Decompression
2016 Longlist

Decompression

Translated from the German by John Cullen
artwork-image

ABOUT
THE BOOK

In this riveting tale we meet two couples caught in a web of conflicting passions, Diving instructor Sven Fiedler and his girlfriend, Antje, who live and work on the Spanish island of Lanzarote. When a tourist couple-Jola, a soap opera actress, and Theo, a stalled novelist-arrive for an intensive two-week diving experience, Sven is captivated by Jola’s beauty and evident wealth.

Theo suspects that Sven and Jola have begun an affair, but oddly, he seems to encourage them. Antje looks on, increasingly wary of these new clients. Cycling through different points of view, we are constantly kept guessing about who knows what-and who is telling the truth. A brutal game of temptation and manipulation unfolds, pointing toward a violent end-but a quiet one, underwater, beneath the waves.

 

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Juli
Zeh

Juli Zeh’s novels include Eagles and Angels, winner of numerous prizes including the German Book Prize; Gaming Instinct; In Free Fall; and The Method. She has worked at the United Nations in New York, taught at the German Institute for Literature in Leipzig, and currently lives in Brandenburg. In 2013 she was awarded the Thomas Mann Prize.

Juli Zeh’s novels include Eagles and Angels, winner of numerous prizes including the German Book Prize; Gaming Instinct; In Free Fall; and The Method. She has worked at the United Nations in New York, taught at the German Institute for Literature in Leipzig, and currently lives in Brandenburg. In 2013 she was awarded the Thomas Mann Prize.

ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR John
Cullen

NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

Sven left a life as a lawyer in Germany to spend his time on an island as a diving instructor. His simple existence is shaken up by Jola and Theo, a couple who have requested his services for a few weeks. Jola is an actress hoping to get a role in a diving movie. Theo is an ambitious but mostly unsuccessful writer. They fight bitterly and after a short time Sven is involved in their murderous games. The reader loses all certainties because the story is told from different perspectives. Juli Zeh’s novel is a masterfully constructed psychological thriller in the tradition of Patricia Highsmith.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Date published
23/06/2015
Country
Germany
Original Language
German
Author
Publisher
Nan A. Talese / Doubleday
Translator
John Cullen
Translation
Translated from the German by John Cullen

RELATED FEATURES

Video November 1 2024

2024 Dublin Literary Award Ceremony

2024 Dublin Literary Award Ceremony with broadcaster Rick O'Shea. Livestreamed from the International Literature Festival Dublin in Merrion Square Park on Thursday 23rd May 2024.
Audio June 11 2024

All About Books Podcast Features the 2024 Dublin Literary Award

Dublin City FM podcaster Katy Conneely spotlights the award.
Video June 5 2024

2024 Winners Mircea Cărtărescu & Sean Cotter in conversation

with Journalist Alex Clarke at the International Literature Festival Dublin.
Video May 31 2024

2024 Winner Ceremony Highlights

Author Mircea Cărtărescu & translator Sean Cotter presented with the DLA Award at ILFD.

STAY CONNECTED

Stay in touch and sign up to our newsletter to receive all the latest news and updates on the Dublin Literary Award.