Jenny Erpenbeck, the International Booker prize-winning author, reflects on the objects of everyday life and the hidden histories they carry. From coffee pot drip catchers to the typewriter she used for her first works, Erpenbeck examines how objects vanish and what that disappearance signifies. Carpet hangers once common in rear courtyards disappeared when wall-to-wall carpeting and vacuum cleaners arrived. Shops that mended tights vanished after the Berlin Wall fell, replaced by cheap western imports. Even coffee drip catchers vanished when children born in the last days of the war preferred espresso makers from Italy over traditional family reunions. Erpenbeck explains that objects vanish when deprived of their purpose. Even if their disappearance stems from events far removed from the object itself, such as the crimes of the German Wehrmacht, their loss forms a deep connection between history and daily life. The foam rubber drip catcher, once protecting tablecloths from coffee stains, is an example of how small items carry cultural meaning. When these items vanish, the customs, thinking, and feelings tied to them disappear as well. The author also shares personal experiences of loss. Traveling and moving often caused her to lose scarves, hats, and even the typewriter she used for her early works. Despite these losses, her collection of books, letters, and diaries grew steadily. She imagined saving them from a fire, a testament to the enduring value she places on everyday objects. Erpenbeck recalls a visit from a Russian woman who moved to Germany with her children. She described a ritual of making a bonfire with their belongings, reflecting on memories before burning them. The woman left with only two suitcases for herself and her children, highlighting the transient nature of possessions and the memories they carry. In her reflections on daily life, Erpenbeck captures the constant demands of modern routines. From booking flights and doctor appointments to paying bills and managing household chores, the simple tasks of life fill every moment. Yet even amid these tasks, she continues to work on her new novel, finding moments of rapture and focus within the chaos of daily life. Erpenbeck’s writing underscores that objects are more than tools or decorations. Each holds knowledge of its time, carrying the weight of memory, culture, and personal history. When things disappear, it is not only the objects that are lost but the sense of what was customary, meaningful, or valued in a particular era. Through her reflections, Erpenbeck encourages readers to notice the objects around them, to see the stories embedded in everyday life, and to understand that even the simplest items contain traces of the past. Her observations bridge personal memory with broader historical and cultural experiences, reminding us that objects and their disappearance reveal as much about human life as the events that shape it.