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Sturmflut: Roman
Ein doppelbödiger Roman um Zufall und Schicksal, Begehren und Loyalität, Identität und Verlust, das Ringen um Gelassenheit mitten im Leben, mitten im Tod
Schicksalstausch zweier Schwestern. Armanda hat versprochen, nach Zeeland zu fahren, um dort ihr Patenkind zu besuchen. Am selben Wochenende will Lidy mit ihrem Mann in Amsterdam auf eine Party gehen. So sollte es ein, aber dann bricht Lidy an Armandas Stelle Richtung Schouwen-Duiveland auf, während Armanda die Tochter der Schwester hütet und sich mit deren Mann, in den sie unausgesprochen verliebt ist, auf der Fete vergnügt. Und so kommt es, dass Armanda zurückbleibt, während Lidy in die historische Flutkatastrophe von 1953 gerät, die fast den ganzen Südwesten der Niederlande von der Landkarte fegt. Dem äußeren Katastrophenszenario stehen die inneren Verhältnisse gegenüber. Die Zurückbleibende versucht ein richtiges Leben im falschen - ihrer Schwester - zu führen.
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On the night of January 31, 1953, a mountain of water, literally piled up out of the sea by a freak winter hurricane, swept down onto the Netherlands, demolishing the dikes protecting the country and wiping a quarter of its landmass from the map. It was the worst natural disaster to strike the Netherlands in three hundred years.
The morning of the storm, Armanda asks her sister, Lidy, to take her place on a visit to her godchild in the town of Zierikzee. In turn, Armanda will care for Lidy's two-year-old daughter and accompany Lidy’s husband to a party. The sisters, both of them young and beautiful, look so alike that no one may even notice. But what Armanda can’t know is that her little comedy is a provocation to fate: Lidy is headed for the center of the deadly storm.
Margriet de Moor interweaves the stories of these two sisters, deftly alternating between the cataclysm and the long years of its grief-strewn aftermath. While Lidy struggles to survive, surrounded by people she barely knows, Armanda must master the future, trying to live out the life of her missing sister as if it were her own.
A brilliant meshing of history and imagination, The Storm is a powerfully dramatic and psychologically gripping novel from one of Europe’s most compelling writers.
Schicksalstausch zweier Schwestern. Armanda hat versprochen, nach Zeeland zu fahren, um dort ihr Patenkind zu besuchen. Am selben Wochenende will Lidy mit ihrem Mann in Amsterdam auf eine Party gehen. So sollte es ein, aber dann bricht Lidy an Armandas Stelle Richtung Schouwen-Duiveland auf, während Armanda die Tochter der Schwester hütet und sich mit deren Mann, in den sie unausgesprochen verliebt ist, auf der Fete vergnügt. Und so kommt es, dass Armanda zurückbleibt, während Lidy in die historische Flutkatastrophe von 1953 gerät, die fast den ganzen Südwesten der Niederlande von der Landkarte fegt. Dem äußeren Katastrophenszenario stehen die inneren Verhältnisse gegenüber. Die Zurückbleibende versucht ein richtiges Leben im falschen - ihrer Schwester - zu führen.
----------------
On the night of January 31, 1953, a mountain of water, literally piled up out of the sea by a freak winter hurricane, swept down onto the Netherlands, demolishing the dikes protecting the country and wiping a quarter of its landmass from the map. It was the worst natural disaster to strike the Netherlands in three hundred years.
The morning of the storm, Armanda asks her sister, Lidy, to take her place on a visit to her godchild in the town of Zierikzee. In turn, Armanda will care for Lidy's two-year-old daughter and accompany Lidy’s husband to a party. The sisters, both of them young and beautiful, look so alike that no one may even notice. But what Armanda can’t know is that her little comedy is a provocation to fate: Lidy is headed for the center of the deadly storm.
Margriet de Moor interweaves the stories of these two sisters, deftly alternating between the cataclysm and the long years of its grief-strewn aftermath. While Lidy struggles to survive, surrounded by people she barely knows, Armanda must master the future, trying to live out the life of her missing sister as if it were her own.
A brilliant meshing of history and imagination, The Storm is a powerfully dramatic and psychologically gripping novel from one of Europe’s most compelling writers.
349 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
16 people are currently reading
609 people want to read
About the author
Margriet de Moor
34 books30 followersMargriet de Moor was born in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, in 1941. She comes from a Catholic family with many children and grew up with nine siblings, six of them girls. The theme of sisterhood was to become a common theme in her work. She studied Piano and Song at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and was especially interested in the music of avant-garde composers such as Schönberg, Satie and Debussy. She began to appear regularly on stage as a solo singer from 1968 onwards. Ten years later she resumed her studies again, this time in Art History and Archaeology at the University of Amsterdam.
