Tell Me What You See

by Zoran Drvenkar

Teen gothic horror from a new German sexy-scary!

Lost in a cemetery, Alissa stumbles into a crypt, where she finds a veinous purple plant growing up through the lid of a casket. Weirdly compelled, she opens the coffin and cuts off the growth, which had wormed its roots into the corpse's rotting heart. Soon, the hypnotic plant has taken hold of Alissa, too. Seduced by visions, she starts to lose sight of reality. And her kiss now carries a terrible power. Can her best friend, Evelin, save her from her strange, consuming passions--and from Simon, her crazed stalker ex?

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Mystery, German Literature, Horror Thriller

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

About the author

Zoran Drvenkar was born in Križevci in Croatia in 1967 and moved to Berlin with his parents at the age of three. He has been a writer since 1989, and his novels, poems, plays and short stories have won him numerous awards and prizes. Zoran Drvenkar currently still lives in Berlin.

In 2004 he wrote the childrens book Die Kurzhosengang under the pseudonym Victor Caspak & Yves Lanois.

Reviews

[ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd read it again and again. In my top 10 favorite books. :3

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of viewpoints floating around here. There's Alissa, and her best friend Evelin, and Alissa's parents, and Evelin's girlfriend, and Alissa's ex-boyfriend... Too many viewpoints, probably, and certainly more than was needed. Especially when events from one chapter are repeated in another, from a slightly different point of view. The viewpoints that are most used (Alissa, Evelin, ex-boyfriend Simon) are distinctive enough, particularly Simon's. But the other viewpoints, especially the ones that are used only once or twice, are a lot less developed. Luckily, those chapters tend to be really short (most of the chapters are, for that matter) and the name of the current narrator is at the top of the page to help keep them straight.

The premise itself is so odd and (intentionally) nebulously defined that I don't really know what to say about it. There's some flirtation with the idea that much of the fantastic that happens is in Alissa's head, but that isn't as strongly conveyed as it could be, even if the author did ultimately want to remove all doubt. Much of this strikes me as being original, which is always nice to see. And it is consistent with itself, as far as I could see, which is even better.

The tension in the story comes mostly from the increasingly unhinged Simon. But here's the thing: for me, he was far more terrifying in his first appearance, when he was operating entirely under his own faculties. His chapters, especially the first one, are a look into the mind of a manipulative future abuser. He's at his most chilling in his first appearance, and as the book goes by and he becomes more divorced from reality, he becomes less frightening and more pathetic. Intentional? Maybe.

I did like that this book is built around strong relationships. Specifically, it's centered around the very close, loving, and trusting friendship between Evelin and Alissa. Both Alissa and Evelin have parents that are very present in their lives. Alissa's stepfather, Robert, is especially loving. (Alissa's father had died when she was very young.) Her mother, on the other hand... It's always rough when a mother admits to sometimes hating her child. Her behavior and reactions to her daughter aren't over-the-top, just sad to see.

Overall, there's a faintly dreamlike quality to the writing, particularly in Alissa's chapters. It reminds me of Francesca Lia Block, or what I've read from her. It suits the book, but it won't be to everyone's taste. It also has the side effect of keeping characters at arm's length from the reader.

I feel like being a translator is a mostly thankless job. If you do your job right, you become entirely invisible. It's only when you mess up that readers tend to remember your name. I know that I'm guilty of that myself, with most books. Since I don't have this book in front of me, I have no idea who translated it from the original German. But I do have to say that whoever it was did a fine job. The sentences flow and seem to retain their meaning, and it was a fluid enough read that I could forget that it was a translated book.

[Molly S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tell Me What You See by Zoran Drevenkar is about a teenage girl, Alissa who lives in Berlin. Every Christmas Alissa secretly visits her father's grave with her best friend, Evelin, but as they are searching Alissa falls into am old crypt. While waiting for Evelin to get help she finds something. "The plant is growing out of a dead child's chest,"(29). Little does Alissa know that soon the "hypnotic plat" will take hold of her as well. Her friend Evelin helps her and stays with her through her entire terrifying journey of discovering what change the plant made in her. Drevenkar shows that friendship is a very powerful thing through the characters and their actions in this book.

