Welcome to Litsy!

This book is tricky. It is a Dutch translation and centres on fraternal twins - a brother and sister. The sister is very dependent on her twin brother while her brother deals with depression and ultimately commits suicide. While well written I found the story oppressive and the characters unhealthy attachment dismaying.

Such a brutal, poignant portrait of grief. Grief due to loss, difficult relationships, mental illness. Very heavy but beautifully written. I loved the short vignettes that moved back and forth in time. The style felt like it mirrored the way the mind might process the grief in the story.

It‘s a story about suicide, the loss of a twin, coming to terms with death and grief. It‘s not a book that anyone can say that they enjoy, since it is such a heavy topic, but it was simply told, and there was beauty in simplicity. It‘s a hard read though, and won‘t be for everyone.

A brief, heartbreaking, hopeful book about a twin left behind in grief when her brother dies by suicide. The first of my Man Booker International shortlist reads. #manbooker

This is my first book from the #InternationalBooker longlist. It is a Dutch one so an easy one for me to purchase and read. It‘s a book about a brother and sister, identical twins. He commits suicide in his thirties. This is no spoiler, the book is about how, despite their closeness, she can‘t protect him from his depression, he can‘t protect her from missing him. It is a sad book, written lightly, which adds to the impact.

#ATY24 Title 6+ words

#WeeklyForecast 14/24

I am about to finish Soldier Sailor and have lined up three more books for this week because I‘ll have a long Easter weekend off work. I am looking forward to all three of these. Alex Finlay never disappoints, a J Robert Lennon is always a treat and the Dutch one (tagged) is from the #InternationalBooker longlist. If I‘ll finish them all I have more #womenprize books to choose from 😀