The Visitor by Sonja Bougaeva

 

Thank goodness for the wonderful Gecko Press who bring us (here in Australia and in New Zealand) very special books from around the world. The original title of The Visitor is Zwei Schwestern Bekommen Besuch published in 2005 with the Gecko Press translation from 2007 so yes this book is sadly out of print but it could be in a school library because firstly it is on the NSW Premiers Reading Challenge list and secondly it may have arrived in your school library as part of a Scholastic Standing Order because they used to be the Australian agent for Gecko.  This has now changed to Walker Books Australia.

"Two sisters lived on an island where they were very happy. ... Everything was just right."

Every reader will know the scene is set for change and possibly disaster. Everything will no longer be just right and from the title, it is clear this disruption to their lives, will come in the form of a visitor. The visitor is their cousin John. He takes over their house - repairing things that are broken, painting their house from top to bottom in a hideous colour, cooking 'healthy' food, enforcing daily exercise, gardening in a ruthless way and tossing out all of their precious things in the interests of tidying up.  At no stage does he talk to the sisters or ask for their permission or even discuss his plans. The sisters don't know what to do. Their gentle lives are now unbearable. Luckily, though,  they do not have to tell John to go ... He finally declares:

"I can't stay in this  place any longer! ... You're such bores. A pair of real no-hopers! I've been helping you out and fixing everything. But do I get a word of thanks? Not one! ... I'm going home today!"

Here is a plot summary:

The cousin from town bursts into the tranquillity of everyday life on the island of two older sisters. In her humorous and subtle debut work, Sonja Bougaeva fully exploits the differences between the characters: the somewhat sloppy sisters in their eccentric, good-natured, helpless amiability, the cousin, who is keen on self-expression, with his intrusiveness and his inability to respect the peculiarities of others ...

About the author: Sonja Bougaeva was born in 1975 in St Petersburg. She studied book art and painting at the Academy of Arts. Subsequently, she trained as a cartoon animator and worked in a film studio. She has lived in Hamburg since 1998. The Visitor was first published in Switzerland.

From what I have read Sonja Bougaeva's most famous book is Abigail the Whale which has even been made into a theatre production. 

Gecko Press also published The Big Yawn illustrated by Sonja but sadly this one is also out of print.

You could use this book with a class in several ways.  The opening sentence could be used as a writing stimulus. The illustrations could also be used as story prompts and a class could even debate the rights and wrongs of John's actions or you could use the 'hot seat' technique to interview each character.