Review contains spoilers

As most of Storms novellas, "Eine Halligfahrt" is framed by a background story and told by a narrator looking back to events that have long gone.
The narrator, an advocate, recalls visiting his much older cousin who was living on a Hallig. The Halligs (Halligen) are tiny islands in the North Sea. While some have a population of a few dozen people, others are only inhabited by a handful or less. In the story, the cousin lives on an unnamed Hallig on his own and leads a lifestyle similar to that of a hermit.
The narrator travels to the Hallig together with a privy councillor's wife and her daughter, Susanne. The Hallig is presented like a dreamlike place and the trip feels like traveling to a fairytale island. Storm also refers to the legend of Rungholt, a settlement that sank due to a storm tide in the 14th century. While Rungholt most probably existed in reality, there is also a legend tied to it, namely that it was a prosperous city that sank because of the inhabitants' sins. It is said that Rungholt's church bells can still be heard below the waves.

The advocate, Susanne and her mother spend a little time in the cousin's house and it is obvious that the advocate feels drawn to Susanne. They even share an embrace on the beach, although nothing comes of it - maybe because Susanne just sought shelter from the attack of a sea bird, maybe because the narrator does not feel up to marrying a councillor's daughter.
The cousin fled from the numbing pressures of everyday life in the efficient Prussian state, he prefers the harsh beauty of the Hallig and the solace that his books and violin can provide to the companionship of his mundane contemporaries. Mirroring that, the advocate relates that he was advised to change his moustache and his clothing style in order to achieve a career, but he denies to do that.
Thus, this novella does not only show Storm's love of the North Sea, but it also criticizes the Prussian state in a subtle way.
The advocate finally leaves the Hallig and does not see Susanne again.

When his cousin dies, he inherits the violin as well as some written notes in which the cousin remembers a concert he once played, coerced by a woman called Evelin. He left her - presumably because society did not approve of the connection and because he chose to live on the Hallig - but it becomes clear that he always missed her. In the end, the reader learns that living on the Hallig - rejecting society and creating your own world - is not the solution, and it is not what Storm did, as much as he might have desired it.

This novella captivated me with its dreamlike scenes, with beautiful words and phrases to remember. The audiobook was narrated by prolific actor and voice actor Peter Groeger, who died in 2018. I have seldom listened to a text read aloud so well. I will certainly listen to this again. ( )