Manuel Bittorf aka Betterov: Goldener Retriever
Max comes to his senses in the middle of the street. Blue lights are flashing all around him. What the hell happened? He’d only just arrived here with his best friend Chau, starting a new life. After one last wild party in the provinces, they hopped on the ICE—out of the East, into West Berlin. In the upscale neighborhood of Grunewald, they live in the only prefab apartment building for miles around, completely lost among opulent mansions and Ferraris. And then there’s Kiki, Max’s first great love, who now lives in Munich. A chance encounter one night gives Max and Chau an idea for a business venture that quickly pushes their newly started college studies into the background. Their plan works—until it becomes a matter of national importance.
For everyone who knows what it feels like to be lost—and how wonderful it is to take life into your own hands anyway.
Manuel Bittorf, born in 1994 near Eisenach, worked in theater for several years and later studied acting at the Berlin University of the Arts. Under the name Betterov, he is one of the most successful artists on the German music scene, having made his debut in 2022 with “Olympia.” In 2025, he released his acclaimed album “Große Kunst,” which landed him in the Top 10 of the charts and led to a major tour in 2026. “Goldener Retriever” is his debut novel.
“Manuel Bittorf hammers this wistful coming-of-age story onto the pages with a passion for writing that I’ve rarely encountered. A real powerhouse of a novel. I laughed my head off.” Takis Würger
“This book has pace, heart, and a dog. What more could you want?” Ronja von Rönne
“If I could have asked anyone to write a book for me, it would have been Betterov.” Lena Brasch