In the book Alissa realizes that something has changed since the night of finding the plant. She finds out that she was born with a gift and the plant mixed with her gift to make her even more powerful. While she is adjusting to her new-found abilities her best friend Evelin is by her side the entire time. This is an example of how powerful friendship is. "I know. I Know I will stop him," (272). This is a part in the book where Evelin risks her life just to save her friend. What is more powerful than that?

When I first picked out this book I was not expecting it to be anything like this. I figured I would be reading a mystery of thriller novel but this book is more of a mix between fantasy and suspense. Although this is not usually what I read I was pleasantly surprised. Overall I really liked the book because I could easily relate to some of the things the characters went through due to their age. I rated the book four stars because the ending was resolved very quickly and was really sad. I wish that Drevenkar would have explained the resolution a bit more and then it would have been much better. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a book that keeps you on your toes.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alissa is the Winter Child. Simon is the Loving One. Evelin is the Best Friend. Robert is the Step Father. Elia and Aren are the Healers. This all takes place in the winter of Berlin.

Alissa's dad died when she was young. Every Christmas, Alissa visits her dad's grave with her best friend, Evelin. This year, Alissa chose to go at night. She has trouble finding her dad's grave in the dead of night. When she steps into a pile of snow, she falls through a hole that leads to a crypt. Evelin runs to get help, but while she does, Alissa explores the crypt. She finds a small coffin, one for a little boy or girl. Thee are purple leaves coming out of the inside. She unlatches the coffin to find a little boy, lying there stiffly, with the purple leaves growing from his chest.

Alissa is confused, and never wants to speak of this again. But she finds things growing weirder. She notices ravens. And her ex boyfriend, Simon, is starting to become a little crazy and obsessing over her. And she revived a dead kitten. And she can see Elia and Aren, but nobody else can. What does all of thins mean? Does Alissa have special powers? Find out in "Tell Me What You See" by Zoran Drvenkar.

I loved this book. The suspense got me reading. My favorite character had to be Elia, he was so caring. The mystery was throughout the whole story, and that's what I liked about it. I definitely recommend this to all people.

[Talya Matz · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is the book I’ve been trying to find since I read it in 5th grade. Had such an impact on my life. I love it and will reread. The gay girl bff ❤️😍 like yas this is exactly what I needed to be reading as a little queer girl 🌷

[♥ The Book Snob ♥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally the weirdest book I've ever read.

Gave me the creeps and negative vibes. And I didn't really get it.

Yikes! Of course I don't recommend this to ANYONE !

[Amber Hetchler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird? Yes.
But scary? Not at all.
It's defined as a horror but there wasn't a single moment that was scary to me.
It was okay, interesting enough for me to finish it. The ending was wonderful.

[Jacqueline Beal · Rating 5 out of 5]

German novel set in Berlin. Loved it .supernatural award winer.

[hamlok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Für mich ist es das erste Buch von Zoran Drvenkar, dessen Geschichte mir ganz großartig gefallen hat. Der Autor hat hier einen sehr schlichten Stil gewählt, der sehr viel Stimmung erzeugt und besonders gut zur Handlung im Winter und der Kälte passt. Dazu kommen glaubhafte Figuren deren Handlungen wir auch immer aus ihrer eigenen Perspektive erfahren. Lediglich der phantastische Handlungsanteil hätte für mich etwas weiter ausgeführt werden können. Gerne schaue ich nach weiteren Büchern Drvenkars.

[tanya (fictionaltanya) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars)

I enjoy some aspects of the book, but it had more potential! More depth could've been given to it, and then it would have been a perfect read! Still, it's a thrilling book none the less.

