: Nadolny uses "placid and undramatic language" to mirror Franklin's personality, creating suspense through steady, calm prose.
: It is a staple of contemporary German literature and has been adapted into an opera by Giorgio Battistelli and various theatrical productions . Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit
: The story follows John Franklin from his childhood as a boy who is "too slow" for the world around him, through his career in the Royal Navy, to his eventual disappearance in the Arctic while searching for the Northwest Passage . : Nadolny uses "placid and undramatic language" to