Rituals

thanks

My heart sank when this book arrived. On the just acceptable side of 'Acceptable' it was waterstained, grubby, had an unattractive cover, and with the odd previous reader's unenlightening comment, it seemed destined for the bin. But what a read! The prose, translated from the original Dutch, was admirable. The characters were beguiling. The action, such as there was, was riveting. The philosophies and the big questions asked, if not answered, were revelatory. I loved it. I hope to read it again. Perhaps I'll buy a better copy.

Good service even if not a great book.

An admirer of Harry Mulisch’s “The Discovery of Heaven”, I came to this book on a recommandation from a young Dutch man on Twitter. Which proves there’s more to social networks than selfies and kittens (or pornstars sleeping with presidents…). A strange little book that will stay with me for a long time. One thinks of Sartre (mentioned several times), Camus, Barthes even but with a Dutch flavour and a lot more explicit sex! The second half is dense with emotions, quite sad but without pathos, like a stormy day in November, questioning, like all good philosophical novel, what life means. And the answer is a bowl of tea, not 42…

One of my favourite authors