"You Have Me to Love is an intense and dramatic novel filled with meticulous use of detail and a forensic psychological accuracy. Its power comes from the fierce energy of the narrative structure, the way of handling silence and pain, and the ability to confront the darkest areas of experience with clear-eyed sympathy and care. Jaap Robben handles delicate, dangerous material with subtlety and sympathy, but also with a visionary sense of truth that is masterly and unforgettable." -Colm Tóibín
Mikael lives with his parents on an island somewhere between Scotland and Norway. One day Mikael's father saves him from drowning in the ocean, but is himself thrown against the rocks by a wave and disappears under water. In shock and unable to speak, Mikael blocks out the memory of what took place, silently joining his mother in the search for his missing father. As Mikael's mother realizes her husband has drowned, the relationship between her and Mikael transforms: she slowly starts to unravel, forcing the son to replace his father in every possible way.
An unforgettable read about lost childhood innocence, isolation, guilt and mother-and son relationships
"You Have Me to Love is an intense and dramatic novel filled with meticulous use of detail and a forensic psychological accuracy. Its power comes from the fierce energy of the narrative structure, the way of handling silence and pain, and the ability to confront the darkest areas of experience with clear-eyed sympathy and care. Jaap Robben handles delicate, dangerous material with subtlety and sympathy, but also with a visionary sense of truth that is masterly and unforgettable." -Colm Tóibín, author of House of Names and Brooklyn
"Moving between child-like speculation and shocking realism, Robben's novel transports the reader into lives almost beyond imagining in the contemporary world. With echoes of Ian McEwan and Peter Carey, Robben's tale, already a huge success in the Netherlands, is one to savor and discuss." -ALA Booklist
"Robben's novel explores raw and unsettling psychological territory. It is a story that once read will stick with the reader for a long time." -The Literary Review
"A small masterpiece" ?Harper's Bazaar
"This debut novel from a much-anticipated Dutch voice has a difficult tale to tell. A story of isolation and connection, the characters in this book are secluded on an island and rocked by tragedy. Suddenly left stranded when the father of a small family is swept out to sea, their trauma fills the mother with grief and the son with guilt. The question becomes, what will Mikael do to make his mother feel whole again?" -World Literature Today
"This is a bold, tender and ambivalent narrative, raw and disturbing, with moments of painful beauty...a taut narrative heavy with a convincing sense of dread." ?Irish Times
"Like a record stuck in its groove, it won't let me go." ?European Literature Network
