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The Discomfort of Evening

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The Discomfort of Evening

By: Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
Narrated by: Genevieve Gaunt
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About this listen

Winner of the International Booker Prize 2020

I asked God if he please couldn't take my brother, Matthies, instead of my rabbit. 'Amen.'

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.

A best-selling sensation in the Netherlands, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld's radical debut novel is studded with images of wild, violent beauty: a world of language unlike any other, exquisitely captured in Michele Hutchison's translation.

©2018, 2020 Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, translated by Michele Hutchison (P)2020 Audible, Ltd Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Women's Fiction Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Scary Thought-Provoking

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All stars
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There's no denying the brilliant writing in this novel and the presentation of symbolism using effective and simplistic imagery. Yes it's depressing like everyone says- but it manages to express the inexpressible masterfully. However, the abundance of child related sexual activity and incest is more than a little wearingz- it got so abundant that I almost gave up on the book- take alot of breaks or it'll make you queasy! The abuse and slaughter of the animals is also harrowing- so I don't think I can honestly say I enjoyed this book, but I did appreciate it's writing. The reader does a fantastic job aswell. If you embark on this keep yourself distanced from the subject matter- it really is deeply disturbing.

Incest alert!

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This shocking, humorous and absorbing read is brought wonderfully to life by Genevive Gaunt. The quirky characters and original world of the narrator are sensitively portrayed. A beautiful, if heart-wrenching listen.

A brilliant listen!

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Sometimes unbearably sad and cruel. The narrator Genevieve Gaunt's brilliantly sensitive portrayal of a young girl's bleak existence was truly compelling.
What a wonderful writer and what extraordinary beauty within such a harsh setting.

Dark brilliance

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Frighteningly brilliant. A peek into life, death and many other things through the eyes of a ten year old girl. It's a must read but not for the faint hearted

A Masterpiece

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Oppressive, relentlessly miserable and featuring a large amount of disturbing juvenile sexual exploration, this book absolutely hits the spot at creating discomfort in the listener.
As a study of grief and guilt and a family falling apart it is a powerful piece of work, but it was just too unpleasant to listen to for me.
The voice adopted by the narrator to indicate the youth of the protagonist was extremely saccharine and grated on me nearly as much as the disturbing content of the novel.
Not a successful listen for me - simply too visceral and disturbing.

Dark, disturbing and depressing

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I found this very disturbing. A very well evoked atmosphere of rigidity and childhood incomprehension. Was it over the top at times. I can't make my mind up

Discomfort is about right

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absolutely beautiful,heartbrealing and gut wrenching.the writing is exquisite. The ending actually took my breath away.

beautiful and heartbreaking

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This book teeters on the edge of a micro cosmos of melancholy and magic. The author has created a black hole of living fantasy by imagineering a metaphysical grief through the eyes of a child. Each idea that turned into a sentence that turned into a story had my heart throb to reclaim the innocence and purity that is the life-death-life cycle. I was captivated by the narrator's authentic display of emotion and nuance in portraying the character's observation and experience. It bewilders me the amount of craft and consideration a book like this must take. Looking forward to the next pages the author releases.

A book imagineered from the depths of curiosity

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it was a very strange book nice to listen to something different but I was hoping for more of an ending

No conclusion

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This book is so well written and read so sympathetically (Genevieve Gaunt's narration was off the scale!) but it is NOT for the faint hearted.
It covers the implosion of a dysfunctional family following a tragic event, as told by a young girl called 'Jas' and her attempts to make sense and deal with all the awful things that happen to and around her.
It has taken me weeks to get through this book, as I had to keep taking a break from it, but didn't want to abandon it.
It was a terrible story, but totally believable and heart breaking.
It will stay with me for a long while, but I definitely feel the need of something very light to follow this dark tale.

Not Recommend If You Are Feeling Fragile

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