What is the title of your latest release?
RESTITUTION
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
As children in Central Illinois, Kate and Martin were never told much about their mother’s childhood in East Germany. Decades later, when the Berlin Wall falls, they are faced with a difficult decision: Should they try to reclaim the house in East Germany from which their grandparents fled in the 1950s? But a house is never just a house, and the family secrets they discover drive the siblings apart just as divided Germany is coming together.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Restitution is not autobiographical, but all the places featured in the book are places I know well. Like my characters, I grew up in Central Illinois, spent my childhood summers at the Bodensee (a lake in southern Germany), and lived in Leipzig, Germany while writing the early drafts of Restitution. Even before I started, I knew the story I wanted to tell and where I wanted it to unfold—in the places I love.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely. I would hang out with both Kate and Martin. Like them, I grew up moving back and forth between Central Illinois and Germany, and, I too have a German mother. We are very different people, but I think we would have a lot to talk about.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Kate is empathetic, but she can also be quite petty, and she is definitely an overthinker!
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Restitution is my first book, so I didn’t know whether I would love the writing process. I learned that I don’t just like writing. I love it! I also learned a lot about life in East Germany. Having lived in former East Germany several times since the Wall came down, I already knew a great deal about the years that followed German reunification. But, in doing research for the book, I learned so much about the decades before 1989.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I did light editing as I wrote the first draft of Restitution, but I tried not let this stand in the way of my forward momentum. Each time I completed a chapter, I went back and worked on the sentences, word choice and so forth. But the bigger edits (e.g. changes to plot, character development, or themes) almost all happened after I’d finished the first draft. I love the revision process, because it is during revision that I truly discover what I am writing about and who my characters are.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I adore German plum cake (Zwetschgenkuchen). I am also a big fan of salty black licorice.
Describe your writing space/office!
I wrote the first draft of Restitution mostly in cafes in Leipzig, Germany. I liked the background buzz of voices. On nice days, I also wrote on our balcony which looked out over a canal. Since moving from Leipzig back to Washington, DC, I’ve started writing at home more often. I have a study that is quite small but has windows on all sides. The light is wonderful (except in the summer when the room becomes unbearably hot). I do still occasionally write in cafes and, when the mosquitos aren’t too bad, I love setting up shop on our front porch.
Who is an author you admire?
This is a very difficult question to answer, since I admire so many authors. But I recently read Claire Messud’s This Strange Eventful Life and felt a kinship with that book that is hard to explain. It was the exact book I needed to read at that moment. I have not yet read her other novels, but I am very eager to do so.
Is there a book that changed your life?
There is no single book that has changed my life, but writing certainly has. Writing has given me such joy. It has also made me more observant and perceptive about the people and places around me—the small details that make them unique.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I knew ahead of time the day on which my book was being considered for a final decision by my publisher. That morning, I drove my son to school. On the way home, I was listening to a song by a German singer/songwriter called “A day that you like.” I remember wondering: Will this be a day that I like? I got the fabulous news a few hours later. The answer was yes!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Literary fiction that is character driven and ideally also teaches me something new about the world.
What’s your favorite movie?
I don’t have a favorite movie. The kind of movie I like depends so much on my mood at that moment. Sometimes I need something funny and nostalgic (like The Princess Bride). Other times I am looking for something serious and thought-provoking (like the recent I’m Still Here).
What is your favorite season?
That’s a tough one. I love both spring and fall. In the winter, I can’t wait for spring. In the summer, I can’t wait for fall. So, my favorite depends on when you ask me. Here, in Washington, DC, spring is particularly lovely because of all the flowers.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My birthdays have gotten quieter as I’ve gotten older. I always make sure that I get a little time to myself during the day. If it’s good weather, I’ll go take a long walk somewhere beautiful. If it’s rainy, I might listen to music in my room instead. Then, once I’ve had my alone time, I like to have dinner with my family and sometimes a handful of friends. Nothing fancy. It’s about the company.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I recently read Thao Thai’s Banyan Moon. What a beautiful book!
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Food doesn’t play a huge role in my life, but I love Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, as well as good, fresh Italian food. And, of course, I love German Sauerbraten (beef that’s been pickled in vinegar for days before roasting) and Rotkohl (red cabbage, preferably cooked with wine, raisins and apples).
What do you do when you have free time?
I like to go outdoors—exploring cities on foot, hiking in the mountains, reading in a park. Playing the piano also brings me great joy though I don’t do it often enough these days. And spending time with friends and family is always the best.
What can readers expect from you next?
I am almost done with the first draft of a second novel, but I’m not yet ready to share much about it. Like I said above, it’s during revision that I really figure out what my books are about, so stay tuned!
RESTITUTION by Tamar Shapiro
As children in Central Illinois, Kate and Martin were never told much about their mother’s childhood in East Germany. And they rarely asked questions. They were too busy grappling with the heartache left behind by an absent father and the tough love of a mother forced to raise them alone in a country not her own. Decades later, when the Berlin Wall falls, Kate and Martin are faced with a difficult decision: Should they try to reclaim the house in East Germany from which their grandparents fled in the 1950s? They travel to their grandparents’ hometown and meet the couple now living in the house. But a house is never just a house, and the family secrets they discover reopen old wounds, driving the siblings apart just as divided Germany is coming together. Against the backdrop of German reunification, Restitution asks urgent questions that resonate today. What remains when people leave entire lives behind? What happens when personal histories are erased? And what— if anything— can heal these wounds?
Fiction Family Life [Regal House Publishing, On Sale: September 30, 2025, Paperback, ISBN: 9781646036196 / ]
Buy RESTITUTION: Amazon.com | BN.com | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Walmart.com |
About Tamar Shapiro
Tamar Shapiro is the author of Resitution, a novel that takes place against the backdrop of German reunification, Restitution asks urgent questions that resonate today. What remains when people leave entire lives behind? What happens when personal histories are erased?
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