Cleo – im Stranger than Fiction Podcast

Über das Buch „NEULAND“ von Rik Marten Grove

I honestly had no idea. I mean – I knew what we had shared. On the yacht. With Hannah. With Marcus. The touches, the teasing, the way we looked at each other. That night. But I never knew what came before. What they had already been through. What they had risked.

When the book arrived, it came out of nowhere. No message. No sender. Just the title – NEULAND. And my heart skipped. Rik had sent me the English version. With a short note inside: You were part of it. That was all.

I started reading. Slowly, at first. Then I couldn’t stop. I was shocked. Moved. Aroused. And, in some strange way – seen. There were scenes I remembered, even if I wasn’t there. There was pain I could feel, even though it wasn’t mine. And yes – there was Hannah. All over again.

I miss her. You don’t just miss someone like her. She lingers. In your mouth. On your skin. In the way you taste others.

What I loved most? That Rik didn’t flinch. He didn’t protect them. He didn’t cover anything up. He just let them go. And that takes courage. It takes love.

And if I really did exist – I’d go back. I’d kiss William on the neck, take the next flight and find Hannah again.

Or I’d beg Rik to give us one more story.