Following her marriage to the sculptor Heppe de Moor she founded an art salon in 's-Graveland, near Amsterdam, in 1984. She made films and video portraits of the artists involved in the salon. One year later she began to write prose, which from the outset displayed a complex structure and atmospheric density. In 1988 de Moor's first volume of short stories appeared, »Op de rug gezien« (t: Back views), which was awarded the Gouden Ezelsoor for best selling first work. She achieved international recognition with her first novel, »Eerst grijs dan wit dan blauw« (1991; Eng. »First Grey, then White, then Blue«, 1994), which has been translated into eleven languages to date. The murder of a young woman, who disappeared years ago, is reconstructed from the perspectives of three different people.
Her musical preferences have always been modern, as is also true of de Moor's literary tastes, which include avant-garde stylists such as Beckett, Borges and Ionesco. »My creative thought is wrought from musical forms, yet I will never try to translate a specific musical form directly into literature.« In her work she is often preoccupied – against the backdrop of historical events and epochs – with the fateful powers which rail against human strivings to control life. Thus music and love are recurring themes. »De Virtuoos« (1993; Eng. »The Virtuoso«, 1996) concerns a woman's love for a castrato in 18th Century Naples. »Hertog van Egypte« (1996; Eng. »The Duke of Egypt«, 2001), similarly, describes the love story of an unusual couple, in this case between a gypsy and a female farmer, who get married in the sixties.
In her novel, »De verdronkene« (2005; t: The drowned), recently translated into German, de Moor tells the story of the flooding of the southwest province of Zeeland in 1953. The destiny of two sisters with similar looks is played out, as they switch roles on the day of the catastrophe itself. Thus one sister dies at the place where the other sister was meant to be.
De Moor has been awarded many prizes, including the Lucy B. en C.W. van der Hoogtprijs and the Ako Literature Prize. She lives in Amsterdam.
© internationales literaturfestival berlin
Geboren als Margaretha Maria Antonette Neefjes, moeder van beeldend kunstenaar Lara de Moor (1969) en schrijfster Marente de Moor (1972)
Following her marriage to the sculptor Heppe de Moor she founded an art salon in 's-Graveland, near Amsterdam, in 1984. She made films and video portraits of the artists involved in the salon. One year later she began to write prose, which from the outset displayed a complex structure and atmospheric density. In 1988 de Moor's first volume of short stories appeared, »Op de rug gezien« (t: Back views), which was awarded the Gouden Ezelsoor for best selling first work. She achieved international recognition with her first novel, »Eerst grijs dan wit dan blauw« (1991; Eng. »First Grey, then White, then Blue«, 1994), which has been translated into eleven languages to date. The murder of a young woman, who disappeared years ago, is reconstructed from the perspectives of three different people.
Her musical preferences have always been modern, as is also true of de Moor's literary tastes, which include avant-garde stylists such as Beckett, Borges and Ionesco. »My creative thought is wrought from musical forms, yet I will never try to translate a specific musical form directly into literature.« In her work she is often preoccupied – against the backdrop of historical events and epochs – with the fateful powers which rail against human strivings to control life. Thus music and love are recurring themes. »De Virtuoos« (1993; Eng. »The Virtuoso«, 1996) concerns a woman's love for a castrato in 18th Century Naples. »Hertog van Egypte« (1996; Eng. »The Duke of Egypt«, 2001), similarly, describes the love story of an unusual couple, in this case between a gypsy and a female farmer, who get married in the sixties.
In her novel, »De verdronkene« (2005; t: The drowned), recently translated into German, de Moor tells the story of the flooding of the southwest province of Zeeland in 1953. The destiny of two sisters with similar looks is played out, as they switch roles on the day of the catastrophe itself. Thus one sister dies at the place where the other sister was meant to be.
De Moor has been awarded many prizes, including the Lucy B. en C.W. van der Hoogtprijs and the Ako Literature Prize. She lives in Amsterdam.
© internationales literaturfestival berlin
Geboren als Margaretha Maria Antonette Neefjes, moeder van beeldend kunstenaar Lara de Moor (1969) en schrijfster Marente de Moor (1972)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
May 19, 2018
Zwei sich sehr ähnlich sehende Schwestern Anfang der 50er Jahre in Amsterdam. Die Ältere ist bereits verheiratet und hat eine kleine Tochter. Die Jüngere begehrt insgeheim das Leben der Älteren, inklusive ihrem Mann. Gerne lässt sich die Ältere von der Schwester zu einem Ausflug in die südlichen Niederland ermuntern, während diese sich um ihre Nichte kümmert und mit ihrem Schwager ein Fest besucht.
Das wäre alles nicht so wild, würde sich in der anstehenden Nacht nicht eine der schlimmsten Naturkatastrophen ereignen, die die Niederlande je sah. Eine Sturmflut fegt 1953 ganze Regionen von der Landkarte und kostet unzählige Menschenleben. Es handelt sich um die Region, in die die ältere Schwester reist. Sie gehört zu den vielen Vermissten und wird nach einiger Zeit für tot erklärt.
Die Jüngere übernimmt fortan ihre Rolle. Die Nichte nennt sie fast sofort Mama, der Schwager heiratet sie. Doch spürt sie schnell, dass dieses Ersetzen der Schwester sie nicht glücklich macht. Und so erfährt der Leser, wie die Katastrophe auch das Leben der Zurückbleibenden in entscheidenden Punkten bestimmt.
