23 October 2018. Against the backdrop of the rough coast of Ireland, Hansjörg Schertenleib outlines the portrait of a great, successful love, frankly and touchingly tells of care and tenderness, being overtaxed and helpless, remembering and forgetting.

They have spent their entire life together in their house on the Irish coast: the Irishwoman Eilis and the Dutchman Willem. Their children grew up here. Eilis and Willem always wanted to be there for each other. Until the end. Two years have passed since Eilis was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Selflessly, Willem cares for his wife but can only watch how she is gradually disappearing, every day a little bit more. Willem has reached the end of his tether, is exhausted and thinks of the promise that Eilis and he made to each other. Should he release his wife from her suffering, must he do it?

The author in brief

Hansjörg Schertenleib was born in Zurich in 1957. He trained as a compositor and typographer and has published prose, poetry and dramas since 1981. His novels such as the bestseller Das Regenorchester [The Rain Orchestra] have been translated into numerous languages and have earned him a number of awards. 2015 saw the publication of his highly praised novel Jawaka. Schertenleib, who also translates from English, lived in Ireland for more than twenty years. Today he commutes between Switzerland and Maine, USA.

Image: Fotolia/Masson