A review by ayla_derammelaere
Wie liefheeft slaapt niet by Robert Schneider
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Spoiler
This book is a fictional story of a man who is a genius when it comes to organ-music. It tells about his life, his not-knowing how to express his feelings, his strange looks and ambiguous feelings towards God and love.
Johannes Elias is born into a farmers family but isn't really like by his mother since almost immediately, he starts behaving in a stranger way.
When he is a few years old, he hears the call of nature (a rock in the middle of a small river) and whenever he gets the chance, he goes there to listen and become one with nature. At a certain time, his body literally undergoes a lot of changes (including the color of his eyes change) when he hears the heartbeat of a newborn. He instantly knows that this girl is meant for him and that he will always love her (even though she is his cousin).
When Johannes Elias is young, there is a preacher who comes to the town and preaches that love is the most important thing in the world and that sleep is a waste of time since you can not love when you're asleep. This idea stays in Johannes' mind and by the end of his life, he is convinced he will only be worthy to be loved back, if he's able to stay awake as prove of his love. It takes him a horrible week to die since he tries to no longer fall asleep and in that way, he commits suicide by exhaustion. But even in that week, music and love are what fill his mind.