Gleichzeitig, während wir dabei sind wie in Amsterdam Jahre und Jahrzehnte vergehen, erleben wir Stück für Stück, wie in Zeitlupe, wie die Ältere durch diese Sturmnacht irrt und um ihr Leben kämpft. Das lässt uns nicht nur bis zum Ende hoffen, dass sie es doch irgendwie geschafft und ein neues Leben angefangen hat. Das ist auch unglaublich beeindruckend geschildert und holt Bilder aus Lektüren wie Storms Der Schimmelreiter, Shakespeares Der Sturm und Filmen wie Titanic an die Oberfläche.
Sehr gut und sensibel geschrieben!
Das wäre alles nicht so wild, würde sich in der anstehenden Nacht nicht eine der schlimmsten Naturkatastrophen ereignen, die die Niederlande je sah. Eine Sturmflut fegt 1953 ganze Regionen von der Landkarte und kostet unzählige Menschenleben. Es handelt sich um die Region, in die die ältere Schwester reist. Sie gehört zu den vielen Vermissten und wird nach einiger Zeit für tot erklärt.
Die Jüngere übernimmt fortan ihre Rolle. Die Nichte nennt sie fast sofort Mama, der Schwager heiratet sie. Doch spürt sie schnell, dass dieses Ersetzen der Schwester sie nicht glücklich macht. Und so erfährt der Leser, wie die Katastrophe auch das Leben der Zurückbleibenden in entscheidenden Punkten bestimmt.
Gleichzeitig, während wir dabei sind wie in Amsterdam Jahre und Jahrzehnte vergehen, erleben wir Stück für Stück, wie in Zeitlupe, wie die Ältere durch diese Sturmnacht irrt und um ihr Leben kämpft. Das lässt uns nicht nur bis zum Ende hoffen, dass sie es doch irgendwie geschafft und ein neues Leben angefangen hat. Das ist auch unglaublich beeindruckend geschildert und holt Bilder aus Lektüren wie Storms Der Schimmelreiter, Shakespeares Der Sturm und Filmen wie Titanic an die Oberfläche.
Sehr gut und sensibel geschrieben!
September 23, 2020
Read for school
February 28, 2025
3,5🌟
Das war ein ziemlich solider „Thriller“ (Beziehungs- und Katastrophenthriller), liest sich flüssig aufgrund der lakonischen, unaufgeregten Erzählstimme, die einen hier begleitet, während ringsum alles sozusagen den Bach runtergeht. Atmosphärisch stark, spannend, unterhaltsam. Hat mir Lust auf mehr von der Autorin gemacht. Das war damals mein Einstieg in meine langjährige Hörbuch-Karriere, die bis heute (2025) anhält.
Das war ein ziemlich solider „Thriller“ (Beziehungs- und Katastrophenthriller), liest sich flüssig aufgrund der lakonischen, unaufgeregten Erzählstimme, die einen hier begleitet, während ringsum alles sozusagen den Bach runtergeht. Atmosphärisch stark, spannend, unterhaltsam. Hat mir Lust auf mehr von der Autorin gemacht. Das war damals mein Einstieg in meine langjährige Hörbuch-Karriere, die bis heute (2025) anhält.
February 1, 2020
This book opened up in a very interesting way, and had initially what I thought was an interesting plot line. And it seemed like the author just blew it early on in the book.
The setting is the Netherlands, 1953. There are two sisters aged two years apart and they are emotionally close to one another. I think the older one Lidy is 23 and Armanda is 21. Lidy is married to Sjoerd (for 2 years)and they have a one year old daughter. To avoid spoilers I won’t go into detail on the events that transpired in the novel (now after looking at my review in its totality I guess I give some stuff away…me bad). But a terrible thing happens to Lidy and it wasn’t actually supposed to happen to her – it was supposed to happen to Armanda. Armanda did not know she was putting her sister in harm’s way – it is important to point that out. But when all was said and done, the calamity that befell Lidy should not have happened to her - it should have happened to Armanda had she just let things have taken their normal course, but she didn’t. She as best as I can tell wanted to have a fling with Lidy’s husband and so she hatched a plan so that Lidy would go out of town….and actually it should have been Armanda who should have been out of town. And what happens out of town is a catastrophic event that actually occurred in the Netherlands, The North Sea Flood of 1953, a flood/storm surge that I guess was a once-in-several-hundred-years event. You don’t need a crystal ball to be a bit worried for Lidy, do you?
How would you feel if you wanted to have a fling with your sibling’s mate (that’s probably bad enough) and you arranged things so that a trip you were supposed to take out of town ended up with your sibling making that trip (so you could have a fling with your sibling’s mate) and then you find out that a storm surge/tsunami of epic proportions befalls your sibling? Do you think you just might feel a teensy-weensy bit guilty? Well, not Armanda. I think the plot line would have been interesting and believable if de Moor had run with that angle for the rest of the novel.
