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Why it matters
Rijneveld gives childhood grief a raw physical language that refuses sentimental consolation.
A celebrated work
The Discomfort of Evening
Lucas Rijneveld2020 selection · Translated fiction
The Discomfort of Evening
Ten-year-old Jas lives on a strict Dutch dairy farm where her older brother's death leaves the family unable to speak openly about grief. Her observant, increasingly disturbing narration records bodily fears, religious anxiety, and the siblings' attempts to make sense of neglect.
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Read this if…
You can handle bleak, visceral family fiction narrated from a child's perspective.
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Ideas inside
GriefReligionChildhoodRural isolation
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