There are books that I like, there are books that I don't like. But only very seldom there are books that I hate as much as this one.

 

This book, originally called: Komt een vrouw bij de dokter (my translation: A woman visits a doctor), features a man (the author) who's wife gets breast cancer. They have a little girl of about a year and a half. The first part of the book is filled with him complaining that she will have to have her perfect breasts amputated. And as she deteriorates and starts to loose her battle against cancer, he starts an affair and writes this stupid book to boast about it. 

 

It is disgusting. While I really felt for the woman, I (obviously) couldn't stand the man. He's making it sound like what he did was in any way some desirable and not cheating on his dying wife. He tries to make it sound cool, which is even worse and which fails utterly. He also tries to give the book some depth by putting random and unnecessary music quotes everywhere.

 

The worst part is that the man, after writing this book, wrote more books about his life and his mistress (possibly now his wife but I don't care so I don't know) and has become some kind of a celebrity in the Netherlands. On television he's just as insufferable as in his own books.

 

I read this book (the Dutch version anyway) as part for my Dutch literature class. I hope never to read anything by Kluun any more.

Ik heb dit boek tijdens een vakantie in Drenthe gelezen en weet voornamelijk nog dat ik er de laatste paar dagen van mijn vakantie helemaal ziek van was...Het verhaal van iemand die aan het sterven is en waarvan je weet dat het op een écht bestaande persoon gebaseerd is, is één ding. Maar dan die walgelijke echtgenoot, die niet de hele tijd met 'die kanker' opgescheept wil zitten. Tja. Ik geef het geen drie sterren, omdat ik het een feest vond om te lezen, maar puur vanwege de laatste hoofdstukken, waarin diezelfde walgelijke echtgenoot dan toch in ieder geval zijn vrouw verschoond en helpt. Dát is toch iets waarvan je (of in ieder geval ik), hoopt dat je partner dat voor je zal doen als je doodziek wordt. Verder is het verhaal natuurlijk één grote nachtmerrie.