Sophie Reyer: Zwei Königskinder.

Two Royal Children
Novel.
Vienna: Czernin Verlag, 2020

Sophie Reyer, a native of Vienna, is currently one of the most prolific writers in Austria. Her most recent book can be termed a coming-of-age novel; it closes in on the emotions and developments of a thirteen-year-old "country bumpkin" struggling with herself, her lost childhood and the experiences of her first – in this case lesbian – love.

Käthe, whose mother left her husband and daughter a while ago, lives with her silent and alcohol-loving father on his small farm. She meets Johanna in the church choir. The old folk song Es waren zwei Königskinder about two royal star-crossed lovers serves as a sort of soundtrack to their relationship, at least for Käthe. The two quickly become friends, even though Käthe is more or less rejected by Johanna’s wealthy and very religious parents. Johanna, who does not share Käthe’s unacknowledged lesbian feelings, spins into a kind of religious fervor that excludes Käthe.

A reunion with her mother, who admits to being completely overwhelmed, totally shakes up Käthe’s painstakingly held-together life. Stylistically, this is characterized by an increasingly confusing merging of reality and memory.

Sophie Reyer takes on her literary personas carefully. She doesn’t embellish her descriptions of the characters, who are never just victims or perpetrators but rather subject to external circumstances. And this is what ultimately makes the "Royal Children" so appealing.

The most poetic passages are the novel’s numerous flashbacks, which make it clear that Sophie Reyer is not only a talented narrator but also has a lively lyrical voice that naturally weaves itself into the prose. Reyer’s style is straightforward. In plain language, she conveys the love story without sentimentality and with great empathy. Two Royal Children is not primarily a book for adolescents, because Käthe seems to be telling the story from the distance of a woman perhaps 20 years older; her language, despite its proximity to the events, is that of an adult.

Short version of the review by Marcus Neuert, 23 April 2020
Translation by Ida Cerne

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