The book goes back and forth between Lidy and Armanda for the rest of the novel. Does Lidy make it out of the storm surge alive? Does she ever get back home? What happens between Armanda and Lidy’s spouse, Sjoerd, if anything? Maybe other reviewers will spill the beans but I won’t! 😊
After the initial part of the book that I did find quite interesting, the remainder of the book (3/5ths) I found to be a bit boring. There were too many technical details about the hurricane and about how dikes and flood gates are and are not supposed to work and how the moon is related to tides…. If there was less detail all of that would have been interesting. Too much for me. Mind you, I read The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, and I found the description of that storm, the build-up to it…to be enthralling.
Anyhoo once again I predict when I look at other reviews I will be the outlier. On the back cover are rave reviews for this book (translated from Dutch by Caroline Brown Janeway, 2010), such as:
“A technically perfect novel, informative and compelling, exciting and contemplative.” De Standaard
“The reader is alternately drive forward at gale force and subjected to the calm of reflection…Margriet de Moor is a master of her craft.” Tages-Anzieger Zurich
“The descriptions of The Storm are extraordinarily powerful, yet (de Moor) never strains for effect. She is at the height of her powers here. Love and death are the two great themes of literature. The Storm weaves them together seamlessly.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Footnote 1: here is a link if you want to read about the cataclysm: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_S...
Footnote 2: this is interesting…there was a movie drama about the Great Flood of 1953 called The Storm (Dutch: De Storm), a 2009 Dutch disaster film by Ben Sombogaart. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sto...
Footnote 3: Sebastian Junger in The Perfect Storm (1996) describes the physiologic effects of the act of drowning (yikes) and that is described in this book also.
Footnote 4: I just pulled out my copy of The Perfect Storm (and in it was an index card sent to me by the bookseller. It was humorous….I guess I must have ordered the book from him and paid him $40…when I received it in the mail, it came to me in terrible condition: his typewritten note reads “29 October 99 Jim, Sorry about the book The Perfect Storm (it looked like it was in the storm)…I enclose check for $40… Sincerely Carl XXXX”
The setting is the Netherlands, 1953. There are two sisters aged two years apart and they are emotionally close to one another. I think the older one Lidy is 23 and Armanda is 21. Lidy is married to Sjoerd (for 2 years)and they have a one year old daughter. To avoid spoilers I won’t go into detail on the events that transpired in the novel (now after looking at my review in its totality I guess I give some stuff away…me bad). But a terrible thing happens to Lidy and it wasn’t actually supposed to happen to her – it was supposed to happen to Armanda. Armanda did not know she was putting her sister in harm’s way – it is important to point that out. But when all was said and done, the calamity that befell Lidy should not have happened to her - it should have happened to Armanda had she just let things have taken their normal course, but she didn’t. She as best as I can tell wanted to have a fling with Lidy’s husband and so she hatched a plan so that Lidy would go out of town….and actually it should have been Armanda who should have been out of town. And what happens out of town is a catastrophic event that actually occurred in the Netherlands, The North Sea Flood of 1953, a flood/storm surge that I guess was a once-in-several-hundred-years event. You don’t need a crystal ball to be a bit worried for Lidy, do you?
How would you feel if you wanted to have a fling with your sibling’s mate (that’s probably bad enough) and you arranged things so that a trip you were supposed to take out of town ended up with your sibling making that trip (so you could have a fling with your sibling’s mate) and then you find out that a storm surge/tsunami of epic proportions befalls your sibling? Do you think you just might feel a teensy-weensy bit guilty? Well, not Armanda. I think the plot line would have been interesting and believable if de Moor had run with that angle for the rest of the novel.
The book goes back and forth between Lidy and Armanda for the rest of the novel. Does Lidy make it out of the storm surge alive? Does she ever get back home? What happens between Armanda and Lidy’s spouse, Sjoerd, if anything? Maybe other reviewers will spill the beans but I won’t! 😊
After the initial part of the book that I did find quite interesting, the remainder of the book (3/5ths) I found to be a bit boring. There were too many technical details about the hurricane and about how dikes and flood gates are and are not supposed to work and how the moon is related to tides…. If there was less detail all of that would have been interesting. Too much for me. Mind you, I read The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, and I found the description of that storm, the build-up to it…to be enthralling.
Anyhoo once again I predict when I look at other reviews I will be the outlier. On the back cover are rave reviews for this book (translated from Dutch by Caroline Brown Janeway, 2010), such as:
“A technically perfect novel, informative and compelling, exciting and contemplative.” De Standaard
“The reader is alternately drive forward at gale force and subjected to the calm of reflection…Margriet de Moor is a master of her craft.” Tages-Anzieger Zurich
“The descriptions of The Storm are extraordinarily powerful, yet (de Moor) never strains for effect. She is at the height of her powers here. Love and death are the two great themes of literature. The Storm weaves them together seamlessly.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Footnote 1: here is a link if you want to read about the cataclysm: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_S...
Footnote 2: this is interesting…there was a movie drama about the Great Flood of 1953 called The Storm (Dutch: De Storm), a 2009 Dutch disaster film by Ben Sombogaart. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sto...
