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Marieke Lucas Rijneveld's radical debut novel is studded with images of wild, violent beauty: a world of language unlike any other. Translated by Michele Hutchison.
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.
Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
About the Author
One of the greatest new voices in Dutch literature, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld grew up in a farming family in North Brabant before moving to Utrecht.
Michele Hutchison
About the Translator
Michele Hutchison is an editor, translator and blogger. She translated Marieke Lucas Rijneveld’s The Discomfort of Evening.Combining a disarming new sensibility with a translation of singular sensitivity, The Discomfort of Evening is a tender and visceral evocation of a childhood caught between shame and salvation.
The Discomfort of Evening
Watch actor Natalie Haynes read from The Discomfort of Evening along with exclusive interviews with author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld and translator Michele Hutchison.
Prize judge Valerie Luiselli tells us why this book made the shortlist.
Screengrab from the 2020 International Booker Prize announcement as the winner is announced: The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, translated by Michele Hutchison, published by Faber & Faber
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