The Discomfort of Evening Rijneveld Marieke Lucas (2020)

Winner of the Booker International Prize 2020, Marieke Lucas Rijnevelds sensational Dutch bestseller is a radical debut novel filled with images of wild, violent beauty. Ten-year-old Jas experiences her universe in a singular way: through the feel of udder ointment on her skin as protection against harsh winters, the texture of green warts like capers on migrating toads, and the sound of blush words that are not in the Bible. When Jas asks God to take her brother Matthies instead of her rabbit, a tragic accident tears the family apart. Her curiosity then twists into a vortex of increasingly disturbing fantasies, unleashing a darkness that threatens to derail them all. Exquisitely translated by Michele Hutchison, the novel offers a language unlike any other and an earthy, irreverent and thrillingly uninhibited new voice.