Supernova

‘There’s nothing here’ is how fifteen-year-old Meis describes the place where she lives. Indeed her little family home stands pretty much alone in the flat countryside; it’s located exactly at the point where the road makes a sharp turn. A car could so easily run off the road and run slap bang into their living room. Her grandmother sits silently in her wheelchair permanently shaking her head; her father’s favourite position is to be supine on the couch, and her mother is desperate for the family finally to move to the town – it’s as if they’re all paralysed. Meis rides around the place on her bike thinking about the origin of the world, about molecules, gravity and exploding stars. She often goes to the old bridge where her grandfather leapt to his death and spends time clambering about, sunning herself and giving free rein to her erotic fantasies. On the few occasions when she meets up with a girlfriend, the talk is all of boys. Then one day it actually happens: a crash. The driver behind the wheel looks dead. It’s a young guy and he’s hot. A refreshingly quirky story about one girl’s sexual awakening.