Christoph has to meet Lena and tell her about his life – perhaps even about their shared story. Twenty years earlier, he had been in love with Magdalena, and when he meets Chris, Lena’s boyfriend, he gradually realises that the young couple seem to be reliving his own past relationship. The story unfolds, without really any explanation, just the pure existence of these parallel lives. The story comes full-circle when Christoph helps an old man lost in the snow. This is a sweet story that navigates between reality and imagination and touches the part of us that sometimes wants to rewrite our lives. It’s a story of love, time, memory and loss. I really liked the book for its subtle atmosphere and the delicate way it explores these emotions.
“She comes almost every night, sometimes so late that it’s starting to get light. She was never one for punctuality, but I don’t mind about that, the less time I have left, the more time I allow myself. I don’t do anything but wait anyway, and the later she comes, the more time I have to look forward to her.”
Original Title : Die sanfte Gleichgültigkeit der Welt
Translated from German