[Tia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read some pretty weird books in my lifetime, but this one REALLY takes the cake for the weirdest book I've ever read. I think the problem with this book was I just didn't understand it. Alissa makes some really weird impulsive decisions and whether or not she could have prevented them, I'm not sure because the author and I were definitely not on the same page.I felt like it could have been a really cool story if the author slowed down and took a few minutes to explain what in the world was happening because it definitely wasn't common sense. It has some elements of fantasy, I believe, but again, I didn't fully understand what those elements were despite reading the full book, so if you choose to read this book, all I can say is prepare for a wild ride.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rate this book 2.5 stars. It was an interesting book, to say the least.

I didn't find this book to be very horror-like, just weird. Weird, ghostly, and somewhat creepy. I really don't know how I feel about it.

It was intriguing, though. I wanted to find out what would happen, in a sense. But, I also didn't really find myself picking up the book much, so it took me a while to finish it. Other than that, it could have been a fast read.

If you like books where there are things that you do not know and where you are sort of confused throughout, then I guess you'll like this one. You'll also have to put up with this Simon character. Have fun?

[Jacob King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished” Tell Me What You See" many years ago; It is a gripping blend of horror and romance that kept me on the edge of my seat. Its hauntingly captivating narrative pulled me in, and this book caused me to fall in love with reading.

Planning to read again soon, I’ll update my review when that time arrives.

[Robert O Mahony · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay but kinda boring. There wasn't enough information given about what was going on and even after finishing it I'm still unsure of what it was all about. Not as good as I was expecting

[Cory · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really odd. Germans!! However, I ended up getting sucked in far more than I thought I would, and it created quite an atmosphere of spooky tension. In other words . . . I got kinda scared reading it.

[Emily Price · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kind of feel like not enough explanation was given and it left me confused at times.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked all the different viewpoints

