Even if I managed to read another 500 novels in 2023, it is unlikely any would match the sheer bizarreness of They Will Claim That I Was Dead, which is likely to be one of those books which is loved and reviled in equal measures. Upon completion, I was not entirely sure what I had just experienced, whether I had understood it or if the reader is supposed to be left totally perplexed by a seemingly insider joke. If you ever tackle this oddity, drop me a postcard and we can swap notes! There might even have been a subliminal message or two whispering between the many incomprehensible but beguiling paragraphs.

Your opinion on They Will Claim That I Was Dead may hang on how much you know about the German actor Klaus Kinski, who died in 1991, as the book is built around the main character’s obsession with the guy. If you know zero about Kinski, then you might struggle with this novel, as I’m guessing author Florian Frerichs is a massive fan, as his interpretation of Kinski’s quirks and eccentricities is totally bang on. I am a huge enthusiast of this legendary actor and the parallels between the novel and reality are really funny, but they might fall flat if you do not know much about German cinema. Many other real personalities, such as Udo Kier, most famous for the Andy Warhol Dracula and Frankenstein films, pop up, as does punk legend Iggy Pop and an assortment of others.

If you are brave enough to read They Will Claim That I Was Dead, then I strongly recommend you read the Wikipedia entry or any other brief biography of Klaus Kinski first. Many years ago I devoured his totally filthy autobiography All You Need Is Love where he describes in graphic detail his many sexual conquests and comes across as a misogynistic nutter who in today’s world would undoubtedly be cancelled. However, I found his story so captivating, I was a glutton for punishment (and more sleaze), so also read Kinski: Uncut (which also had a lot of sex) and an abundance of crazy stories. Apparently, Kinski turned down roles in Stephen Spielberg’s Indiana Jones films and also David Lean flicks, as the money wasn’t good enough and instead made multiple westerns and trashy horrors. He was not a particularly likable kind of guy, but when required had the acting ability to perform one man Shakespeare shows. His sheer nuttiness (or foulness) truly shines through the pages of They Will Claim That I Was Dead, even though it might not be about him at all, it is that kind of book.

After a car crash, Berlin loser Nico Pacinsky turns a lifelong obsession with Klaus Kinski into something much stranger, with cinema history blending with reality. He is contacted by a director pretending to be Werner Herzog, who wants to film the life of his actor best friend, with Nico in the leading role as Kinski, which kicks off a magical mystery tour through German culture, both past and present. Although I found this book to be a lot of fun, its main joke revolving around the identity of Nico/Kinski wore thin over 400-pages and it might have made more sense if it had been reigned in slightly, as some of the absurdities just go too far and the scatter gun approach to satire misses the mark as often as it scores. But when it hits the target and scores, there are some beauties.

If you have never heard of the German film director Werner Herzog, I recommend you look him up also, as he and Kinski had a very complex relationship, which is in some ways mirrored in this book. Together they made five of the most visionary art-house films of the seventies and eighties, including Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Nosferatu the Vampyre and Fitzcarraldo. In 1999 he directed a critically acclaimed documentary called My Best Fiend about his complex relationship with Kinski. Herzog is now in his eighties and I would be very interested in his opinion of this book, as it touches upon My Best Fiend, but in others, it lurches into such levels of surrealism, the real Herzog will be scratching his head, or should that be Verne Zog? (don’t ask!) or even contemplating suing.

In true Klaus Kinski spirit there is a lot of graphic sex in They Will Claim I Was Dead, as Nico/Klaus bangs everything with a pulse and female sexual organs are described in explicit detail. The book clearly intends to bombard the sensitivities of the reader and in doing so, some of its satirical message regarding pop culture (Andy Warhol is mentioned in passing) is lost. Many of the references to real actors/writers etc are unnecessary, as there are so many and contribute little to the plot except add to the overall absurdity of events. In the end, I am not sure it is intended to make much sense but is certainly open to interpretation.

As a character, I really liked poor old Nico (before Klaus comes along) and felt for him when his girlfriend (another really funny character) starts to sell off his beloved Klaus Kinski collection whilst he was in the hospital, egged on by her money-grabbing mother. His journey into insanity (or is it enlightenment?) is a time-warp-style trip into a Germany which seems to be a mashup of different eras. Perplexing, highly original, jarring and completely on another planet.