What a strange novel. I kept reading because it was very well-written, but the story was very meandering and odd. There is not really one main plot buWhat a strange novel. I kept reading because it was very well-written, but the story was very meandering and odd. There is not really one main plot but rather several smaller ones that don't end on a very satisfying but rather mistifying note. Is this about the main character suspecting his wife to have an affair? About his parents wanting to kill themselves? About his good-looking best friend who keeps taking strangely about life and death and the universe? Or the main characters hatred against renewable energies? I think Koch and I have very different view points about life, or what makes an interesting plot, but he knows how to write an engaging scene. Even when it goes nowhere. ...more
It feels almost wrong to give this just one star because the writing, from a stylistic point of view, is pretty good. I really liked the strong beginnIt feels almost wrong to give this just one star because the writing, from a stylistic point of view, is pretty good. I really liked the strong beginning and wasn't turned off by the gruesome and depressing themes. I really like reading about sad things and I'm always interested in the depicition of trauma - and this has a rather good and realistic childhood trauma depiction (some of it clearly inspired by Rijneveld's own life experience).
Gloom and doom, death, uncomfortable christian upbringing, incest - these are all not things that make me put a book down. Not even the animal cruetly or physically disgusting descriptions of body fluids and illness (although those make me quite uncomfortable). But what all these things also aren't is a story or a narrative. And as far as narrative goes, this "novel" is very weak. And once I grew accustomed to the vibe, the descriptions became very repetitous and a little boring. By the end, I just wanted it all to be over. You can only read so much about a child's butthole.
This book gave me very strong "I'm sorry that happened to you, but where's my novel?" feelings. Maybe this is better for people who don't have their own childhood trauma to reminisce about, but even then, it feels almost exploititive. Is this well-written? Yes, but only a sentence to sentence, maybe scene-for-scene basis. I'm sure Rijneveld is a good poet, but this does not make them a good novelist.
Ps: Booker Prize - Get your act together and stop giving your prizes only to the most trauma-filled novels. Writing about trauma is fine, even a good thing to explore, but it's not a substitute for a plot....more
A very over-the-top historical thriller. A quick and easy read, but there's a reason some called this the "Dutch Da Vinci Code".A very over-the-top historical thriller. A quick and easy read, but there's a reason some called this the "Dutch Da Vinci Code"....more
I feel conflicted. Some beautiful sentences and chapters for sure, but a lot of it went over my head. It felt like reading a sketch of a novel, and noI feel conflicted. Some beautiful sentences and chapters for sure, but a lot of it went over my head. It felt like reading a sketch of a novel, and not a finished product. ...more
In all fairness, I did not read the first part of this trilogy, so the moments when I felt lost during the novel, might be due to that. However, thereIn all fairness, I did not read the first part of this trilogy, so the moments when I felt lost during the novel, might be due to that. However, there was little to hold my interest in general. I thought the story was meandering, the characters thin, the women written horribly. I just did not care about Henry Smart one bit. It's full of action, and cinematic-driven, but since you're not engaged in the story, it all feels so pointless.
Several times reading this I had to ask myself "Roddy Doyle is generally a better writer than this, right? I know I loved some of his books so... what IS this?!" ...more
A very uneven dystopian short story collection. There were some memorable images, but overall too many bizarre stories that felt bizarre for the sake A very uneven dystopian short story collection. There were some memorable images, but overall too many bizarre stories that felt bizarre for the sake of it, that stayed vague and merely uncomfortable. Cook is clearly a talented author but I can't say I enjoyed reading this book for the most part. ...more
This is a quite an odd and unusual Belgian book that has a lot of features I'd normally dislike in a novel - it was quite over the top, a lot of the cThis is a quite an odd and unusual Belgian book that has a lot of features I'd normally dislike in a novel - it was quite over the top, a lot of the characters were rather sketches than full fledged people and at times it didn't feel like it had a real plot, it meandered a lot. At the same time, I was fascinted by the main character, the people he met, his relationships and I liked how vague a lot of it was, almost dreamlike. A really unusual author - I will have to read more of her work. ...more
This is a very well-written, atmospheric novel that I appreciated but didn't particularly enjoy reading. This book about a farmer and his aging fatherThis is a very well-written, atmospheric novel that I appreciated but didn't particularly enjoy reading. This book about a farmer and his aging father really nails the scene, farmers in the Netherlands and the cultural landscape. The difficulty of expressing emotions and the miscommunication was palpable. But I found some of the things too vague and it left me feeling like I didn't fully understand everything. Overall, while it's beautiful in its spareness, it made me feel empty and sad in a way that I didn't find fully engaging and rather a little uncomfortable. There is little story and a lot of atmosphere and characterisation....more
This is a collection of columns from Herman Koch, the Dutch author most known for his novel "The Dinner", which I have not read. In fact I've read nonThis is a collection of columns from Herman Koch, the Dutch author most known for his novel "The Dinner", which I have not read. In fact I've read none of his novels and I don't plan on doing so now.
If you're curious what the prototype of an old school Dutch "Old white man" sounds like, be my guest. You get your fill of "Men like football and women like shoes and men like cars and women are...." columns. However, I don't think this was ever translated, so unless you speak Dutch, you won't get to enjoy this even as a case study.
This wasn't just boring, it was also so mean-spirited, bitter and trying so hard to come across as "normal". God, you know how some people try so very much to be "normal", and think anyone who isn't is just wrong? "You don't like shopping? You're a weirdo", "You are a vegetarian? Freak".
At what age do men have to stop wearing sneakers? You really care about that? That's just sad.
Really unsure how to rate this book because from the first page on I found the style quite atmospheric and was waiting for the story and narrative to Really unsure how to rate this book because from the first page on I found the style quite atmospheric and was waiting for the story and narrative to appear. It never did. I also didn't feel close to the characters or the "themes" of the book (white foreigners in Africa who think they'll find "something else" there but it's just... life as well, alienation, life itself, I dunno actually WHAT the themes were supposed to be).
I just finished this book on the train - it's really short - and literally went "huh". I just got out of the cinema watching "Mary Queen of Scots" and they both left me with a similar feeling. They're both very forgettable, even though their flaws aren't the same at all. ...more
This is a really good children's book about cancer. I'm not sure what the appropriate age bracket is, the protagonists are 12 years old (although theyThis is a really good children's book about cancer. I'm not sure what the appropriate age bracket is, the protagonists are 12 years old (although they felt even younger a lot of times), but it's a really sad book. I read it with my mother as part of teaching her Dutch and she had trouble finishing it because it made her sob. ...more
I really wanted to give this five stars because I found it so motivating and uplifting. I already agreed with him on basic income, a shorter working wI really wanted to give this five stars because I found it so motivating and uplifting. I already agreed with him on basic income, a shorter working week and also, to some degree, on lifting borders. If I hadn't already felt like this when I picked up the book I'm not sure it would have convinced me. Especially the part about borders is more an introduction to the idea without a whole lot of information and facts backing it up.
The reason I'm not giving it the best rating is that there were some contradictions in the book that bothered me. Why go on about how useless the GDP is for a whole chapter, only to use it as an argument for why a country is doing better in the next? ...more
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