The Book Club [Hardcover]

'An extremely enjoyable book. Despite the seriousness of the subject, it is light in tone, refined in its humour' De Volkskrant.

Thirty-year-old Theresa Pellikaan is typical of the wealthy middle classes - with her respectable background, successful husband and house in an apparently sleepy, yet powerful, rich village. She works in a gallery, also typical of her type. When her former schoolmate Ruth Ackermann, brought up in the same village, makes waves with an international bestseller, but none of the villagers ever mention her achievement, not even the literary circle of Theresa's father, famous civil rights scholar Randolf Pellikaan, Theresa begins to wonder why. It can't only be because it's not 'literature'. It emerges that there is a dark secret in the village. Every member of the book club has a reason to keep quiet and Ruth Ackerman's novel threatens to bring the past into the present, with devastating results. Unable to cope with the silence, Theresa investigates, no matter the consequences.

Thirty-year-old Theresa Pellikaan is typical of the wealthy middle classes - with her respectable background, successful husband and house in an apparently sleepy, yet powerful and wealthy village. She works in a gallery, also typical of her type. When her former schoolmate Ruth Ackermann, brought up in the same village, makes waves with an international bestseller, but none of the villagers ever mention her achievement, not even the literary circle of Theresa's father, famous civil-rights scholar Randalf Pellikaan, Theresa begins to wonder why. It can't only be because it's not 'literature'. It emerges that there is a dark secret in the village. Every member of the book club has a reason to keep quiet and Ruth Ackermann's novel threatens to bring the past into the present, with devastating results. Unable to cope with the silence, Theresa investigates, no matter the consequences. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Marjolijn Februari studied Art History, Philosophy and Law. She was awarded a doctorate for a thesis on the clash of economics and ethics.The Literary Circle is her second novel. She has also published several collections of essays and has been writing a Saturday column for a Dutch newspaper since 1999. Paul Vincent taught Dutch at London University from 1967 to 1989 and since then has translated a wide variety of Dutch-language authors, including Louis Couperus, Willem Elsschot and Harry Mulisch.