What I'd Rather Not Think About

(Paperback)

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What if one half of a pair of twins no longer wants to live What if the other can't live without them These questions lie at the heart of Jente Posthuma's deceptively simple What I'd Rather Not Think About. The narrator is a twin whose brother has recently taken his own life. She looks back on their childhood, and tells of their adult lives, and of how her brother tried to find happiness, but lost himself in various men and the Bhagwan movement, though never completely. In brief, precise vignettes, full of surprising humour and gentle melancholy, Posthuma tells the story of a depressive brother, viewed from the perspective of the sister who both loves and resents her twin, struggles to understand him, and misses him terribly. 'From the opening pages of this novel I had no idea where it was going, but I trusted Posthuma completely. Tender, offbeat, and deftly drawn - I loved it.' -Allee Richards, author of The Small Joys of Real Life 'What makes What I'd Rather Not Think About rise above the average mourning novel is its utter authenticity. Posthuma associates, philosophises, links memories to everyday actions, draws on films and television series and tries to interpret in a laconic, light-footed and pointed way. "Less is more" with Jente Posthuma. And again, she seems to be saying- nothing is "whole" here, in the subhuman. Everything rumbles, frays, and creaks.' -The Telegraph 'It is impossible to name everything that is beautiful about this novel. Posthuma needs few words to evoke a feeling or an atmosphere. She writes striking sentences that conjure up poignant images ... this book deserves a large readership.' -Literary Netherlands

Author Bio

Jente Posthuma (Author) Jente Posthuma's critically acclaimed first novel, Mensen zonder uitstraling (People Without Charisma), was published in 2016 and nominated for the Dioraphte Literatour Prize, the Hebban Debut Prize, and the ANV Debut Prize. Her second novel, What I'd Rather Not Think About, published in 2020, was equally well received, and was shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature 2021.