Definitely has stayed with me. Takes some deep thought to understand. Many themes. Animals, mostly domestic, but a red kite and badger. Badger disappearing, geese, dogs, cats, sheep, cows. Old woman smell. Spare in expressed emotions. Stilted conversations. "death" in the form of the boy? (reminds me of the movie "Boom" with elizabeth taylor and richard burton). Dutch woman, Emily Dickinson scholar, has an affair with a student, flees to Wales w/o telling her husband or parents. Dickinson wrote a poem "Because I Could no Stop for Death" (doesn't figure in the book). Translated from Dutch. A Dutch woman has rented a farm on the northern coast of Wales. To a young man who comes by on the public walking trail that crosses the farm she says her name is Emilie, but we know she chooses that name to use because she is an Emily Dickinson scholar, fired from her university teaching job after an affair with a student. But is that the only reason she chose to suddenly leave her husband and home, providing no trace of her whereabouts? Fall turns to winter on the farm, and the young man stays on to help her fix up the place. There are mysteries to unravel in this short novel, and the spare prose doesn't hide the underlying tension that fills its pages. It will remind readers of Per Petterson's novels.
What do You think about De Omweg (2010)?
The lack of forward momentum made this a bit more difficult to get through than I expected.
—Jackie
Haunting, beautiful writing. Rather a strange story of a woman choosing her place to die.
—Nishwa
Interesting story... a bit confusing, but certainly not un-enjoyable.
—RoannVera
Mesmerizing style that kept me reading. Disappointing ending.
—vaishnavi
