Sonntag

Thibault, in his mid-thirties, is an average, uninteresting and not particularly likeable man who prefers to do nothing. And that is exactly how he spends this Sunday: doing nothing, putting things off, procrastinating. Schrauwen lets us experience this wasted Sunday from the perspective and with the awareness of his protagonist: Everyday gestures and events intertwine with a meandering stream of consciousness consisting of equally mundane thoughts, memories, daydreams and fantasies that surge uncontrollably in all directions. “Sonntag” is a narrative and graphic tour de force, which Schrauwen structures through leitmotifs and a minimalist yet sophisticated colour scheme. In this way, he transforms the emphatically unspectacular into a spectacular work. Virtually nothing happens – and yet “Sonntag” is a highly complex and thoroughly gripping novel that conveys a picture of everyday life that is as oppressive as it is witty.