Footnote 3: Sebastian Junger in The Perfect Storm (1996) describes the physiologic effects of the act of drowning (yikes) and that is described in this book also.
Footnote 4: I just pulled out my copy of The Perfect Storm (and in it was an index card sent to me by the bookseller. It was humorous….I guess I must have ordered the book from him and paid him $40…when I received it in the mail, it came to me in terrible condition: his typewritten note reads “29 October 99 Jim, Sorry about the book The Perfect Storm (it looked like it was in the storm)…I enclose check for $40… Sincerely Carl XXXX”
October 31, 2012
Even though the author informs the reader about the death of one of the main characters very early in the book-we don't learn HOW until almost the last page, which kept me turning them.
February 23, 2023
Tot een paar weken terug wist ik eigenlijk vrij weinig over de Watersnoodramp. Veel verder dan 'dijkdoorbraak, veel water, Zeeland, slachtoffers' kwam ik niet. Toen begon NOS de spéciale journaals, een week voor de 70-jarige herdenking. En aangezien ik dat weekend met vriendinnen in de buurt van Zeeland was, besloten we met een deel (en half Nederland) naar het Watersnoodmuseum te gaan. Dat was indrukwekkend, een aanrader.
Achteraf had ik gewild dat ik eerst dit boek had gelezen, dan had ik het waarschijnlijk nog meer gewaardeerd. Dit boek beschrijft de levens van twee zussen tijdens de storm en de nasleep, één toevallig in Zeeland, één thuis in Amsterdam.
Ook het boek was indrukwekkend en een aanrader!
Al was het alleen maar omdat de Watersnoodramp nog niet eens zo lang geleden is en veel meer kennis verdiend dan die ik, en misschien ook jij, had.
Achteraf had ik gewild dat ik eerst dit boek had gelezen, dan had ik het waarschijnlijk nog meer gewaardeerd. Dit boek beschrijft de levens van twee zussen tijdens de storm en de nasleep, één toevallig in Zeeland, één thuis in Amsterdam.
Ook het boek was indrukwekkend en een aanrader!
Al was het alleen maar omdat de Watersnoodramp nog niet eens zo lang geleden is en veel meer kennis verdiend dan die ik, en misschien ook jij, had.
July 10, 2012
In The Storm, Margriet de Moor interweaves the stories of two sisters. One sister is called Lidy. She visits the birthday party of a little girl in a small village on Schouwen Duivenland. While Lidy visits this party, the entire region is flooded during the North Sea Flood of 1953. The other story is that of Lidy’s sister Armanda, who we follow over the course of the years following the flood. Armanda tries to cope with the grief over her sister going missing. She also tries to rebuild her life, marrying Lidy’s husband and taking care of Lidy’s daughter.
I had planned to read a novel by Margriet de Moor for Dutch Lit Month in my effort to read a more balanced ratio of female to male authors. Initially, I was going to read First grey, then white, then blue which is her debut novel, but it appears to be out of print in English. By then, I had started coming across this stunning cover of The Storm over at Regular Rumination and Olduvai Reads. We all know how persuasive covers can be.. Another reason to decide on reading this one instead of De Moor’s debut was that, as a recently released translation, it was bound to be more readily available in English. Oh, and of course, the subject matter of The Storm did sound interesting as well.
I am definitely glad I read The Storm, as it has that emotional quality which means you will find yourself thinking about it for days after you have read it. Wondering about Lidy’s and Armanda’s lives.. Wondering about the “what ifs” and if there might have been any better (but probably also worse) alternatives.
I did find myself caring more about Lidy’s story than Armanda’s. Perhaps that is inevitable when a story that follows a person in an almost hour to hour ordeal is contrasted with one that follows a character over a number of years. The former allows a portrayal of each surge of hope and each devastating blow, while the latter can do the same, but only by providing glimpses of certain moments, which are then interspersed by long periods of time about which you learn nothing directly.
Nevertheless the shifting perspective does not lead to a division of the novel into two separate parts. Perhaps because in Lidy’s story there is a lot of reflection on her family, including Armanda. And Armanda’s story is caught up in the search for Lidy, and the grief over Lidy, as a missing person. This meant that while I found Lidy the more appealing character, I never found myself wishing for the parts in which Armanda’s story took precedence to be over. The novel remains a clearly defined whole, which is laudable as the shifts in perspective also mean shifts in setting and time.
The one difficulty I did have with The Storm was that it took quite some time to get used to De Moor’s prose. At first, I had to puzzle over some of the sentences, which can be quite long [look who's talking]. And it was only after 40 pages or so that I felt myself comfortably slide into the story. However, once I did, I did not want to stop reading.
[Review originally posted over at Iris on Books]
I had planned to read a novel by Margriet de Moor for Dutch Lit Month in my effort to read a more balanced ratio of female to male authors. Initially, I was going to read First grey, then white, then blue which is her debut novel, but it appears to be out of print in English. By then, I had started coming across this stunning cover of The Storm over at Regular Rumination and Olduvai Reads. We all know how persuasive covers can be.. Another reason to decide on reading this one instead of De Moor’s debut was that, as a recently released translation, it was bound to be more readily available in English. Oh, and of course, the subject matter of The Storm did sound interesting as well.
