Böcker av Jaap Robben

"With its tight sentences and a fast pace, Afterlight moves like detective fiction. It's a poignant novel in which a single pregnant woman is mistreated in her conservative society; she remains resilient and determined to honor her baby's memory." -Foreword ReviewsThe young free-spirited florist Frieda grew up in a strictly Catholic environment in the 1960s. When she steps onto a frozen river on a late winter afternoon, little does she know that everything is about to change for her. On the ice she meets the married Otto. They experience a love that begins stormy and ends fatefully: Frieda becomes pregnant - a scandal in the world in which she moves. And so she must never be the mother of her secret child. For decades she kept her memories of this episode in her life to herself. But the grief for the lost child remains, despite the later marriage, despite the son she still has.At the age of eighty-one, Frieda is suddenly alone again. The silent sorrow returns with force. Only then does she dare to face her story - and to share it.With Afterlight, inspired by true events, Robben not only pulls back the veil on Frieda's story, but also shines a light on the experiences of countless women between the 1950s and 1980s. The result is an impressive story about buried female trauma, caused by society, organized religion and the dominant social mores.

Thirteen-year-old Brian lives in a trailer on a forgotten patch of land with his divorced and uncaring father. His older brother Lucien, physically and mentally disabled, has been institutionalized for years. While Lucien''s home is undergoing renovations, he is sent to live with his father and younger brother for the summer. Their detached father leaves Brian to care for Lucien''s special needs. But how do you look after someone when you don''t know what they need? How do you make the right choices when you still have so much to discover?