Janneke Schotveld

Little Sister

Touching portrait of a young woman whose desire to spread her wings reveals more of an urge to escape.

Rifka, a student, cycles from Utrecht in the Netherlands to Kristiansand in Norway to visit a friend of Tabitha, her younger sister. But Rifka’s is more than a simple journey: she finds herself escaping a deeply religious upbringing, parents who cannot accept her queerness, and a terrible loss.

Only an idiot would try to cycle to Norway, totally alone, on a bike they’d built themselves . But student Rifka is undeterred. Her story is presented as separate, fleeting scenes throughout time, slowly revealing more and more details about why she is undertaking this particular journey. The reader learns about her parents’ rejection and the suffocating environment in which she has grown up. But we also find out more about Tabitha: her sprightly, you-only-live-once, reckless and manic depressive sister who ended her own life.

Rifka struggles with feelings of guilt and mourning as she forces herself to keep on pedalling . Along the way, she faces muscle ache and terrible weather. But she also meets people who offer a welcome distraction from the huge loss she’s carrying along with all her belongings weighing down her bike.

Schotveld brings the reader deep into Rifka’s intense emotions, lightening what could first appear as a heavy read. Thanks to her fluid, casual style and the fragmented narrative structure, Schotveld manages to open up this complex theme and add a good dash of humour.

Based on the true story of Rifka Mels, Zusje is part of the successful Slash series of stories written about young people who have been through life-changing events.

Moving coming-of-age story
On grief, guilt and acceptance
Based on a true story