‘Ein simpler Eingriff’ by Yael Inokai

‘Ein simpler Eingriff’ (English: ‘A Simple Intervention’) by Yael Inokai is a quiet yet unsettling novel set in an unnamed, likely German-speaking country—somewhere in the 1960s. It follows Meret, a young nurse who is proud of the care she provides at a private clinic known for its experimental psychiatric surgeries.

Meret works closely with a revered doctor who claims to help 'troubled' women—those with addictions, mental health challenges, or who simply don’t conform—with a vaguely described brain operation. She is responsible for the emotional and physical care of the patients before, during, and after the procedures. At first, Meret believes in the healing potential of this work.

But things begin to shift when Meret starts to see cracks in the institution’s moral logic—and when she develops feelings for one of the women in her care. As her beliefs begin to unravel, so does her sense of self and place in a system built on control, conformity, and silence.

The novel explores queerness, medical violence, and the fine line between care and coercion with subtlety and restraint.

CW: medical violence (psychiatric procedures, non-consensual surgeries), institutional control and abuse, homophobia and queer repression, emotional manipulation, mental health issues, power imbalances in care relationships