[EmBe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die 16jährige Alissa will wie jedes Jahr zu Weihnachten das Grab ihres Vaters besuchen. Berlin, der Schauplatz dieses Jugendromans, ist im Griff eines harten schneereichen Winters. Ihre Freundin Evelin begleitet sie durch die Nacht. Auf der Suche nach dem verschneiten Grab bricht sie ein und landet in einer Gruft. Während ihre Freundin Hilfe holt, bemerkt sie ein seltsame Pflanze, die filigran aus einem Kindersarg herausgewachsen ist. Ganz im Bann dieser Erscheinung bricht sie sie kurzerhand ab und steckt sie ein. Alissa selbst weiß nicht wie ihr geschieht, als die Pflanze verschwindet. Noch in dieser Nacht bekommt sie Besuch von zwei seltsamen Männern, die sie eigentlich gar nicht sehen sollte. Hier hat der Roman wieder die Perspektive gewechselt. So erfährt man auch, dass die beiden Gestalten auf der Suche nach der Pflanze, die besonders starke „Gabe“ des ertrunkenen Kindes im Sarg, sind.
Alissa muss sie geschluckt haben, denn ohne die Einverleibung der „Gabe“ hätte sie die „Männer“ gar nicht wahrnehmen können.
Alissa kann sich darauf keinen Reim machen. Zudem hat sie jede Menge andere Probleme, die durch die seltsamen Ereignisse nur noch verstärkt hervortreten. So bedrängt sie ihr Freund Simon, obwohl er wochenlang nichts mehr von sich hören ließ und sie auch noch betrogen hat, die Freundschaft wieder aufzunehmen. Simon ist aber ein ziemlicher Macho, der es schwer hinter den Ohren hat. Als er sie, angestachelt von seinen Kumpanen und ziemlich alkoholisiert, auflauert und einen Kuss erzwingt, ist er wie verwandelt, als er aus einem tranceartigen Zustand erwacht. Er ist geradezu besessen von Alissa und folgt ihr Schritt auf Schritt. Der Leser erfährt, dass dies auch eine Wirkung der Gabe ist.
Als Folge der Gabe bekommt Alissa heftige Fieberanfalle, die jedes natürliche Maß überschreiten. Die Gestalten wissen, dass Alissa daran sterben wird. Alissa will der Sache auf den Grund gehen und fasst den Plan, diese Gestalten von sich aus zu treffen. Sie verfolgt den Flug der Raben, als die die Gestalten erscheinen, wenn sie jedem Kind und Jugendlichen beistehen, das sie „ruft“, und gelangt so zu einer verlassenen Villa, die Heimstatt der Gestalten. Doch auch Simon bringt in Erfahrung wo sie sich befinden und folgt ihnen, und so kommt es zur letzten dramatischen Konfrontation.
Auf faszinierende Weise hat Drvenkar die mysteriöse phantastische Realität mit der Alltagswelt verschränkt, so dass man nicht den Eindruck hat, es handele sich um zwei total getrennte Wirklichkeiten/Welten, sondern dass das Phantastische sehr wohl etwas mit der konkreten Realität zu tun hat.
Geschickt knüpft Drvenkar den Erzählfaden, die Perspektivwechsel erweitert das Geschehen, während das Geschehen sich verengt und auf den dramatischen Höhepunkt zusteuert. Aber auch inhaltlich hat der Roman einen sehr gelungenen Abschluss.
Die Gestalten sind Helfer der Kinder und Jugendlichen, Schutzgeister wenn man so will, die ihnen helfen, sich und ihre Fähigkeiten zu entwickeln, die helfen, wenn sie gebraucht werden. Uralte mythische Vorstellungen von Seelenvögeln mögen ebenfalls als Vorbilder gedient haben, was aber nicht wichtig ist, denn Drvenkar entwickelt hier sehr geschickt eine eigenständige Vorstellung von Schutzgeistern.
Wie in vielen Jugendromanen geht es um Probleme des Erwachsenwerdens, um das richtige Einstellung zu den eigenen Fähigkeiten. Drvenkar erzählt aber auch wie Freundschaft, Liebe und Verlangen zu einem Albtraum werden können.
Alissa ist auch die Heldin eines weiteren Romans, dessen Handlung zeitlich vor „Sag mir, was du siehst“ angesiedelt ist. Für diesen Roman hat Drvenkar im Jahr 2003 den Phantastik-Preis der Stadt Wetzlar bekommen. Verdientermaßen, denn der Roman ist sehr spannend erzählt und voller plastischer Charaktere und erreicht durch seine Phantastik eine seltene mystische Tiefe.

[Michael Joe Armijo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve just finished Tell Me What You See by Zoran Drvenkar, completed on December 26, 2025, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

I first discovered Drvenkar through Sorry (2010), which I loved, and then You (2014), which I really loved—both tightly wound, unsettling crime thrillers. Tell Me What You See moves in a different direction. It skews younger, more teenage-driven, and leans into a light touch of mystical horror rather than pure crime. Because of that shift, it didn’t quite hit me with the same force as his earlier novels—but it still had some good moments and made me dwell on the power of ravens.

The story centers on Alissa, a sixteen-year-old girl, and explores grief, identity, and inner transformation in ways that feel intimate and searching. These lines stayed with me:

“I’d lost my father—now I know that he’s always with me. Nothing can erase him from my memory.”

“I lie in bed with this feeling and have no idea how I got there. This is what a time lapse must feel like.”

“You have to let some girls off the leash, otherwise they’ll keep trotting along after you.”

“At some point you start doing things that never interested you before—drinking coffee, lighting candles, sitting on the floor…”

“I should look after myself first. And it’s difficult to be the main person in my life—I’ve never been that.”

“Every person is born with a gift… If nothing is done with it, then nothing becomes of it.”

“Everyone has their own way of dealing with what they’ve gone through.”

These lines reveal a quieter, more reflective Drvenkar—one interested in emotional thresholds rather than shock alone. While the novel sometimes feels aimed at a younger audience, there’s still enough depth here for an adult reader.
What can I say? It’s fun to explore. And more importantly, it shows an author continuing to evolve. Drvenkar keeps improving, and I’m genuinely eager to read whatever he releases next.

