This is one sad book. It was well-written and the story was captivating but it was too long -- I felt like there were so many parts that could've been edited out and it would literally make no difference to the story whatsoever. The translation was also a bit rocky.

The title says it all. Willi Kufalt is in prison as the book opens, looking forward to his imminent release. But life on the outside turns out to be in many ways harder than life on the inside. Whenever it seems things are beginning to go his way, his past catches up with him and life once again defeats him. It’s a sad little story, very much rooted in its time and place – Germany of the 1920s and 30s – but much of it still seems very relevant. Without support and opportunities for employment very often going back to jail doesn't seem such a bad option. This is not one of Fallada’s best books but it’s very readable and enjoyable; a bit too long perhaps but nonetheless I very much enjoyed it and felt deeply for poor Willi Kufalt.