After her successful autobiography "My Journey Through the Land of Grief," Susanne Ospelkaus now presents her first novel "The Cloak Pin."

A cloak pin reminds Josefine of the love of her life: Harun, the Berber, had given it to her. Back then, she served as a young Red Cross nurse on the African front in Libya. Today, at 94 years old, she lives in a nursing home, confused, frightened, and barely remembering her past. Until Yakob appears, a young caregiver with Libyan roots. When he recognizes an old Arabic dialect in the incomprehensible sounds Josefine makes, one he knows from his own childhood, he becomes curious.

In her novel, Susanne Ospelkaus tells a touching story that connects heavy themes with wonderful lightness: an unfulfilled love, the work of Red Cross nurses in the war hospitals of the African campaign, the fate of the Berbers in North Africa. An old woman and a young man, both independently grappling with the question of their own identity. Both in search of their roots, hoping to find peace for their past.

"I stroke the elongated piece of jewelry again. It sits securely on my left shoulder over my heart, even at night it sparkles in the moonlight. Hope over my heart. Hope that shines. Yes, that’s what I need. Sometimes fear grips me like a desert storm. Then I can only huddle, hide my head under my arms, and wait for the force to subside. I don’t know how much time we both have left. Harun kisses my forehead as if to kiss away the sad thoughts. Just like one blows on a sore spot to drive away the pain. I must not think of tomorrow as long as we have today." Excerpt from the book.