I am definitely glad I read The Storm, as it has that emotional quality which means you will find yourself thinking about it for days after you have read it. Wondering about Lidy’s and Armanda’s lives.. Wondering about the “what ifs” and if there might have been any better (but probably also worse) alternatives.
I did find myself caring more about Lidy’s story than Armanda’s. Perhaps that is inevitable when a story that follows a person in an almost hour to hour ordeal is contrasted with one that follows a character over a number of years. The former allows a portrayal of each surge of hope and each devastating blow, while the latter can do the same, but only by providing glimpses of certain moments, which are then interspersed by long periods of time about which you learn nothing directly.
Nevertheless the shifting perspective does not lead to a division of the novel into two separate parts. Perhaps because in Lidy’s story there is a lot of reflection on her family, including Armanda. And Armanda’s story is caught up in the search for Lidy, and the grief over Lidy, as a missing person. This meant that while I found Lidy the more appealing character, I never found myself wishing for the parts in which Armanda’s story took precedence to be over. The novel remains a clearly defined whole, which is laudable as the shifts in perspective also mean shifts in setting and time.
The one difficulty I did have with The Storm was that it took quite some time to get used to De Moor’s prose. At first, I had to puzzle over some of the sentences, which can be quite long [look who's talking]. And it was only after 40 pages or so that I felt myself comfortably slide into the story. However, once I did, I did not want to stop reading.
[Review originally posted over at Iris on Books]
June 10, 2010
This was a very powerful read and perhaps the only reason I did not accord her 5 stars was it seemed to falter a little in the middle. Whether it was my state of reading mind or simply the momentum was slowed, I found it a little wanting. I knew nothing about the flood of 1953 but she made it very real, and her characters with their struggles so alive. The pain of reading about Lidy's real time experience while Armanda's life sped ahead, by years even was initially frustrating, but in the end a really interesting and effective strategy for developing her stories. I loved the ending too. It perfectly fit to complete the story and while a resolution is tritely satisfying, it seemed necessary. Or at least I appreciated it this time rather than viewed it as a weakness.
This was a book that puts lesser reads to shame. I always feel a little guilty being hyper critical of an author as cannot imagine constructing a novel, at all. Yet this is the sort of book I revel in reading, something magical, that can be fallen into,something worth applauding and appreciating for the gem it is. why should lesser reads be applauded simply for existing? or for being mediocre?
I love the cover, again with the cover but I find the packaging of a book descriptive of it's innards.
I am curious about the translation also- wonder in the original language how it compares? How much does this translator add to the reading experience? something unknown by me.
Eerie and disturbing but unique and worthy of reading.
This was a book that puts lesser reads to shame. I always feel a little guilty being hyper critical of an author as cannot imagine constructing a novel, at all. Yet this is the sort of book I revel in reading, something magical, that can be fallen into,something worth applauding and appreciating for the gem it is. why should lesser reads be applauded simply for existing? or for being mediocre?
I love the cover, again with the cover but I find the packaging of a book descriptive of it's innards.
I am curious about the translation also- wonder in the original language how it compares? How much does this translator add to the reading experience? something unknown by me.
Eerie and disturbing but unique and worthy of reading.
October 14, 2014
When I found this book at a flea market, I didn't knew the author nor the book. And I didn't how much I would learn about a natural disaster that happened in the Netherlands in 1953, through a novel about two sisters who decide to switch their identity for a weekend. It's well written and never melodramatic. The story remained captivating until the end and for the first time I could imagine how awful it must have been for the 1836 victims. You should know that I'm living in Belgium, small neighbouring country of the Netherlands and that books about natural disasters are not the kind of reading I prefer. I'm glad I found and read this book. I didn't realise till now that a tsunami can happen in our countries and doesn't only happen far far away. It's a small world.
April 9, 2016
We had to read this book for our monthly book club, and I had to fight myself through. Even though it gets better near the ending, it's still a book with many layers, which you only find out by talking about the book. At first, you hate Armanda (Amanda? I can't even remember her name, lol) because she seems so utterly heartless and lets other people decide her future. But at the end this hatred shifts a bit and I got confused (aswell as my co-readers). The worst thing is the writing though: complex and annoying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2011
This book was okay. While the premise was interesting, the book itself was mostly just a sad story. The writing, translated into English, is beautiful, there are some moving passages and unique issues covered. It might be good for a book group discussion, but I can't really recommend The Storm as an enjoyable read.
February 13, 2011
Loved the depictions of the storm's approach and devastation. Much of what occurred was reminiscent of Katrina. I found the story of the sister caught in the storm to be stronger than the story of the sister left behind.
