This book collects short nonfictional texts, each told be someone living on one of islands of the German North Sea. It is divided into three parts: The North-Frisian Islands, Helgoland, and the East-Frisian Islands.
The chapters from Helgoland were the most interesting to me, especially the ones about the police officer, the lighthouse keeper, a biologist researching climate change, and a man caring for the local population of seals.
The other parts were a bit of a hit and miss. Some things were interesting or conveyed the atmosphere of the islands: Beach scavenging to survive harsh times, storms and maritime rescues, the vast nature of the Wadden Sea. Others were a bit dry and contained a lot of information about specific family history or the occupational development of the persons, which frankly was not that interesting to me.
The audiobook is narrated by Katharina Thalbach and Axel Prahl and both are excellent readers who possess distinct voices. This is another plus and made me add half a star to my rating. While the paper version of this book may be a little more satisfying because it contains pictures and illustrations, the narration of the two actors brings the texts to life. In addition, there are musical interludes between the parts and in the end, which creates the feeling of being a guest in a harbour pub. ( )