Fred und ich
(Fred and I) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
Anni and Fred first meet each other in a café. The second time is just half an hour later at a frozen lake where Anni secretly goes swimming each morning. The very next morning, Fred joins her in the ice-cold water. The two grow closer, cautiously, and Anni learns that Fred is trans. Suddenly, new words are needed, as the old ones can be wrong or even hurtful. A sensitive, life-affirming novel about first love, where everything feels new and wonderful.
Edited by: ALEKI - Arbeitsstelle für Kinder- und Jugendmedienforschung
Comment:
From her own perspective, thirteen-year-old Anni recounts the events of a week that was special to her. She unexpectedly meets a new boy named Fred while waiting in line at the bakery. Their paths cross again shortly thereafter during Anni’s morning ice bath at the lake. Why Anni tries to toughen herself up with this daily routine, where Fred suddenly came from, and why he initially refuses to go swimming with her is traced in quiet tones. Recurring motifs are finely woven into the story of how they get to know each other, characterizing the two figures but also emphasizing their steps toward each other. With linguistic sensitivity, expertly walking the fine line between humor and seriousness, Lena Hach tells the story of a girl searching for a language to express a loss she has experienced and a trans boy struggling with the expectations of gender identity imposed on him from the outside. Both characters find stability in their new friendship and cautiously hinted-at romance. The author develops all of this in just 95 pages with a seemingly great ease that never flattens the narrative.