June 26, 2012
“They looked alike. Everyone thought so. They were tall girls with narrow, strong shoulders, always a little bent, which gave them a worried appearance that was quite misleading. And if they had turned round at that moment the double portrait would really have been striking: dark hair, almost chestnut-black, falling smoothly down their backs, exposing delicate little ears, and cut in a straight fringe that concealed the forehead completely. Nobody would ever see their foreheads. But everything could be read in the two pairs of eyes: merriment, sadness, mockery, indifference, passion, and also the speed of their shifting moods, yet what conveyed itself most clearly was that the two sisters appeared to see the world in exactly the same way, and to judge it.”
Lidy and Armanda are sisters. Lidy, 23, is married with a young daughter, and Armanda is just 18 and somehow manages to persuade her sister to exchange lives for a day. Lidy leaves for Zeeland to attend a birthday party, Armanda stays in Amsterdam to look after Nadja and Sjoerd. How are they to know that this is the very night of the storm of 31 January 1953 that would sweep away “1,836 people, 120,000 animals, and 772 square miles of land at one stroke”?
“The sound of a storm defies words. Or rather, the effect it has. The world makes noises. There isn’t a moment of peace in which it isn’t creaking or rustling or banging or talking and uttering every possible nuance of a lament until sometimes it even sings. Some of these noises can wait a little, but others are absolutely urgent.”
It is an odd feeling, reading this book.
The chapters alternate between present and past of sorts. The music of Lidy’s story is slow, gradual, as she awaits the storm, the flood. The time ticks by slowly as the floodwaters rise, and her fate looms. The chapters with Armanda stride on briskly, first it is just as the storm hits, then the aftermath and the tragedy, and then 18 months later at Lidy’s memorial service.
I suppose that is the intention. For you to grieve along with Armanda and the rest of the loved ones, then be struck as you return in the next chapter to Lidy waiting for the flood, high up in that attic room, knowing there is nothing she or anyone else can do. As a result, your heart is pulled towards Lidy waiting her death. But Armanda’s life too has changed, she has outlived her sister, but feels haunted by her presence:
“Do you know what I sometimes still think? Lidy’s just gone for a day, and she’s relying on me to live her life for her, all organized and proper, and that’s exactly what I’m damn well doing.”
The Storm, or De Verdronkene, was an emotional, unforgettable read.
August 30, 2013
Die Schwestern Lidy und Armanda sind Anfang 20, Armanda wohnt noch im Haushalt der Eltern, Lidy mit Ehemann Sjoerd und Tochter Nadja nur ein paar Häuser weiter. Während düster wirkende Andeutungen und eine Hochwasserwarnung im Radio ein nahemdes Orkantief ahnen lassen, fährt Lidy zu einem Kindergeburtstag auf der niederländischen Insel Schouwen, die kleine Nadja wird von den Großeltern und von ihrer Tante betreut. Lidy nimmt den Wetterumschwang und das auffällige Verhalten von ein paar flüchtenden Hasen zwar wahr, Überflutungen an der niederländischen Küsten sind jedoch so alltäglich, dass sie sich nicht weiter sorgt. Der Roman wird aus der Perspektive des allwissenden Erzählers zeitlich versetzt erzählt. Während auf einer Erzählebene die Angehörigen in Amsterdam von der Jahrhunderflut erfahren, Lidy vermisst melden und schließlich für tot erklären lassen, folgt die andere Ebene Lidy noch immer auf ihrer Flucht vor dem Wasser. Erst am Schluss erfährt man als Leser, was Lidy in dieser Winternacht 1953 passiert. In Amsterdam heiratet Armanda Sjoerd, nun offiziell Witwer, in den sie als junges Mädchen ebenso verliebt war wie Lidy, und wird Nadjas Stiefmutter. Das Kind weiß, das es eine Mama und eine Mutter hat. Solange Lidys Leiche trotz intensiver Suche nicht gefunden wird, wäre es theoretisch denkbar, dass sie irgendwo in den Niederlanden noch lebt und sich an ihre Familie in Amsterdam nicht erinnern kann oder will. Jahrzehnte vergehen, Lidy und Sjoerd sind inzwischen Eltern von zwei weiteren Kindern, Nadja ist erwachsen und berufstätig.
Die unglücklichen Folgen des Rollentauschs der beiden Schwestern haben auf mich wie eine "unerhörte Begebenheit" gewirkt. Sjoerd und Armanda leben nach Libys Verschwinden eine Ehe auf Abruf, im Ungewissen darüber, ob Liby wirklich durch die Sturmflut ums Leben gekommen ist. Das nicht unkomplizierte Verhältnis der Schwestern ist unter diesen Bedingungen kaum zu klären. Bis zum letzten Kapitel habe ich der Aufklärung von Libys Schicksal entgegengefiebert. Spannung erzeugt Margriet de Moor mit eingeschobenen Wetterbeobachtungen. So sorgen sich die Leser schon frühzeitig um Liby, während die Romanfiguren die heraufziehende Katastrophe noch mit routiniertem Blick auf die nahenden Wassermassen ignorieren. Mit welchen Mitteln die Autorin die Beunruhigung ihrer Leser erreicht, wirkt nicht weniger spannend als die Ereignisse an der niederländischen Küste. Mit den ambivalenten Gefühlen der Angehörigen einer vermissten Person konnte ich mich leicht identifizieren und fand den Roman mitsamt seinem historischen Hintergrund spannend und raffiniert angelegt.
