I listened to the book in its original German version and found the language deliciously multi-layered: old-fashioned and appropriate to the era, yet interwoven with perfectly positioned modern, poignant, even cutting interjections.
I enjoyed the story of a fellow German migrant to the not so pacific South Seas, the tribulations of the long journey, and the lovely, observational way Kracht expresses everyone’s thoughts and feelings, from Engelhardt to the indigenous workers on his coconut plantation.
I am sitting on the perch of a migrant to New Zealand who has seen a number of dreams of a free and unencumbered life dissolve like salt in the ocean. Schadenfreude? Maybe. But enjoying the short novel made me feel in good company.

Strange. Slow. Loved it as an audiobook, but not sure I would have persevered reading it.