SECOND SESSION 4PM - 6PM

Organized by the Consulate General of Germany in Vancouver and EUNIC Canada-Vancouver, the next meeting with the European Book Club will focus on the novel Qualityland by German author Marc-Uwe Kling. 

Our book club will take place in person again and we are very excited to invite our guests to the beautiful Roedde House Museum! In this historic mansion from the last century we will discuss the dystopian novel

Qualityland and we look forward to hearing your thoughts on this book! Let's enjoy a nice afternoon with good conversation, German cake, tea and coffee!  We offer guests who are interested in the history of the Roedde House a guided tour after the book club. Please let us know if you are interested in this tour.  

Due to the current COVID restrictions, only 15 fully vaccinated guests are allowed at this event! Therefore we have to ask you to register and to show your vaccination certificate and government ID at the event.

The Book

Welcome to QualityLand, the best country on Earth! Here, a universal ranking system determines the social advantages and career opportunities of every member of society. An automated matchmaking service knows the best partners for everyone and helps with the break up when your ideal match (frequently) changes. And the foolproof algorithms of the biggest, most successful company in the world, TheShop, know what you want before you do and conveniently deliver to your doorstep before you even order it.

In QualityCity, Peter Jobless is a machine scrapper who can't quite bring himself to destroy the imperfect machines sent his way, and has become the unwitting leader of a band of robotic misfits hidden in his home and workplace. One day, Peter receives a product from TheShop that he absolutely, positively knows he does not want, and which he decides, at great personal cost, to return. The only problem: doing so means proving the perfect algorithm of TheShop wrong, calling into question the very foundations of QualityLand itself.

Reviews

“A hilarious romp through an absurd hypercapitalist dystopia…This is spot-on satire.”
Publishers Weekly

“How much you enjoy this is in direct proportion to how much trouble you think we’re all in. Sleep tight.”
Kirkus Reviews

“Kling’s sharp observations target the economy, the law, xenophobia, relationships, security, and government, sparing few and exposing with delightful brutality how close QualityLand is to reality.”
Booklist, STARRED Review!