There are books that I like, there are books that I don't like. But only very seldom there are books that I hate as much as this one.
This book, originally called: Komt een vrouw bij de dokter (my translation: A woman visits a doctor), features a man (the author) who's wife gets breast cancer. They have a little girl of about a year and a half. The first part of the book is filled with him complaining that she will have to have her perfect breasts amputated. And as she deteriorates and starts to loose her battle against cancer, he starts an affair and writes this stupid book to boast about it.
It is disgusting. While I really felt for the woman, I (obviously) couldn't stand the man. He's making it sound like what he did was in any way some desirable and not cheating on his dying wife. He tries to make it sound cool, which is even worse and which fails utterly. He also tries to give the book some depth by putting random and unnecessary music quotes everywhere.
The worst part is that the man, after writing this book, wrote more books about his life and his mistress (possibly now his wife but I don't care so I don't know) and has become some kind of a celebrity in the Netherlands. On television he's just as insufferable as in his own books.
I read this book (the Dutch version anyway) as part for my Dutch literature class. I hope never to read anything by Kluun any more.
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