Fred, Nickel and Annette share a dream, to escape to Canada, away from the crushing boredom of provincial Germany. Canada - where you can live free, rent a house on the lake, go fishing, become a famous photographer....but such dreams cost money...and money comes from...banks. But the great bank robbery goes horribly wrong, Fred is arrested but as in all good movies he doesn't grass up his friends.

Four years later, Fred is out and heads for Berlin, a city in flux after the dismantling of the Wall. He is pursuing his money, his friends and still, his Canadian dream. But for Annette and Nickel life has moved on... Magic Hoffmann is a superb novel about contemporary Germany and about one man's refusal to be brought down by his country and his "friends".