Nele Pollatschek tells an everyday story that goes straight to the heart of our existence. A to-do list gives rise to a dazzling novel about how hard it is simply to live.
31 December. Prepare tax returns, clean apartment, assemble bed for daughter, write life’s work, quit smoking – Lars, a 49-year-old deep thinker and aspiring writer, was actually planning to use the week between Christmas and New Year to finally take care of everything that’s fallen by the wayside in the last few decades. His plan was to begin the new year with his life in order. The timing seemed perfect: the kids were abroad for a year, his wife on the road – no one around who might interfere.
But the week when he still could have taken care of everything – suddenly, it’s gone. The last day of the year has begun. The house – and his life, of course – is still a mess. And as Lars prepares to tackle the first item on his to-do list, it feels like he has to reinvent not just himself but an entire world.
Nele Pollatschek writes about chaos and the longing for order, perfect children and imperfect parents, love and great works. Above all, however, she writes about the problem of not putting off your life until later.
