Everything around them is still there

Intrusive and personal debut about the aftermath of the Tripoli crash, five years later.

On May 12th both of Marieke Poelmann’s parents are killed in the airplane crash near Tripoli. They were on their way home after a vacation in South Africa. Marieke is 22 at the time. She recently started a career in journalism and suddenly finds herself on the wrong side of the news. What happens next is overwhelming: family detectives, victim assistance, banks and insurance companies all line up at her parents’ doorstep. Suddenly, she also shares the responsibility with her older brother Boris for their handicapped brother Sandor, who had a brain tumor when he was 11 years old. Not to mention the immense loss and grief that presents itself, which Poelmann describes incisively.

The airplane crash puts fears from Mariekes childhood, memories about her brother’s illness and family relations into a very different perspective.

 

‘Besides a moving story about sudden loss, also a very intriguing (and sometimes shocking) family history. Marieke Poelmann has a strong and distinctive voice. A book that will buzz around in your head long after you’ve finished it.’ – Herman Koch

 

‘A wise and moving book.’ – Vogue

 

‘Genuine and honest narrative; no room for false sentiment.’ – Trouw

 

Order the book (in Dutch) here