Literature and Fiction2022 · 224 pp
Nothing Here Belongs to Me
Sophia Saenger
A student. A teacher. First the teacher offers the student a cigarette. Then they go to a café. Sneak off school grounds, taking care not to be seen. The teacher offers the student a bag of stylish clothes. A silver ring with blue stones. The student accepts, says thank you. The teacher gives the student a massage. And suddenly the student is sitting in the teacher’s living room being asked whether she wants to stay the night. The student’s name is Thea, and she is 15 years old. Her parents are divorced, she feels alienated unable to connect. The teacher’s name is Kathinka. Following the gradual escalation of the relationship between Thea and Kathinka is disquieting. But because Kathinka isn’t a man, we—perhaps—read her differently and judge her less harshly. This is a novel about being seen, perhaps for the first time, by someone who pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable behaviour. This is about an imbalance of power. And about the importance of having stable and predictable adults around you when your entire life starts to fall apart.
