The Detour by Gerbrand Bakker

The Detour

Gerbrand Bakker

A haunting tale of a dying woman finding solace as she copes with grief, regrets and pain. I loved it so much! Do read this - despite the apparent bleakness there is hope and a lot of humour here as well. I found it really life-affirming.

Extract
Mist. The world stood still. There was hardly any noise, even the stream sounded as if the water was being sieved through gauze. She was working in the garden all the same. The first alder was now cut back completely and she had already lopped a couple of thick branches off the second. She set about it very calmly. When she felt that she was tiring, she carefully climbed down off the kitchen chair and went inside to sit for a while in front of the cooker.
Parallels
  • The Twin by Gerhard Bakker
  • In the Wake by Per Petterson