German / Germany
Vierzehn
(Fourteen)
Bach, Tamara
(text)
Hamburg: Carlsen, [2016]. – 106 p.
ISBN 978-3-551-58359-8
Coming of age | Falling in love | Loneliness | Self-discovery
Reading age: 14+
White Ravens issue: 2017
Hardly anyone writes as authentic a story about coming of age as Tamara Bach. “Vierzehn” features Beh and her first day after the summer holidays when – everyone knows this feeling – everything seems so familiar and yet so tingly-new and different. Beh feels exactly this way, because during the holidays a few things have happened, sad and stupid, happy and exciting ones. The unusual second-person narrative that the author employs to talk about Beh turns the readers into accomplices and confidants. And thanks to Bach’s reserved and elusive style, it does so without clumsily cosying up to them. Beh’s emotional turmoil is clad in a language that is both delicate and down-to-earth, poignant and vague, and thus matches the girl’s feelings to a tee. Bach does not churn out novel after novel in quick succession, which on the one hand is unfortunate, because it would be an absolute pleasure to read more books by her. On the other hand, the result is always well worth the wait – just as in this case!