Readers who prefer straightforward plots and timelines, and who are bothered by having to read a while before the exposition becomes clear, and who need at least one "likable" character, may have a hard time with Peter Buwalda's novel, "Bonita Avenue", which has been translated from Dutch. The narrative jumps around in time and among characters so the reader must be patient and keep reading in order to "fill in" the lacunae. This is one of those novels that give you a bit of a mental work out - and it's totally worth it. I suspect this novel will be a huge literary success. It's so polished that it's hard to believe it's Peter Buwalda's first! It takes a talented storyteller to reveal major plot points early in the tale and still hold the reader's interest as the details are gradually revealed. In fact, there is a bit of a surprising "twist" or "reveal" in the middle of the book and another towards the end - though savvier readers may have figured these out sooner than I did.The story revolves around the Sigerius family who are complicated, messy, often ugly, and frequently dysfunctional. (Warning: there are passages of explicit sexuality that may bother some readers.) The novel contains fascinating characters, and it is beautifully written. It covers a myriad of topics ranging from judo and mental illness, to the on-line porn industry. The novel follows this unhappy family from the 1980s to the 2000s by which Buwalda masterfully captures recent history in both Europe and the US."Bonita Avenue", is the name of a street in Berkley, California where the Dutch family of Siem Sigerius lived for two years while Siem, an award winning mathematician (and Judo expert), worked out his groundbreaking "knot theory". You can't miss the symbolism of "knot theory", twisted Judo holds, and bondage porn. My one quibble (not enough to subtract a star) is that the climactic ending went on a little too long and the denouement wasn't as satisfying as I would have wished. I read about 90% of this book & then just gave up. I liked the way the stories unfolded, and was very curious to see how a few of the plots were resolved. But the characters became less and less likable, and I therefore became less and less interested in how their stories got to their end-point. It turned into just an unpleasant mess with some unpleasant sexual encounters thrown in for ... gratuitous measure.I wanted to like this, and I wanted to finish it. But neither happened.
What do You think about Bonita Avenue: A Novel (2000)?
Tof boek. Soms voor mij wat te gedetailleerd beschreven. Maar verhaallijn is geweldig!
—Brenda
I received a free copy of this book from Read It Forward.
—bwalker
'Toeval maakt de meeste indruk als beul.'
—laceyfilly