[Vishy · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Tell Me What You See’ is told from the perspective of multiple points of view but all of them tell the story of the teenage heroine Alissa. When Alissa was young her father dies in a road accident. Alissa misses her father and every year she goes to her father’s grave on Christmas night along with her best friend Evelin. The story told in the book happens during a period lasting for around a week starting from Christmas night. Though it is snowing, Alissa and Evelin leave their homes after everyone has gone to sleep to visit Alissa’s father’s grave. Because of the snow, they are not able to find it easily. While they are searching for it in the graveyard, Alissa falls into a crypt. While her friend Evelin goes home to get her father to help Alissa, Alissa walks through the crypt and finds a small coffin. She notices a strange kind of plant growing out of the coffin. Some force beyond her control makes her open the coffin and she discovers that there is a child’s body inside and the plant grows straight out of the child’s heart. Before she has realized it Alissa has taken the plant and put it in her pocket. Alissa is rescued by Evelin and her father and she goes back home. The next day morning there are two strange people inside her room, when Alissa wakes up. She asks them who they are, and they are surprised that she can see them. One of them says that they are too late. The other asks her about the plant. Alissa suddenly remembers it and searches for it in her jacket pocket. She realizes that it is not there. She realizes that she might have eaten it. The visitors leave mysteriously, the same way they came. Then strange things start happening to Alissa. And her ex-boyfriend Simon starts stalking her and starts behaving strangely towards her. What is the mystery behind the plant and what happens to Alissa and how she discovers the secret and what impact it has on her life form the rest of the story.

‘Tell Me What You See’ has many of the typical elements which one notices in a modern YA story – a teenage heroine having strange experiences, her loyal friend who stays with her through thick and thin, a stalking ex-boyfriend, a lesbian character or two, supernatural (or should I say paranormal) incidents and a central mystery which is revealed in the last few pages. I liked most of the characters in the book, except for the stalking ex-boyfriend. He reminded me of the stalking, violent husband in Stephen King’s ‘Rose Madder’.

The book also has beautiful sentences sprinkled throughout the book. For example this one :

Whenever I open my mouth, the wind blows snow crystals into my throat. They feel like powdered glass. And whenever Evelin speaks, it sounds as though she’s chewing cotton.

And this one :

When did we start drinking coffee? It’s really odd. At some point you start to do things that never interested you before – drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes, lighting candles during the day, sitting on the floor and answering the telephone with an Uh-huh?

The book also has warmly depicted family scenes The way the relationship between Alissa and her stepfather is described is very beautiful and warm. In one place Alissa describes her stepfather Robert like this :

A few minutes later we’re sitting opposite each other. We’re alike, even though he’s not my father and never will be. We’re alike in our mannerisms. That’s probably what happens when you live with somebody for a while. The way he smells the coffee. Or the way he leans forward and hunches up his shoulders because he’s cold.

In another place Robert describes a conversation he has with Alissa like this :

“How’s he doing?” asks Alissa.
“Better…The doctors say he’s lucky to be alive.”
Alissa puts the soup onto the tray.
“But nothing happened to me?” she asks, looking at her hands.
“You were lucky.”
She puts her hands back on her stomach and says quietly, “It wasn’t my fault.”
I nod, even though I don’t know whether to believe her.
“Of course it wasn’t your fault,” I say. There are two liars in the room now.

I am sorry if the above dialogue doesn’t have the same impact, when it is quoted out of context.

Here are a few descriptions of the cold.

Cool air blows in. It’s the special cool air that you only get in winter. I’m so happy, I want to cry.

The cold has changed. It’s more familiar to me. Now I also know why it’s so biting. I understand it, we know each other. The cold is bundled rage. Rage and longing. All in one.

Even though I’m dressed warmly, the cold sticks to me. It’s especially bad at night; warmth shuns me, cold is my new friend. At first it hurt, but now I feel as though the heat of the apartment is suffocating me. I hope I’m not ill with the flu or one of those new viruses.

