1-Minute read

This 2020 International Booker Prize-winning debut novel by young Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld is both riveting and raw

The unapologetic insight into the life of 10-year-old Dutch girl Jas unsettles readers from the first chapter of The Discomfort of Evening. Originally written in Dutch, translator Michele Hutchison does a great job in maintaining the raw tone of the author’s voice. The novel meanders into the explorations of a pre-pubescent reverie that is often disturbing and always bewildering. Be forewarned, the book could leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouth.

Marieke Lucas Rijneveld’s writing is unadulterated in how it explains the trials and tribulations of Jas’ family after a brother’s death, as the family comes to terms with their grief. As the restless narrator, Jas manages to plunge readers with a revolting yet honest immersion about one’s own sexuality, morality and existence. The novel touches upon sensitive emotions and human reaction to death, grief, sex, and violence. The details and the adjectives used aggravate the atmosphere and add to the intensity of the thoughts expressed by this young author. The translator, Hutchison, retains the grim environment of Jas’ world and its many characters.

The language allows for an honest depiction of some primal thoughts and motives. These are portrayed by its characters, and are unmarred by the frills of the English language. Not meant for the faint-hearted, read it only if you wish to explore Rijneveld’s world that is pure but where purity can sometimes be a rude awakening.

Title: The Discomfort of Evening
Author: Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
Genre: Biography Publisher Faber and Faber
Cost: Rs 363

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