A phone call from Japan cuts the life of the young Dutch woman Hebe in half. Before: the life with the admired older brother, after: Japan, the country in which Alec suffered a fatal diving accident. Grief pulls her there, she follows the trail of the freediver to Tokyo and further south to Okinawa. The famous film “In the intoxication of the deep” (“Le grand bleu”), about the competition of the freediving divers Enzo and Jack, was obviously the inspiration here and you learn a lot about free diving. Alec can hold his breath for up to nine minutes, and with a monofin he screws himself down to a depth of 100 meters.
The real theme, however, is Hebe’s search for her self. A young woman who has just finished school is going on her first big trip. It’s about independence, orientation, growing up. The sheer dimensions of the metropolis of Tokyo overwhelmed them. She immerses herself skin and hair in the strange world. What is described is not a lengthy maturation process, but a courageous immersion into the foreign world, with many encounters. The scenes always remain authentic, also due to the fact that many short dialogues are reproduced in English.
Iris Hannema is an accomplished travel journalist who presents her first novel in “Schattenbruder”. It starts at a breakneck narrative pace and does not shy away from familiar images of Japan. It starts with the cover of the novel, which quotes Hokusai’s rolling ocean waves. The world’s largest fish market, the overcrowded subways and the manga girls follow. Nevertheless, young Japan fans can learn a lot from the novel. Young woman traveling alone, partly cool, partly naive, plagued by occasional bouts of grief. A catastrophe that overtakes you at the airport fits well: your smartphone breaks. Traveling, even living in a foreign country without a smartphone, is that even possible? Yes, she does and finally reaches Ishigaki Bay, the place where Alec disappeared forever in the floods.
Before that, she met the Australian Oscar, known as Butler, at the resort, who was doing research in Japan on the history of the Aum sect that carried out a devastating attack on the Tokyo metro. And she takes the initiative and experiences that love does not always have to mean suffering. Because the feeling of loneliness threatened to overwhelm her after the friendship with her long-time best friend Astrid online broke up. Eventually the event culminated: A document she received from Kazuo, Alec’s friend and owner of the dive shop, confirmed her suspicions: no accident, suicide. Before each competition, Alec gave her a card with a haiku he had written. The last is: “Walk, our country, he who left without me has what you are looking for. Go in search of it. Love you long time. Your bro, x, Alec.” (from 14 years)