"And so bitterly cold" by Lara Schützsack
no caption
Lara Schützsack is for me the discovery of the spring among the German debut authors. Her novel is called "And also so bitterly cold", runs officially as a youth book, but is a big hit - even for demanding literature lovers. It is narrated from the perspective of Malina, who is 13 and is only afraid of two things: the darkness and her big sister leaving her alone. This sister is Lucinda and is her fixed star: bright, beautiful and out of this world. It casts a spell on people and casts them into the misfortunes they love: the mother, the boys - and Malina, who suffers when Lucinda only has eyes for her lover Jarvis. It reads like this: "A night full of possible secrets falls to nothing but pale hours before me, so it is always with my sister, when she leaves, she takes all the colors with her." And then Lucinda really goes, she gets thinner and thinner, until her body seems to dissolve. Schützsack is a novel about anorexia that is as overwhelming as John Green's great all-age success "Fate is a lousy traitor." Only poetic. A revelation for those who never read children's books.
(175 p., 14.99 euros, KJB)
Order online now
