Eternal Summer by Franziska Gansler

translated from the original German by Imogen Taylor.

Iris runs the only hotel left open in Bad Heim, a once-thriving (and fictional) spa town that now lives under constant threat of the forest fires that burn just beyond the river. Every summer seems to stretch for longer and longer, as the heat waves allow the wildfires to burn without hope of relief for the beleaguered residents.

When a mother and child walk into the hotel, Iris is surprised. The only outsiders who’ve come to Bad Heim in ages are the climate change activists who’ve set up camp on the outskirts of the forest. Still, she’s happy to rent them a room, even as she senses that not everything is as it seems with Dorota and her daughter Ilya.

The more time Iris spends with them tho, the more drawn to them she feels. But when a strange man starts calling around asking for help locating his mentally unstable wife and innocent daughter, Iris will have to decide whether she can trust her own judgment, even as the fires burn closer and closer to destroying everything she owns.

This short novel packs a big punch as it addresses the very 21st century issues of climate change, female solidarity and the helplessness that abuse creates not only in its victims but in bystanders. Franziska Gansler sensitively depicts how tough it can be to desperately want to intervene but not know how to do so without potentially making things worse. Iris and Dorota’s relationship is fragile and tender, as the two wounded women make difficult choices in order to uphold what they each consider most important.

My only criticism of this book is how oddly underbaked the ending felt — ironic, given the book’s circumstances. I was glad tho that it was forthright in how abuse does not have to be physical in order to be truly damaging, and how difficult it can be to escape. There are many more clever themes and parallels that I wish I had the time to get into here. Ms Gansler packs a lot into a book of indelible scenes and hard decisions, making for a terrific debut.

Eternal Summer by Franziska Gansler was published May 6 2025 by Other Press and is available from all good booksellers, including