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Freetown

Freetown

Author(s): Otto de Kat

Location(s): Netherlands

Genre(s): Novella

Era(s): Modern

Location

Content

“He was a Fula. I say ‘was’, because I haven’t seen him for a long time. I don’t know if he’s still alive or where he might be. He just disappeared.”

Maria is independent, unconventional and unafraid. She is trying to find an explanation for the disappearance of Ishmael, a refugee from Sierra Leone who came to her door as a newspaper boy and stayed for seven years. He was like a son to her. Vincent is a psychologist. Once he and Maria had an all-encompassing relationship, but since their break-up he has been living in a kind of haze. One day, Maria asks for his help.

In the encounters that follow, Ishmael is pushed into the background by a rekindling of the old love between Vincent and Maria. The stories and memories that resurface come to replace the sadness at the loss of the boy. But despite the distraction of their new situation, Ishmael proves impossible to forget.

Otto de Kat is known for concise novels that are beautifully observed, subtle and precise, and Freetown is no exception.

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Book Reviews

Lead Review

Author: tripfiction

Novella of loss, set in the Netherlands Maria and Vincent – in their sixties – are regrouping after a significant affair. At the heart of the novella is the disappearance of Ishmaël who appeared...

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