From Publishers Weekly
Like most first fiction this novelwritten in the 1950sis a painful story of a love found, then lost. But in his first effort, Nooteboom already showed an astonishing grasp of language, an impatience with mediocrity, that presaged the later critical successes of Rituals and In the Dutch Mountains . The book opens with the narrator, Philip, aged 10, visiting his Uncle Alexander, a timid homosexual who introduces Philip to the world of music, his first taste of escapism into the arts. Later Philip returns and lives with his uncle before embarking on a trip through postwar Europe. As he hitchhikes he hears many unusual and wonderful stories. In Provence he meets a grotesquely fat man called Maventer, who tells him about a half-oriental girl who disappeared to find "life behind the first, visible realitya life that is tangible and trembles." After an obsessional search, Philip finally locates the girl in Denmark, but after a heady love affair she leaves him, restless for her freedom. Nooteboom has told this story from the inside out, exposing the turbulent depths of his characters. His poetic imagery lingers.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Dutch writer Nooteboom's first novel, written in 1955, begins with young Philip visiting his uncle Antonin Alexander----~'a strange man." The uncle asks whether Philip has brought a gifL This question, with Philip's response, becomes a recurring ritual that frames the novel. As a young boy, Philip is hesitant: "I don't think so, Uncle." He dutifully cuts flowers from a neighboring garden to present to his uncle. Much of Philip's puzzlement and wonder during his visit form the foundation of a coming-of-age story. Why has his uncle never married? Why does he wear rings on his fingers? What is the story behind the collection of books, each one inscribed to Paul Sweeloo, in the room where Philip stays? Philip leaves his uncle's house and has a series of adventures that reverberate with the mystery of his visit with Uncle Alexander. Many of the people Philip meets tell him stories. In a sense, Philip chases stories. He searches for a girl, Marcelle, described to him in a tale told by a stranger. One fantastic scene involves Marcelle attending a concert where audience members sit at grand pianos and play so beautifully that they give the conductor a standing ovation and play an encore. Eventually, Philip meets Marcelle; he also returns to his uncle. Alexander asks whether Philip has brought him a gift. Philip, full of stories he might offer his uncle, says he has not. Is this the end of the story or a new beginning? -- From Independent Publisher
