Reading: Vea Kaiser – Blasmusikpop or How Science Came to the Mountains

A 14.8-metre-long fish tapeworm, a soapbox cart headed for the moon, an unexpectedly attractive monk in a Jaguar, a falling angel, a pregnant village princess, a secret society of classical philologists, a Nordic-walking group of mothers, a young footballer with his heart in the right place, a sinister conspiracy of village elders, and no end of peppy brass-band pop all belong to the unforgettable microcosm of this novel, which captivates through its devotion to vivid detail and quirky episodes, its narrative verve and its many voices.