

The four stories of »Love, Pain, and the Whole Damn Thing« comprise a modern survival manual on mating, marriage, and money, answering some of life's most urgent questions: how to find a man, how to dump him; how to protect your position as a mistress, or as a cuckold; how to maintain your dignity when spying on a lover; or how to salvage your credit rating when your husband loses his job. The result - wickedly funny and utterly fresh - heralds the emergence of a major international writer.

Leopold and his young wife want to be different from their bourgeois neighbours in Lower Bavaria. They invite the Vietnamese refugee family Hung to tea and meals at their house, give them warm winter clothing and a pair of new shoes for Mrs Hung. Only a few days later, however, they are obliged to capitulate in the face of the cultural differences which appear to be insuperable despite all good intentions. He is newly divorced and is trying to work through the pain of being separated from his children at a course of therapy in Tuscany. She is there to moan about her children getting on her nerves and her longing to return to her career as a civil engineer. Together, they abandon the therapy-zoo for a few hours... Charlotte wants to start working again and tries to find a nanny to look after her small daughter. Not, of course, just any nanny, but »a babysitter who respects me, leaves me in peace and is always available«. Naturally, she will also have to learn quickly about »healthy feeding« and »fear-free education«, and she must also have a good karma. Anita, a young girl from Eastern Germany who only came to the West two weeks previously, gets the job: Good karma from Zschopau – and its consequences...

It all began in the 1970s, as hopeful young actresses Johanna and Heidi and the inventive director Rainer made it all the way to Hollywood with their very first film. But the illusion factory of Hollywood is always on the lookout for something new, and the three newcomers are soon no longer so refreshing. Johanna returns to Germany to work as a props supervisor, Heidi begins to earn her living as channelling medium – only Rainer cannot seem to say goodbye to the film business. The love of Rainer's life is his teenage daughter, Allegra, who lives with his ex-wife and visits him only once a year. For her sake, he maintains the illusion that he has made it in Hollywood and that every year he moves into a new mansion – which in reality he is only housesitting. And then it happens. The owner of the mansion decides to come home earlier than planned. Rainer hits upon an idea of how he can save the situation. He pretends that he has been called in for a ›highly urgent shoot‹ and asks Johanna to take Allegra to a trendy yoga hotel until he returns. And so begins a rather curious road movie…

Three friendly couples meet on a Saturday evening. Everything seems as usual – and yet it is not: Emilia and Felix, recently separated, are both suffering financially and psychologically. Charlotte and Dylan have made a lot of money through Dylan's clever speculating, but their relationship is growing more and more miserable despite their wealth. Only Annette and Boris are still happily in love; true, they would like rather more money, but they manage quite well all the same. The six friends meet for dinner in Charlotte and Dylan's smart apartment. But the happy, carefree atmosphere that characterised their previous meetings is lacking. Emilia and Felix feel lonely because they are no longer a couple, and hostile sparks fly between Charlotte and Dylan. Then Emilia tells them that she recently read that couples who have lived together for over twenty years are often unable to identify their partner's hands on a photograph. She said she was willing to bet that most men would not even recognize their own wives with their eyes shut. The others are indignant, they are sure that they would know their partners anywhere. Felix adds fuel to the fire: if they are all so certain, then why not take a bet on it... and an experiment with considerable consequences begins.