|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
In DECOMPRESSION, Juli Zeh deals with how getting involved with the wrong people can destroy a life. The story is told from the perspective of diving instructor, Sven Fiedler, with alternating chapters from the diary of his client, Jola, a soap opera actress attempting to land a legitimate role. Jola and her lover, Theo, who have hired Sven for two weeks of having him at their beck and call, have a very dysfunctional relationship. Sven, ignoring his own girlfriend and partner, Antje, becomes increasingly involved with Jola, to the point where both Antje and Theo are convinced they are having an affair. The reality of the situation becomes increasingly muddled as Sven's and Jola's accounts diverge, while at the same time the violence between Jola and Theo escalates. In the end, Sven finds himself trapped in an alternate reality that Jola has fashioned, and everything he thought he cared about disintegrates.
While Zeh does a terrific job of pulling the reader into the confusion felt by Sven, and even makes some of his actions seem plausible, she does not help the reader understand why Jola weaves the net around the dive instructor. Without that motivation, Jola becomes nothing more than a manipulative malefactor, and the reader grows weary of Sven's innocence. Theo and Jola seem to be playing a game for which Sven does not understand the rules. The tense atmosphere of the divers' interactions contrasts well with the languid, sun-infused physical atmosphere, helping the reader feel some of the Sven's disorientation. Ultimately, though, I wanted to smack Sven out of his reverie.
Throughout the book, Zeh surprises with insights. One of these gives just a hint of what might be driving Jola. In her diary, she writes of how as she hurts her lover and sees something shatter, she knows at that moment that he loves her. She can only see love as she sees it break. The story seems almost like a dream, and the writing about the location adds to that sense, drawing the reader into the twisting plot even as the dysfunction of the lovers' relationships challenges credulity. This was a quick and engaging read, with short chapters that pulled the reader through the book, even with its flaws.
§ Sharon Mensing is the Head of School of Emerald Mountain School, an independent school in the mountains of Colorado, where she lives, reads, and enjoys the outdoors.
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing, August 2015
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
