Book reviews by country: The Netherlands

For my series this summer, I am providing selections of book reviews by country. Either the author is from the country named in the post, or the book is set there.

 I may not have read and reviewed many novels by authors in The Netherlands, but I have certainly enjoyed them. Saskia Noort's two short but totally gripping books Back to the Coast and The Dinner Club absolutely go down a treat. So does The Reunion by Simone van der Vlugt and Close-Up by Esther Verhoef. There is something energetic about all of these novels that really carries the reader along. They all have strong psychological elements about them, concerning errors of perception in a landscape where nothing is as it seems. 

My reviews from The Netherlands.

Comments

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Saskia Noort's books sound good and so does van der Vlugt's. I read Verhoef's and didn't like it as chapters were written from the psychopath's mindset with his thinking and threats, which is a turn-off for me. Also, I thought much of her relationship was very risky and dangerous as she was losing her old life but transferring her dependence from some people to new people and putting up with too much mistreatment all-around in that life and it didn't seem healthy to me.

[Maxine]

I know what you mean, Kathy. I did not like her dependency - though I liked the way she gradually became independent. I'll try Verhoef's next book to see what it is like, though have some slight reservations. I did like the two Saskia Noort books I read, I hope she writes more.