A big little book, a touching read. Wolfgang Schneider in the FAZ. Old Rhine. Two men are walking along the riverbank. It's winter, the side arms of the river are frozen, but it is thawing. From a distance, they see a large black dog breaking through the ice. One of the men goes to get help. The other crawls on a branch towards the dog. He senses that he cannot save the dog. Yet death inflicted such a deep wound in his heart a few years ago that he does not want to leave this life to the dog. Michael Köhlmeier can do what few can: tell a great story in a very small tale.