Das Gedächtnis des Herzens

"Das Gedächtnis des Herzens" (2019) is the third and final novel in Jan-Philipp Sendker's Burma trilogy, following "Das Herzenhören" (2002) and "Herzenstimmen." Sendker, born in Hamburg, spent years as a foreign correspondent for Stern magazine before turning to fiction with this internationally bestselling series.

Twelve-year-old Ko Bo Bo lives in Kalaw, Myanmar, with his uncle U Ba. Bo Bo has an unusual gift: he can read people's feelings simply by looking into their eyes. U Ba tells him the story of a great love that nearly broke apart amid the country's political turmoil, of the quiet courage it took to hold on, and of a mysterious illness affecting Bo Bo's mother. Moved by what he learns, Bo Bo decides to search for his parents himself.

Though it completes a trilogy, the novel is written to stand on its own for readers unfamiliar with the earlier books, and continues the series' focus on Burma's history and culture, family bonds severed and rebuilt, and the emotional intelligence of its characters.