The Discomfort of Evening

WINNER OF THE BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2020 ONE OF THE GUARDIAN’S BEST BOOKS OF 2020 A NYT CRITICS’ TOP BOOK OF 2020 ‘One of the best debut novels I have ever read. Shockingly good … A classic.’ Max Porter ‘Haunting . . . reminded me a lot of Iain Bank. It’s incredible that it’s a debut.’ Douglas Stuart The sensational Dutch bestseller: ‘Exceptional’ (Financial Times) ‘Exhilarating’ (Independent) ‘Luminous’ (Observer) ‘Beautifully wild’ (Guardian) ‘An earthy and irreverent new voice, thrillingly uninhibited’ (New York Times) I asked God if he please couldn’t take my brother Matthies instead of my rabbit. ‘Amen.’ Ten-year-old Jas has a unique way of experiencing her universe: the feeling of udder ointment on her skin as protection against harsh winters; the texture of green warts, like capers, on migrating toads; the sound of ‘blush words’ that aren’t in the Bible. But when a tragic accident ruptures the family, her curiosity warps into a vortex of increasingly disturbing fantasies - unlocking a darkness that threatens to derail them all. A bestselling sensation in the Netherlands, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld’s radical debut novel is studded with images of wild, violent beauty: a world of language unlike any other, exquisitely captured in Michele Hutchison’s translation. ‘THE MOST TALKED ABOUT DEBUT NOVEL OF 2020 ALREADY’ [Dazed & Confused] ONE OF VOGUE’S TOP FIVE DEBUTS OF 2020 ONE OF THE OBSERVER’S HIGHLIGHTS OF 2020 ONE OF THE GUARDIAN’S TOP TEN BEST NEW BOOKS IN TRANSLATION