The Hopeful Story of Otto 2.0
A moving and humorous story about a father-daughter bond in which the boundary between life and death isn’t as clear-cut as it seems.
‘This is my story. The hopeful story of Otto 2.0. Beginning in the dunes and ending in that same place, the place where we miraculously lost each other and miraculously found each other again. And the hopeful aspect perhaps lies in the realisation that people can change, not only on the outside but also on the inside. And that, I think, may well be the greatest miracle of all...’
At first sight, Lio is a happy little girl with a huge imagination. She uses her creativity to brighten up her lonely, friendless life spent with a father who pretends she doesn’t exist. Since her mother passed away, she’s had to go it alone. Her father, named Otto, appears to care little for his daughter, he’s only interested in rare bird species. One stormy afternoon while out bird-watching, Otto is fatally struck by lightning and dies. Lio remains all alone in the cottage in the dunes, until her dull aunty Gwen insists on moving in.
Lio begins the book by promising readers multiple miracles. They start to happen when, one day, Lio finds a dead cat. She takes the animal home to bury it – but she discovers it is still alive, and can even speak. The cat knows everything about her. An overjoyed Lio concludes it must be her father who’s returned as a cat. But her dad, a cat hater, couldn’t think of anything worse than being reincarnated as a cat. He thinks he must’ve done something wrong in a previous life to deserve this fate. Together with Lio, he attempts to right those wrongs.
The Hopeful Story of Otto 2.0 a lighthearted yet moving book about difficult topics such as grief. The reincarnation of Otto – the Otto 2.0 version – not only gives Lio a new sense of hope, but also offers her and her father the chance to build a bond they never had. Soon enough, Lio finds she has processed her loss and can move on. Lio’s calm ironical narrative voice somehow conveys to the reader that she will be fine and will find happiness.
