The Evenings

Gerard Reve is considered one of the giants of post-war literature in the Netherlands and this book was voted as one of the top Dutch novels of all time.  Taking place over successive evenings (although we do read of some of the day) this opens on 22nd December 1946.   Here we follow Frits van Egters, who is still living at home and in his early twenties.

Meeting up with friends of the evenings and weekends we follow Frits through his time up unto the turn of the New Year.  In many ways this mirrors life, and the lack of much to do after the War.  Meeting friends, going to the cinema and dancing are the only options, if you have enough money.  Otherwise there is sitting at home and listening to the radio.

Will Frits ever ask the question he wants on New Year’s Eve?  He has to shout at his parents anyway, due to their deafness, which I know I am not the only person who probably has to do the same when I am visiting mine.  Here we read his thoughts as well as the conversations that are held, and there are quite some macabre pieces here that are discussed.

In all this is a sedately paced book that although containing a certain amount of bleakness does make for an entertaining and interesting read.

I was very kindly provided with a free review copy of this by the publisher via NetGalley for reviewing purposes.

Review published on Goodreads on September 15th 2016

'Evenings' by  Gerard Reve (translated by Sam Garrett)

3.5 stars/ 7 out of 10

I had not heard of the author before, despite reading a lot of fiction in translation, so I was interested to read a book by him.

The translation of the novel flows easily. The novel describes 10 evenings in the life of the narrator, Frits van Egters. It has an unusual opening that gripped my attention.The level of detail of the humdrum nature  of home life built up an atmosphere of boredom very effectively.

I was impressed with how realistic some of the descriptions were, eg the incident where Frits is reminiscing with his brother about events from their childhood, and how their memories differ.

Reve, in this novel, is very good at describing the mundanities of life. As we are taken through the 10 evenings that are described in the book, we build up a more detailed  picture of the narrator, his family and acquaintances, and life in Amsterdam at the time the book is set, December 1946.

Having read the novel, I understand why it has been listed in the 10 favourite Dutch novels of all time. I thought it was both effective and affective. My favourite chapter was the one describing the Gymnasium (school) reunion.

Thank you to Pushkin Press and to NetGalley for an ARC.

So atmospheric. Read it and have booked a trip to Amsterdam on the strength of it.

Review copy courtesy of Pushkin Press and NetGalley, many thanks.

A surprising experience.  At first I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book but it became oddly enjoyable.  1946 Amsterdam.  Peace has broken out in Europe and when you'd expect a young man to feel elated, Frits is underwhelmed.  We don't have any information about how he spent the war years but we do know that, instead of picking up his studies where he'd been forced to suspend them and looking for a new way of life, he is living with his parents and has an undemanding and uninteresting office job.  We follow him through Christmas and New Year, out and about town and at home, hear his sarcastic comments to others and share his self-pitying thoughts, watch his little acts of meanness and spitefulness.  But he has survived, that is the main thing, and a new year might bring new beginnings.  We just have to hope he gets his act together.

I hadn't come across this author prior to reading this.
This is one of the most fascinating, but mundane books featuring Amsterdam and its people I've read. 
Set in the aftermath of the second world war and at the close of 1946, Frits spends 10 evenings wandering the city, dancing, drinking with friends.
It is a bleak, but realistic account of boredom and loneliness - Frits is 20 and still living at home with his parents.
Highly recommended.

First published in Holland in 1947 and now translated into English for the first time, this unremittingly bleak tale of a young man who finds that his life has no meaning is both compelling and blackly humorous. Frits has a mundane job and leads a monotonous existence. Still living at home with his parents – who are actually quite likeable but who are slowly driving him mad with irritation – Frits is a difficult person to feel any sympathy for at all. Even if we feel empathy with his ennui and existential angst he certainly doesn’t come across as in any way someone the reader could care about. And that surely is the point. Boredom and futility make up his daily existence and in this short novel we get to spend 10 evenings with him as he goes around being generally unpleasant to his long-suffering friends. I loved this book and can quite understand why it is considered a classic of Dutch literature. I can also see why many readers haven’t enjoyed it. The book has little point, just as his life has little point. But I found it quite mesmerising in its atmosphere and the portrait it paints of immediate post-war Holland. A small gem of European literature.