Trudi Montag is a Zwerg - a dwarf - short, undesirable, different, the plucky but sometimes defeated voice of anyone who has ever tried to fit in. Eventually she learns that being different is a secret that all humans share - from her mother who flees into madness, to her childhood friend Georg whose parents always wanted a girl, and therefore treat him as one, to the Jews Trudi harbours in her cellar when her small town is hit by the lead up to World War II. Ursula Hegi brings us a timeless and unforgettable story in Trudi and a small German town, weaving together a profound tapestry of emotional power, humanity, and truth.