The Discomfort of Evening (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781644450345)

WINNER OF THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE

A stark and gripping tale of childhood grief from one of the most exciting new voices in Dutch literature

Ten-year-old Jas lives with her strictly religious parents and her siblings on a dairy farm where waste and frivolity are akin to sin. Despite the dreary routine of their days, Jas has a unique way of experiencing her world: her face soft like cheese under her mother's hands; the texture of green warts, like capers, on migrating toads in the village; the sound of "blush words" that aren't in the Bible.

One icy morning, the disciplined rhythm of her family's life is ruptured by a tragic accident, and Jas is convinced she is to blame. As her parents' suffering makes them increasingly distant, Jas and her siblings develop a curiosity about death that leads them into disturbing rituals and fantasies. Cocooned in her red winter coat, Jas dreams of "the other side" and of salvation, not knowing where this dreaming will finally lead her.

A bestseller in the Netherlands, Lucas Rijneveld's radical debut novel The Discomfort of Evening offers readers a rare vision of rural and religious life in the Netherlands. In it, he asks: In the absence of comfort and care, what can the mind of a child invent to protect itself? And what happens when that is not enough? With stunning psychological acuity and images of haunting, violent beauty, Rijneveld has created a captivating world of language unlike any other.

Author: Lucas Rijneveld
ISBN-10: 1644450348
ISBN-13: 9781644450345
Publisher: Graywolf Press
Language: English
Published: 08/18/2020
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.88lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.50w x 0.90d
Award: Man Booker International Prize - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/15/2020
Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2020
Booklist 08/01/2020 pg. 20
Library Journal 10/09/2020 pg. 1