What if one half of a pair of twins no longer wants to live? What if the other can't live without them? This question lies at the heart of Jente Posthuma's deceptively simple What I'd Rather Not Think About. The narrator is a twin whose brother has recently taken his own life. She looks back on their childhood, and tells of their adult lives: how her brother tried to find happiness, but lost himself in various men and the Bhagwan movement, though never completely. In brief, precise vignettes, full of gentle melancholy and surprising humour, Posthuma tells the story of a depressive brother, vie... continue
“An incredibly moving and gripping novel . . . so sure-footed, clear, vibrating, like chiffon or a cigarette.” — Olga Ravn An incandescent debut about young adults learning how to care for themselves — from within the limits of the psychiatric system Perfect for fans of Tove Ditlevsen and devotees of Sylvia Plath In honest, crackling investigations of the psychiatric system and the young people trying to find their way, Gråbøl’s soaring debut offers a critique of institutionalization and an urgent recalibrating of the language and conceptions of care. “I’m not inarticulate, but I leave languag... continue
This enchanting, feel-good novel was a runaway no.1 bestseller in France, parking itself in the top ten for 56 weeks. "You're probably suffering from a type of acute routinitis." "A what?" "Acute routinitis. Finding it hard to feel happy despite an abundance of material wealth, a feeling of disillusionment and lethargy, amongst other things." "But . . . How do you know all that?" "I'm a routinologist." "A routino-what?" At thirty-eight and a quarter years old, Paris native Camille has everything she needs to be happy: a good job, a loving husband, a wonderful son. Why then does she feel as if ... continue