The debut of this young authoress is a work of staggering intensity. She writes without comment and without judgement, almost as though the course of events she describes were a necessary thing.
This novel is a chamber play with four characters. A family: mother, father, brother, younger sister. In short sequences, the sister looks back on scenes from family life, settings that are as everyday as they are existential. It tells of intense proximity and speechless detachment. The reader swiftly senses that there are things bubbling below the surface. In a subtle manner, it is revealed that the family members are closely interconnected and yet losing themselves, longing for tenderness whilst experiencing violence. And when the family finally breaks apart, it becomes evident that, despite all external changes, none of its members will have an easy task of relinquishing their roles. The things the girl experiences often lie outside of her powers of comprehension. The story derives its tremendous power from the skilful austerity the writer uses in telling it.
Luise Maier, born in 1991 in Schardenberg (Upper Austria), grew up in Bavaria and now lives in Biel. She studied at the Swiss Literature Institute in Biel / Bienne. »Having One Another« is her debut novel.
