Flying – Another Metamorphosis by Thorsten Lux is a book that knows very clearly what it wants: to comfort, encourage, and explain — with the gentle persistence of someone who has won many inner monologues and lost at least as many.
The premise is about as subtle as a Kafka quote highlighted in neon: a transformation, only this time with hope, a willingness to talk, and an educationally valuable outcome. A caterpillar becomes a butterfly, self-doubt turns into insight, and encounters with earthworms, wasps, beavers, and beetles become small philosophical lessons. One could also say: mindfulness, but with wings.
Lux writes clearly, kindly, and with evident affection for his characters. Each encounter is a parable, each parable a well-meaning suggestion that perhaps one might treat oneself a little less harshly. It works — most of the time. Sometimes even very well. The price, however, is that the book rarely feels tempted to become truly uncomfortable. Where Franz Kafka unsettles the reader, Lux takes them by the hand. Where abysses might open up, a dung beetle with a piece of life wisdom and a warm gaze is already waiting.
A quiet cynical objection inevitably arises: this book does not want you to get lost. It wants you to arrive — preferably healthy, reflective, and with a gentle smile on your face. That is admirable, but also a little like a philosophical walk where all the thorns have been carefully removed beforehand. Pain is part of the learning process here — but measured, explainable, and well cushioned.
Stylistically, Flying remains pleasantly accessible, sometimes almost too pleasant. The language is clean, the imagery works, and the metaphors know exactly when to appear and when to step politely aside again. Anyone looking for literary wildness will not find it here. Those who enjoy the feeling of being understood without having to strain too much will be in exactly the right place.
All things considered, Flying – Another Metamorphosis is a book for people who think, feel, doubt — and who have at some point decided that self-hatred is not a particularly creative life strategy. It is not a literary punch to the gut, more like a quiet hand on the shoulder. From a cynical perspective: a very beautiful book about growth that prefers explaining how to fly to actually letting you fall. And sometimes that alone is already a small revolution. 🦋
Kommentar verfassen / Write a comment