Decompression

March 17, 2014
Sven Fielder, the narrator of this deft thriller from German author Zeh (In Free Fall), used to be a lawyer but is now a diving instructor for tourists in the Canary Islands. Self-centered, incapable of feeling or comprehending deeper emotions, Sven is content to spend his days with a lover whom he regards as a convenience. The arrival of actress Jola von der Pahlen and her abusive husband, Theo Hast, on the island of Lanzarote disrupts his routine. Sven becomes increasingly obsessed with Jola, while Theo inexplicably encourages the affair. Wrestling with unfamiliar emotions, the infatuated instructor can’t fathom the intricacies of his clients’ dysfunctional relationship, his true role in it, or the depths to which his clients will sink. This is a competent character study of a man drawn unwillingly into a situation he’s ill equipped to handle—a figure whose fundamental flaws leave him vulnerable to destruction from a direction to which he’s blind.

April 1, 2014
Erotic intrigue, deep-sea diving and clients from hell make for a lively mix in this German author's fourth novel (In Free Fall, 2010, etc.). Poor Sven. The German expat runs a diving business for tourists on a Spanish island of volcanic rock in the Atlantic. He's a superb instructor, never more assured than on the ocean bed; his companion, Antje, handles the admin. It's a sweet life until his new clients arrive. Jola, accompanied by her older partner, Theo, is a stunning beauty, the star of Germany's most popular soap. She's on a mission: She needs to fine-tune her diving skills to land the part of Lotte Haas, pioneer female diver, in an upcoming movie. Signs of trouble between the couple emerge on their first dive. Jola shuts off Theo's air valve, causing him to panic; Sven is furious and reads them the riot act. Their fights, verbal and physical, illustrate a wretched co-dependency like that of George and Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. For all her fame, Jola is deeply insecure; Theo, a writer whose one novel was published 10 years ago, is her flawed father figure. Sven gets sucked in: Finding Jola's appeal overwhelming, he comes close to having sex with her when she offers herself. She's a manipulator, and we know from her diary entries that Sven's involvement is crucial to her dark strategy, though she hadn't reckoned on the long-suffering Antje leaving her mate. Zeh guides us through these developments skillfully, and the underwater scenes are as compelling as those on land; she's been there. Things come to a head at a dinner party on a tycoon's yacht, where Jola learns her archrival will be playing Lotte, and Theo taunts her mercilessly. The well-orchestrated climax occurs the next day, as Sven explores an underwater wreck while Theo and Jola assist from a chartered vessel. Mischief's afoot. Will they all survive? The gathering suspense is complemented by nuanced characterization in a pleasingly unpredictable work.

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March 15, 2014

In this gripping fourth novel by award-winning author Zeh (Eagles and Angels), two couples embark on a deep-sea diving adventure off the coast of the beautiful Canary Islands and discover that mystery and danger lurk both below and above the water's surface. Sven Fiedler has left his stressful job as a lawyer in Germany and, along with girlfriend Antje, establishes a new, more relaxing life on the island of Lanzarote. Sven starts a business as a diving instructor, offering lessons to tourists, while Anjte runs her own real estate agency. This seemingly happy pair host a visiting German couple, struggling writer Theo and Jola, an heiress and soap opera actress, in the guesthouse on their property. The visiting pair have hired Sven, at a considerable expense, for two weeks of intensive diving instruction. Soon, however, the couples are ensnared in a web of jealousy, lies, and suspicion that can only lead to violence. VERDICT Zeh is exceptional at building tension, and her use of shifting viewpoints keeps the reader guessing to the end. A darkly comic thriller that is impossible to put down.--Lisa Block, Atlanta

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
Sven Feidler has abandoned the petty competitiveness of German society to establish a diving business in the Canary Islands. There, he and his girlfriend, Antje, have achieved happiness and a stellar reputation. Then, German soap-opera star Jola and her writer boyfriend, Theo, hire Sven to teach Jola advanced diving skills certain to win her the coveted role in a diving-centered blockbuster. But Sven soon realizes that there is something off-kilter about the couple. He catches them pushing each other into deadly situations, and Jola drops hints that abusive Theo is attempting to murder her. By then, Sven is obsessively attracted to Jola, even fancying himself in love, which ignites a dangerous, simmering jealousy in both Antje and Theo. Sven's detached, self-absorbed version of the novel's violent climax is mysteriously contrasted with Jola's desperate journal entries that tell an altogether different story. Despite the temperate island setting, this crime novel is Scandinavian-style, couching incisive social commentary in a dark exploration of tainted love, obsession, and self-delusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)