The central mystery revealed was very different from what I expected. While the mystery was panning out, it reminded me at different times of C.S.Lewis’ ‘Till We Have Faces’ and the films ‘The Sixth Sense’ and ‘A Beautiful Mind’. I was hoping and praying that it wouldn’t turn out the way ‘A Beautiful Mind’ did. The ending is bittersweet – first bitter, then sweet and then a combination of both. It was sad in some ways, but I am glad that it was not tragic.

I liked ‘Tell Me What You See’ very much. Zoran Drvenkar is an exciting new-to-me writer and I hope to read more of his books in the future, especially ‘Sorry’ his thriller for grown-ups. I also hope that more of his books get translated into English.

Have you read Zoran Drvenkar’s ‘Tell Me What You See’? What do you think about it?

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was odd...

The beginning of the story had an eerie feel to it.. The plant growing out of a coffin had me wanting to know more about it. But it seemed that towards the middle of the book the story's paced was slow and it seemed to go on about the person's day. Multiple POV's. Each chapter was someone different but went along with the flow of the story..

The story didnt really get interesting till closer to the end.. But when the end came i was like 'oh..alright..cool..."
I thought it was a good story I just felt like it could be one of those that if you had spare time stories..

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a decent teen, gothic horror story. I am not necessarily the target audience, but it seemed good enough and readable, at least on a plot level.

Despite the format of various viewpoints, many of the characters felt like they had similar personalities. In particular, the two main characters felt somewhat interchangeable aside from literal backstory differences and surface-level exposition about movie taste and the like. I found the antagonist interesting at first, but he became quite one-dimensional by the end of the story.

Even with these issues, the plot moved at a satisfying quick pace. It was easy to spend/waste a day or two on.

[Lynsey Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very strange read this one, that i probably only kept up reading as i had nothing else to read.

This could have been a nice spooky idea but it just turned out to be a strange idea that was written like the writer himself didn’t know what he was talking about, i don’t think the fact this is a translation helped either.

No real character depth and the writing style itself was a bit strange. It screams young adult and the jumping around of different perspectives was a tad jarring.

Do yourself a favour and read Let the Right One In instead.

[Kitty S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tell me what you see is a great book and I would highly recommend giving this book a go. It’s well written. The author has made a great view on every character and their relationships within the novel. Although the ending from my perspective, is that it was very quick and it seems as if the author did not really give much focus on how the relationship between the characters had changed in the end.
Other than that, it was an amazing book and I’d loved reading it.

[Lucy Hutson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started the book I didn’t think I was going to like it and it took a while to get good. but after that i absolutely loved it it’s one of the books that got me into reading. I can’t remember exactly what I thought of it because it was a while ago that I read it but I remember not ever putting it down.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book ages ago and was never that desperate to start it, but as soon as I did finally open it the story swallowed me up. The power of friendship (or something more of a romantic relationship) transcends death in a really original way. ****

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t particularly enjoy or ‘get’ it. I liked his adult books much better

[Malia Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird, confusing, and I was lost the whole time. No thanks. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

[Laura Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't really care for this book. It was somewhat disturbing and strange, but also boring at times.

[Dona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wings of Desire meets John Hughes meets meets #MeToo meets Hygge. with underlying allusions to WW2. Let's just say I was fine with this mash up.

At the core of this book is an existentialist worldview that raises questions as it offers answers. Choices made with integrity and self-discipline give us dignity and improve the human condition. When we are at the mercy of our desires, we become animals.

When I first read the book circa 2005, I thought the creepy stalker Simon was a tad much. Now I just turn on the news and see real life Simons every week. . . . Despite the magic and the fantasy, this book is real. Losses occur. Unlike the angels in Wim Wenders, the ravens in Drvenkar's novel really can't help. They just are. . . .the best you can hope for is a true best friend, a hot bath and a steaming cup of coffee by candlelight on a cold winter's night--when it's possible to convince yourself that "time's turned into an endless moment . . .[and you] are safe"--temporarily, of course.