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With "On the Day of the Apocalypse, the Wolf Devoured the Sun," Sina Scherzant presents her literary debut. The author tells the story of being a teenager in the early 2000s, of a young girl who wants to please everyone – and her search for stability.
The first-person narrator of your novel is the teenager Katha. Right at the beginning, she is confronted with a big change: she moves with her mother and her little sister to a new city, to Dortmund. What kind of person is Katha, how would you describe her character?
S.S.:
Katha describes herself as a "life craftsman", she 'works' to ensure that everyone else is doing well and behaves quite adaptively. In many coming-of-age novels, there are rebellious teenagers – Katha is more the opposite of that. For example, she tries to save her parents' marriage and actually takes on too much responsibility for a teenager her age. The book is set in the early 2000s. At that time, the term "People Pleaser" did not yet exist, but it would fit Katha well.
Due to the move, Katha has to adapt to a completely new environment, which – at least initially – seems to be going quite well for her. She quickly finds connection to a group of friends. What was particularly important to you in describing the friendships and the dynamics within the clique?
S.S.:
I would almost say that the group is a bit interchangeable for Katha – even though that sounds strange at first. She seems to fall into this new friendship almost fatefully. It's a lot about coolness; no one wants to show feelings, everyone plays a certain role. Furthermore, I have the impression that friendships in young years have a lot to do with the setting. Who is in my class, who lives on my street? Often, such friendships fade away again.
In contrast, Katha's relationship with her sister Nadine is completely different.
S.S.:
The two have quite a large age difference, Katha is 15, her little sister is eight years old. Katha also takes a lot of responsibility towards her. She wants to make up for her parents’ mistakes and missed opportunities. She creates fantasy stories for her sister, traveling with her in the "magical bathroom" to other worlds. On the other hand, she also admires Nadine because she can be very defiant and rebellious, unlike herself.
They describe in the novel various aspects of Katha's relationship with her caregivers. Especially formative is also Angelica, called Lica, who is the mother of one of her friends. Why does Lica become such an important point of contact for her?
S.S.:
Katha has long felt that she is not seen – and Lica picks up on exactly that. I didn't want to write Lica as the "Cool Mom" who supposedly does everything better than other mothers. Much more, a special connection opens up between Katha and Lica. Already in their first encounter, she tells Katha that she can feel at home – and perhaps even better than there. An adult is interested in her and asks her questions – Katha has never experienced anything like that. This is a real shock for her.
Without wanting to spoil: Over the course of the novel, Katha also has to deal with grief and loss. What was particularly important to you in processing these themes?
S.S.:
Grief is one of the greatest emotions one can have. In such a situation, it often feels as if someone has stamped a hole into you. And yet, people deal with this state very differently. Katha is enormously triggered by her experience of loss. She falls back into her caretaker role and feels misunderstood. She sits in a dark hole – and struggles with her own emotions.
In your novel, we encounter Coolpix cameras, Big Brother, and Diddl mice. You were born in 1991, so you were also a teenager in the early 2000s. To what extent have your own memories been incorporated into the story?
S.S.:
At first, it was a very nice time travel. For example, I considered what candies were available at the kiosk back then. In my hometown, it was called a Schnuckeltüte. While researching for the book, I also listened to the old songs by Zlatko or Deutschland sucht den Superstar. At the same time, I remembered TV shows like Germany’s Next Topmodel. Or women's magazines that analyzed the bodies of celebrity women with a magnifying glass. That was enormously unsettling as a teenager. You stood in the changing room hoping that no one would comment on your underwear. And at fifteen, you worried about cellulite or body hair when visiting the public pool.
In such a situation, it often feels as if someone has punched a hole into you.
Katha and her friends encounter some boys and men, there are first flirts and relationships, but also difficult experiences. What does the novel tell us about these topics in a time before #metoo?
S.S.:
It was important to me to tell the topic of 'first love' differently and also show the unpleasant sides. Because I can say from my own experience that a lot of inappropriate things happened during that time – perhaps not always with bad intentions, since both sides were young and inexperienced. There is a great pressure on young people to have their first intimate experiences within a certain age range, which leads to them finding themselves in overwhelming situations, just like Katha in the book. Societally, this is supported by phrases like 'Boys will be boys' and 'Girls are much more mature than boys.'
What role does Dortmund specifically play as a setting for the story?
S.S.:
Dortmund-Hombruch is quite gray and dreary. Angelica's colorful apartment stands out even more as an anchor point for the girls' clique. Furthermore, the vibe of the area felt particularly close to me because I was born near Dortmund. I surely wouldn’t have been able to capture that as well for a village in Bavaria, even if themes like separation, friendship, or loss are of course just as present there.
You have already published a number of books. "On the Day of the Apocalypse, the Wolf Devoured the Sun" is your literary debut. To what extent has the writing process differed from book to book?
S.S.:
It was definitely different because I had to draw more emotions out of myself. Some feelings and situations that Katha experiences are familiar to me. Writing an emotionally challenging story doesn't work for me like a 9-to-5 job.
Let's finally speak about the unusual title of your novel, which is also part of the story itself. What is it about?
S.S.:
I searched for a title for a long time and eventually landed on Norse mythology. There are two wolves – one devours the moon, the other the sun. I found a reference to that very fitting. Katha experiences in the book a day that feels just like that for her. For her, it’s already the end of the world – and then the sun disappears too.
Sina Scherzant
Born in 1991 and raised in the Ruhr area, she is a SPIEGEL bestselling author, podcaster, and screenwriter. "On the Day of the Apocalypse, the Wolf Devoured the Sun" is her literary debut.
