The Discomfort of Evening

The Discomfort of Evening

First edition cover
Author	Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
Original title	De avond is ongemak
Translator	Michele Hutchison
Language	Dutch
Set in	Netherlands
Publisher	Atlas Contact
Publication date	31 January 2018
Publication place	Netherlands
Published in English	5 March 2020
Media type	Print (hardback and softback), e-book, audio
Pages	271
Awards	International Booker Prize (2020)
ISBN	978-90-254-4411-2 (First edition softback)
LC Class	PT5882.28.I49 A96 2018

The Discomfort of Evening (Dutch: De avond is ongemak) is the debut novel by Dutch writer Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, published in 2018. On 26 August 2020, Rijneveld became the first Dutch writer to win the £50,000 International Booker Prize, shared jointly with the novel's English translator Michele Hutchison.^[1]

Summary

The Discomfort of Evening concerns the life of ten-year old Jas, a Dutch girl who lives with her Reformed family on a dairy farm in the Netherlands. Jas is grieving the death of her brother Matthies, who died in an ice skating accident. His death drives further instability in the family and deteriorates Jas' mental health.

According to Rijneveld, the book's themes are thematically influenced by the work of Jan Wolkers.^[2][3][4]

Background

The novel became a bestseller upon its release in the Netherlands. It has been the subject of controversy due to its graphic depictions of animal abuse and adolescent sexuality.^[1][5] It was first published on 31 January 2018 by Atlas Contact in the Netherlands.^[6] It was translated into English by Michele Hutchison and first published on 5 March 2020 as The Discomfort of Evening by Faber and Faber in the United Kingdom (ISBN 978-0-571-34936-4).^[7] Hutchison's translation was later published in the United States by Graywolf Press on 18 August 2020 (ISBN 978-1-64445-034-5).^[8]

Reception

According to book review aggregator website Book Marks, The Discomfort of Evening received mostly favourable reviews. From the 22 reviews collected, 11 were classified as "rave", 4 as "positive", 6 as "mixed" and 1 as "pan".^[9]

In its starred review, Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Rijneveld's extraordinary narrator describes a small world of pain which is hard to look at and harder to ignore."^[10] Publishers Weekly wrote, "Like a scene in a Bosch painting, the macabre material is loaded with sexual transgressions, pedophilia, animal torture, and abuse. The onslaught can be numbing, but the translation's soaring lyricism offers mercy for the reader."^[5]

References

1. "Debut Dutch Novel Wins International Booker Prize". Publishers Weekly. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
2. van den Hoven, Gerrit (25 August 2020). "Nieuwendijkse Marieke Lucas Rijneveld maakt kans op internationale literatuurprijs". Algemeen Dagblad. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
3. Jaeger, Toef (28 August 2020). "'Ik heb schrijven nodig om overeind te blijven' (interview)". NRC Handelsblad. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020. (...) nadat ik aan mijn ouders vertelde dat ik misschien een jongen wilde zijn. Dat was heel intens, maar ik stond er toen ook anders in dan nu. Ik dacht dat het veel radicaler was, dat je het een of het ander moest zijn. Nu weet ik dat je niet per se hoeft te kiezen.
4. Brouwer, Jellie (25 March 2018). "Wolkeriaanse thema's in De avond is ongemak van Marieke Lucas Rijneveld". NPO Radio 1. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
5. "Fiction Book Review: The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, trans. from the Dutch by Michele Hutchison. Graywolf, $16 trade paper (296p) ISBN 978-1-64445-034-5". Publishers Weekly. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
6. Visser, Arjan (27 January 2018). "'Fantasie is altijd mijn grootste overlevingsstrategie geweest'". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 October 2021.
7. "The Discomfort of Evening". Faber & Faber. Archived from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
8. "The Discomfort of Evening". Graywolf Press. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
9. "Book Marks reviews of The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, trans. by Michele Hutchison". Book Marks. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
10. "The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld; translated by Michele Hutchison". Kirkus Reviews. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2021.