slaap

this is my bookclub book, by a Flemish author, Annalies Verbeke, and i'm reading through it in a hurry as we're meeting tonight...i'm not too enthralled by the book, though the idea behind is is interesting, and it received a heap of accolades in the Dutch press. The book focuses on two characters who both suffer from insomnia, we begin with Maya who seems to have just begun to have trouble sleeping, though later she reveals having problems sleeping from an early age. her lack of sleep causes her to be jealous of all those who can shut their eyes and drift away to the land of nod. when the rest of the world is in bed, she roams the streets in search of mischief. during one of these nightly escapades whe meets Benoit, who is also awake, and also can't sleep.

intersting idea, right? however, the book is written in typical blunt first person Dutch, in your face and leaving nothing to the imagination, though at the same time through the lack of adjectives the feelings and emotions of the characters remain blunted. each chapter is written from the perspective of either Maya or Benoit, and you learn more about their backgrounds and histories, but still seem to remain at a distance. maybe it's just my oft felt irritation at the shortcomings of the Dutch language and my own shortcomings in being able to properly understand the subtleties of Dutch writing: i often have the feeling i'm readingthrough cotton wool and am missing half of the nitty gritty stuff. either i'm missing it, or it's not there, and i'm never sure which is the right conclusion to drwaw...maybe i'll gain some more insights on my reading of the book after tonights bookclub meeting...