Netherland: A Novel

Hans, a Dutchman who comes to NYC with his wife and son via London, finds his family falling apart in the wake of the events of 9/11. She goes home to the UK, leaving Hans in NY staying in a temporary hotel full of a menagerie of displaced downtowner's, old ladies, and a young man whose wardrobe consists solely of angel costumes. Through a chance encounter with happy-go-lucky, cricket...more

Hans, a Dutchman who comes to NYC with his wife and son via London, finds his family falling apart in the wake of the events of 9/11. She goes home to the UK, leaving Hans in NY staying in a temporary hotel full of a menagerie of displaced downtowner's, old ladies, and a young man whose wardrobe consists solely of angel costumes. Through a chance encounter with happy-go-lucky, cricket enthusiast and shady business man, Chuck Ramkissoon, Hans rediscovers his love of cricket, and spends the year away from his wife and child not thinking about their relationship or it's future. Enjoyed it, though it did bog down at times with a few overwritten passages.Worthwhile non-the-less. Recommended.   hide

Remarkable--beautifully evocative, with a lot of twists. Appropriately compared to Gatsby, I think.

Wished I had more time to devote to the dreamlike prose: of memories, images and emotions from past and present.

Well, if you like Michael Chabon...

This is a wonderful book. I cannot think of any other work of contemporary fiction that I have read to compare it with. I rank it with MIDDLESEX, which in my opinion is high praise indeed. It is not exactly a stream of consciousness novel, but the narrator does move back and forth through places and times in his life that are widely separate: from his boyhood in the Netherlands, to his married...more

This is a wonderful book. I cannot think of any other work of contemporary fiction that I have read to compare it with. I rank it with MIDDLESEX, which in my opinion is high praise indeed. It is not exactly a stream of consciousness novel, but the narrator does move back and forth through places and times in his life that are widely separate: from his boyhood in the Netherlands, to his married life in London, both before and after an interlude with his wife and child in New York City during which 9/11 occurs, and especially the time he spends in New York after his wife moves back to London with his son. During that time alone in New York, mainly through playing cricket, Hans meets a cast of characters, mostly Third Worlders. Throughout all of this, nothing particularly monumental happens. But his interactions with these people, as he retells them, are both funny and revealing of him. The entire book is, for lack of a better word, mesmerizing.   hide

New York, cricket and emotional dysfunction - does it get better than this?

Droll. Florid at times. Or as the dust jacket would have it, "phantasmagorical." Really enjoyed it. An authentic British mind set loose in immigrant New York. Marriage trouble and 9/11 terror, the Bush era rang mostly true. Lyrical ode to cricket. Wouldn't have minded if his career crashed and burned but he is merely uninspired at work. Plot elements seem somewhat calculated to...more

Droll. Florid at times. Or as the dust jacket would have it, "phantasmagorical." Really enjoyed it. An authentic British mind set loose in immigrant New York. Marriage trouble and 9/11 terror, the Bush era rang mostly true. Lyrical ode to cricket. Wouldn't have minded if his career crashed and burned but he is merely uninspired at work. Plot elements seem somewhat calculated to please the bookish crowd so this work didn't really take too many chances but totally worth the time. Side note, loved the crackpot review of it I saw online.   hide

Just covered a few pages. Very good writing... Interesting subject of cricket in New York... I particularly the cultural differences approach.

Wonderful! A rewarding read!