‘She was missing something, she realised with painful awareness. But what? At some point Boris would leave, she thought. It would be easy for him, without the burden of motherhood …‘
Through the lens of three interwoven lives, What Concerns Us (Was uns betrifft) explores themes of abandonment, dissociation and desperation. Vogt examines the complexities of motherhood, shedding harsh light on how its mental and physical tolls can extend far beyond birth.
Having found stability in a traditional family model for her first pregnancy, albeit achieved in an unorthodox manner, the birth of a second child disturbs Rahel’s hard-won peace. The struggle to connect to her new-born daughter, Leni, unsettles the household she has carefully crafted to be entirely unlike her own childhood. These difficulties prompt Rahel to reflect on a strained relationship with her own mother, Verena, detached and selfish following the departure of Erik, father to Rahel and her younger, free-spirited sister Fenna.
‘You know her. She’s a house of a hundred rooms.
Hundred and fifty, at least, said Rahel’
Across several overlapping timelines, the elder daughter grapples with intense feelings of resentment and anger towards her remaining parent, and inherent differences with her sibling. Charged interactions between the three are a continous reminder of familial trauma – shared but interpreted quite differently – that has echoed through decades, shaping the sisters’ lives, relationships and their own ideas of parenthood.
Gender politics play their part; growing up in an all-female household has resulted in a suspicion of men. Having been abandoned by both Erik and Martin, her first child’s biological father, Rahel expects the same behaviour from her partner, Boris, and is deeply mistrustful when he doesn’t fit the pattern she recognises. The two sisters are confronted with their own expectations of femininity; questioning the consent of an interaction with her partner Luc, Fenna concludes violence is in his nature and it is her role to be submissive. Meanwhile, Rahel’s believes she is not meeting the standards for a mother and wife. Showing clear (at least to the reader) signs of postnatal depression, she assumes Boris blames her for this and resorts to self-destructive behaviours, as if trying to prove her own fears.
What Concerns Us is Laura Vogt’s second novel and the first to be available in English. Translated by Caroline Waight, it will be published by Héloïse Press, an independent publisher specialising in contemporary female writing, with a focus on ‘intimate, visceral and powerful narratives’. Established in 2021 by Aina Martí, their beautiful covers are instantly recognisable and they offer a subscription model, similar to that of Peirene Press, for readers to enjoy. Upcoming titles include The Memory of the Air by Caroline Lamarche (September) and Satisfaction by Nina Bouraoui (November).
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