Novel “I’m Not Coming Back” by Rasha Khayat: Foreign Homeland

The old life is crumbling, there is no new one in sight: In Rasha Khayat’s novel “I’m Not Coming Back” the insecure heroine is looking for her future in a divided society – that says a lot about Germany.

It is not clear where exactly Johanna Kessler is taking us. Somewhere in the Ruhr area is the settlement where the soon-to-be 40-year-old spent her childhood and youth. But this place, this city, is hardly tangible. Especially not for Johanna herself, who has been living here again for a year and can’t find a connection. Neither about the present of the settlement nor about its own past. When her grandmother’s life comes to an end – Johanna grew up with her grandparents – she takes care of her. After her death, Johanna stays, partly because she couldn’t or didn’t want to go back anywhere. She gave up her apartment, her job, her relationship, her entire adult life, all of which means little to her. And now, during the corona pandemic, everything has come to a standstill anyway.