Short novel set in the NETHERLANDS

3rd March 2023

Breakwater by Marijke Schermer, short novel set in the Netherlands. Translated by Liz Waters.

This is a short novel that can be read in a matter of a couple of hours. Emilia and Bruch live together in their new but ramshackle house, along with their two young sons, intent on creating a new home for themselves. They are gearing up for renovation. They are not far from the river and their situation is fairly remote, although it is possible to drive to Amsterdam within a reasonably short time. They seem content and well settled and seemingly they have a good and solid marriage.

Twelve years ago Emilia had just started dating her husband-to-be, Bruch, when she was subjected to a random, brutal attack on her own doorstep. She coped with the trauma by suppressing her feelings and responses, and waited several months to see Bruch again, until her physical injuries became less evident. The emotional injuries remained unaddressed. As far as she is concerned, it is something that is in the past and she does not want to contaminate her marriage with the events of that fateful day. Yet stresses are mounting for her, the silence is not serving her well and the pressure cooker legacy threatens to boil over, triggered by simple, everyday interactions of marriage.

As her grief, and loss of who she was start to mount, the rain outside pounds down, the river is rising and there is a good chance that the family will have to evacuate their house as the water starts to penetrate their home. This, of course, is a metaphor for the escalating crisis developing within their marriage.

The story is taut, looping smoothly back to the attack without any break in pace, demonstrating how easily emotions can be triggered in the present, giving vent to unresolved feelings in curious and arbitrary ways. It is a well thought out study of suppressed emotion following on from a violent attack.

The backdrop of the wet and brooding landscape adds pathos to the story.

Tina for the TripFiction Team

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