Output details

The Quiet Twin

The Quiet Twin represents a significant break with its predecessor (Pavel & I) and a very significant amount of time was spent developing its voice and narrative architecture, as well as a plot of considerable complexity. Set almost entirely in a single Viennese apartment building during the early weeks of World War Two, the novel depicts the withdrawal of its largely non-political cast into an ever shrinking private sphere. Drawing on the traditions of the chamber play, much of the novel plays out as tête-à-tête conversations. The characters’ movements within these sparse spaces are often mapped with obsessive precision; it is as though their mental habit of accounting for themselves vis-a-vis an ever-vigilant State has infected the narrative tone. Juxtaposed to the main narrative are a series of prologues which relate entirely factual details about various historical figures and events. These prologues inform the readers’ interpretation of the characters’ thoughts and motivations, and manipulate expectations of plot and genre. Thematically, the book explores the implications of the Nazi campaign against citizens it identified as ‘degenerate’ as well as those of political quietism. Its symbolic centre is provided by a mute, paralysed woman who becomes a blank canvas for the other characters’ projections.

Composition of the novel required extensive research on Vienna during the Nazi era, including several research trips to Vienna during which Vyleta interviewed a variety of experts, consulted police investigative records in the Austrian State Archive and conducted work in the Austrian National Library.

The Quiet Twin required extensive research on Vienna during the Nazi era, including several research trips to Vienna during which Vyleta consulted a variety of experts, researched police investigative records in the Austrian State Archive (Österreichichisches Staatsarchiv) and conducted work in the Austrian National Library (ÖNB). Aesthetically, the book represents a significant break with its predecessor (Pavel & I) and a very significant amount of time was spent developing its voice and narrative architecture, as well as a plot of considerable complexity. It is 106,000 words in length.