It begins like a romance: Seema meets the much older, very charismatic Lazaro in a bar. He’s like no other man – but what does he want from her? And why is Seema starting to change? Sonja Hartl read Liza Cody’s horror novel.
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There are authors I read everything by. Liza Cody is one of them and her latest book “Milk oder Blut” turns out to be a crazy trip: Seema Dahami is a late 20s, atheist, vegetarian Jew and gardener in London. She lives in an apartment with her best friend Amy, has a rather boring relationship with Jake and a difficult relationship with her mother. One evening she meets a handsome, mysterious, elderly gentleman named Lazaro and suddenly falls under his spell. He is different, he seems to know her very well, yes, to recognize her, and finally to ignite what is in her. In short: it is a dangerous adventure into which she throws herself head first. After the first meeting, Seema notices changes in herself that are not hidden from those around her, especially her maternal friend Hannah. Above all, she longs to see Lazaro again, because she has never felt like she was with him. That’s why she can overlook the bloody spots on her neck.
“Milch oder Blut” is more a gothic story than a crime story, although there will be a murder. But the heart of this book is the story of a young woman who falls under the spell of a dangerous man who not only makes Seema think of a vampire. These passages of getting to know each other, being together and above all longing in an enchantingly romantic tone (by Cody and in the translation by Martin Grundmann) that is never exaggerated, but not condescending either. In addition, Cody counters them with a good dose of rationality. Yes, Seema falls under the spell of this man, but Hannah in particular finds very reasonable explanations for his mysterious behavior. Above all, this shows how willing Seema is to follow the less probable, the more mysterious and more romantic interpretation.
In fact, it is what literature promises again and again: that great love meets resistance and misunderstanding and has to overcome obstacles – in literature and in film also very often between an older, richer man (often with initially disturbing tendencies) and a younger woman. But Seema also knows that she’s not actually the kind of woman that things like this happen to – and yet surrendering to and following Lazaro’s guidance is seductively easy; surrendering to that feeling he gives her when he’s around her.
As a result, “Milch oder Blut” tells the story of a young woman who enters a manipulative and toxic relationship – where the word relationship is far too big and sensible, and also suggests a two-sidedness that doesn’t exist. Seema has fallen for Lazaro. She finds excuses and justifications for his behavior, even though she knows it’s wrong, that he’s manipulating her, and ultimately that he’s dangerous to her. This is where Cody manages to make me understand why Seema behaves like this at all times, even if she would have liked to shake while reading.
But manipulation doesn’t always happen in big things and by mysterious, rich men, it also happens in everyday life, as Seema will notice. She has to find a way of dealing with it in this book – and not only that: by willingly accepting the version of the story that Lazaro is telling her; by always looking for reasons and explanations that fit what she wants, what is true, I kept thinking of people who are too happy to get involved in conspiracy theories. And here’s that moment where Seema wonders if she’s possibly “the biggest jerk alive.” But she’s not an idiot. She was being manipulated by someone stronger, tougher, and more selfish, who was solely out for their own success. But admitting that to yourself is a difficult, painful and very long process that always involves setbacks. “Milch und Blut” also tells about this.
Liza Cody: Milk and Blood (Gift or Theft, 2020). Translated by Martin Grundmann. Argument Ariadne, Hamburg 2021. 368 psides, 23 euros.
More about Liza Cody in our CrimeMag: Thomas Wörtche on “Ballad of a Forgotten Dead” and Edina Picco on “Miss Terry”.
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