Philip Teir Boeken

Philip Teir weaves a finely-tuned story about life choices and lies, about childhood and adulthood

On the surface, the Paul family are living the liberal, middle-class Scandinavian dream. Max Paul is a renowned sociologist and his wife Katriina has a well-paid job in the public sector. They live in an airy apartment in the centre of Helsinki. But look closer and the cracks start to show. As he approaches his 60th birthday, the certainties of Max's life begin to dissolve. He hasn't produced any work of note for decades. His wife no longer loves him. His grown-up daughters - one in London, one in Helsinki - have problems of their own. So when a former student turned journalist shows up and offers him a seductive lifeline, Max starts down a dangerous path from which he may never find a way back.

On the surface, the Paul family are living the liberal, middle-class Scandinavian dream. Max Paul is a renowned sociologist and his wife Katriina has a well-paid job in the public sector. They live in an airy apartment in the centre of Helsinki. But look closer and the cracks start to show. As he approaches his sixtieth birthday, the certainties of Max's life begin to dissolve. He hasn't produced any work of note for decades. His wife no longer loves him. His grown-up daughters - one in London, one in Helsinki - have problems of their own. So when a former student turned journalist shows up and offers him a seductive lifeline, Max starts down a dangerous path from which he may never find a way back. Funny, sharp, and brilliantly truthful, Teir's debut has the feel of a big, contemporary, humane American novel, but with a distinctly Scandinavian edge.

Julia und Erik, Mitte dreißig, verbringen die Ferien mit ihren Kindern im Sommerhaus an der Westküste Finnlands. Die Atmosphäre zwischen den Eheleuten ist angespannt: Julia, Autorin eines erfolgreichen Romandebüts, quält sich mit einer Schreibblockade und hadert damit, sich zu früh gebunden zu haben. Erik bangt um seinen Job als Informatiker, mit dem er die Familie ernährt, und wird unter dem Druck zum Lügner. Während Tochter Alice ihre erste Liebe erlebt, spitzen sich die Konflikte zwischen den Eheleuten in den zehn Wochen Urlaub dramatisch zu. Mit großer Kunstfertigkeit und einer sanften Intensität, die den Leser nicht mehr loslässt, erzählt Philip Teir von einer scheinbar ganz normalen Familie und vermag die Risse in ihrem Zusammenleben mit atemberaubender und verstörender Präzision zu schildern.