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"Unusual, interesting, vivid and palpable"
—Scott Stossel, Author of My Age of Anxiety & National Editor, The Atlantic
Two friends with needs that align for a short time, but what will happen after those needs diverge?
Powerful, compelling, suspenseful, intelligent, hopeful
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sometimes you just have to get rid of your best friend to break your own chains.
Every night at eleven o'clock, Sonja demands Finja lock her in. Tonight, Sonja even threatens to destroy Finja's new romance if she stops.
As girls, they both suffered from unloving fathers. Having given each other sanctuary, they became soulmates. But then Sonja's relentless, life-restricting rules forced them to run from Germany until they got stuck in England, never to return.
Their sweet friendship rendered a toxic co-dependency.
Now that Sonja wants to trap Finja forever, she has two options: keep bending to Sonja's will and relinquish all control of her own life, or get rid of Sonja...
Based on a true story about a dysfunctional family, mind games, blackmail, emotional control and dependency, obsessive compulsive disorder, and a new romance at stake.
REVIEWS
"With One of Us Has to Go, Katja Schulz has vividly dramatized the torments of OCD in an interesting and unusual way. The depredations of the disorder, and the way its symptoms can constrain and even derail a life, are palpable in this novel--but so, too, is the humanity of the character afflicted with the disease. Finja's story will resonate with OCD sufferers, and her journey may provide consolation and hope."
- Scott Stossel, National Editor, The Atlantic
"...a beguiling patina..."
- The Booklife Prize by Publishers Weekly
"As shocking as parts of the story were, I gasped and laughed in equal measure. It’s a book full of wisdom and learning. It’s intelligent and optimistic, and I finished it wearing a smile."
- Claire Goldenberg, OCD-UK
https://www.ocduk.org/one-of-us-has-to-go/
"This book will change the perception of how people view OCD forever, as the human cost of OCD is laid bare for the reader to see."
- Ashley Fullwood, OCD-UK
https://www.ashleyfulwood.net/one-of-us-has-to-go-by-katja-schulz/
“This book is awesome! … The voices flow from a traumatised childhood to a deeply troubled adulthood with an almost naive honesty. … It is a captivating tale with an explosive and unexpected climatic ending.”
“I really enjoyed reading this book. I was hooked from the start.”
“It is so perfectly written, from the childish joy at the snow to the visceral revoltingness of a certain male character. … I was totally caught up in Finja's world. The shocking twist at the end was brilliant and took me completely by surprise.”
“A truly brave and successful portrayal of the debilitating condition of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The author has been able to turn the story of her bewildering young life into a fascinating first novel.”
“Wow! What a powerful and beautifully written book. I was not expecting a narrative that would capture and hold my attention, but it did just that.”
Katja Schulz has lived with OCD for over thirty years. This debilitating mental illness has ruined far too much, but she has never lost hope and so managed to improve and fight her way back into life. After leaving her native Germany, she lived in many different places, and is now settling for good with her future husband, Neil, in the UK. She wants to add a dog to the family. Due to Katja's OCD, she has struggled with work, particularly full-time, but has found that her lately discovered love for writing suits both the needs related to her mental illness and a new possibility to work. She plans to publish her second book, LIVING LIES, one day in the future.
