Mothers Are Not to Be Trusted
Fiction, Literary Fiction
“I know her as her old self. Familiar, but with no basis”
Andrea Roedig on her mother.
Mothers are not to be trusted. This is something that Andrea Roedig discovered
early on. Her mother Lilo was a beautiful woman, born in 1938, a Kriegskind, or
war child. She climbed the social ladder by marrying well, but none of this could
protect her from alcohol and prescription drug addiction. When her daughter was
12, Lilo left , disappearing for over three years. Although she later reappeared in
her daughter’s life, she did so only briefly and sporadically. The rift that had been
formed was never really mended.
Andrea Roedig tentatively unpacks this complicated stranger – her mother.
She collects photos, diaries, and notes, uses her memories and, above all, her
unsparing imagination. Who was her mother? And who would Andrea herself
have been if it weren’t for this emotional rift ? Andrea Roedig investigates gently
but leaves no stone unturned.
- Open and unrelenting, Andrea Roedig explores of her childhood
trauma
Andrea Roedig, born in 1962 in Düsseldorf, is an essayist and freelance publicist. She studied philosophy and was head of the culture section of Der Freitag from 2001 to 2006. Roedig has lived in Vienna since 2007 where she writes pieces for both radio and print. She is co-editor of the magazine Wespennest.
.jpg "Andrea Roedig")
“I know her as her old self. Familiar, but with no basis”
Andrea Roedig on her mother.
Mothers are not to be trusted. This is something that Andrea Roedig discovered
early on. Her mother Lilo was a beautiful woman, born in 1938, a Kriegskind, or
war child. She climbed the social ladder by marrying well, but none of this could
protect her from alcohol and prescription drug addiction. When her daughter was
12, Lilo left , disappearing for over three years. Although she later reappeared in
her daughter’s life, she did so only briefly and sporadically. The rift that had been
formed was never really mended.
Andrea Roedig tentatively unpacks this complicated stranger – her mother.
She collects photos, diaries, and notes, uses her memories and, above all, her
unsparing imagination. Who was her mother? And who would Andrea herself
have been if it weren’t for this emotional rift ? Andrea Roedig investigates gently
but leaves no stone unturned.
- Open and unrelenting, Andrea Roedig explores of her childhood
trauma