Parallels

The fates of two former schoolmates are at the centre. Helena, whose partner Georg is suffering from advanced kidney cancer, and Paul, whose mother is suffering from a brain tumour. The two meet again by chance after many years in hospital, where they both accompany their seriously ill relatives. Dealing with the illness and the inevitable death of close relatives is one of the core topics of this text, as are the delicate topics of the right to self-determined death and suicide as a possible way out in the case of an unfavourable prognosis of serious (cancer) illnesses. The question of how relatives can/must continue to live after the death of their loved ones is also a central point. The story is told from the point of view of Helena and Georg. The main text is condensed by poems and thoughts/aphorisms that precede each chapter and are intended to intensify the emotional experience of those affected.