Die unglücklichen Folgen des Rollentauschs der beiden Schwestern haben auf mich wie eine "unerhörte Begebenheit" gewirkt. Sjoerd und Armanda leben nach Libys Verschwinden eine Ehe auf Abruf, im Ungewissen darüber, ob Liby wirklich durch die Sturmflut ums Leben gekommen ist. Das nicht unkomplizierte Verhältnis der Schwestern ist unter diesen Bedingungen kaum zu klären. Bis zum letzten Kapitel habe ich der Aufklärung von Libys Schicksal entgegengefiebert. Spannung erzeugt Margriet de Moor mit eingeschobenen Wetterbeobachtungen. So sorgen sich die Leser schon frühzeitig um Liby, während die Romanfiguren die heraufziehende Katastrophe noch mit routiniertem Blick auf die nahenden Wassermassen ignorieren. Mit welchen Mitteln die Autorin die Beunruhigung ihrer Leser erreicht, wirkt nicht weniger spannend als die Ereignisse an der niederländischen Küste. Mit den ambivalenten Gefühlen der Angehörigen einer vermissten Person konnte ich mich leicht identifizieren und fand den Roman mitsamt seinem historischen Hintergrund spannend und raffiniert angelegt.
September 16, 2014
Trapped in her Sister’s Shoes: Storm by Margriet de Moor
Abridged version of my review posted on Edith’s Miscellany on 24 January 2014
Winter is the season of storms in Europe and everybody living in coastal areas of the North Sea can certainly tell you a thing or two about it. The two biggest storm catastrophes of the twentieth century happened in the Netherlands on 31 January 1953 and in Hamburg on 16 February 1962. Both times cyclones caused huge tidal surge which broke dikes and cost the lives of thousands of people. A novel dealing with the flood disaster in the Netherlands and its impact on the lives of the surviving is The Storm by the Dutch writer Margriet de Moor.
The opening scene of The Storm is set in Amsterdam on the morning of 31 January 1953. An omniscient third-person narrator tells the stories of the sisters Lidy and Armanda, the first twenty-three and married with a child, the latter twenty-one, shy and a bit jealous of everything her older sister has. When Lidy instead of Armanda sets out for the small town of Zierikzee several hours to the South disaster takes its course. It’s the night of a winter storm of unexpected power and Lidy is in its centre. After a long and desperate fight for survival she drowns in the floods. This short and thrilling period of Lidy’s life is set against the long and rather ordinary existence of Armanda in well-ordered circumstances that follows the events because Lidy’s body isn’t found. The worries of her family change into grief as the hopes to find her alive shrink. Before soon Armanda takes the place in Lidy’s little family, but for the rest of her days she feels like she were continuing her sister’s instead of her own life.
Reading The Storm by Margriet de Moor has been an interesting and instructive pleasure as well as a sad and moving experience. And of course I highly recommend the book.
For the full review please click here to go to my blog post on Edith’s Miscellany .
Abridged version of my review posted on Edith’s Miscellany on 24 January 2014
Winter is the season of storms in Europe and everybody living in coastal areas of the North Sea can certainly tell you a thing or two about it. The two biggest storm catastrophes of the twentieth century happened in the Netherlands on 31 January 1953 and in Hamburg on 16 February 1962. Both times cyclones caused huge tidal surge which broke dikes and cost the lives of thousands of people. A novel dealing with the flood disaster in the Netherlands and its impact on the lives of the surviving is The Storm by the Dutch writer Margriet de Moor.
The opening scene of The Storm is set in Amsterdam on the morning of 31 January 1953. An omniscient third-person narrator tells the stories of the sisters Lidy and Armanda, the first twenty-three and married with a child, the latter twenty-one, shy and a bit jealous of everything her older sister has. When Lidy instead of Armanda sets out for the small town of Zierikzee several hours to the South disaster takes its course. It’s the night of a winter storm of unexpected power and Lidy is in its centre. After a long and desperate fight for survival she drowns in the floods. This short and thrilling period of Lidy’s life is set against the long and rather ordinary existence of Armanda in well-ordered circumstances that follows the events because Lidy’s body isn’t found. The worries of her family change into grief as the hopes to find her alive shrink. Before soon Armanda takes the place in Lidy’s little family, but for the rest of her days she feels like she were continuing her sister’s instead of her own life.
Reading The Storm by Margriet de Moor has been an interesting and instructive pleasure as well as a sad and moving experience. And of course I highly recommend the book.
For the full review please click here to go to my blog post on Edith’s Miscellany .
July 18, 2018
I picked up this book for my first stop on the Reader’s Room Backpacking Across Europe Summer Reading Challenge. I don’t tend to read disaster stories, so I probably wouldn’t have chosen it if Utah public libraries had a better selection of translated fiction (side complaint: there isn't much I miss about Texas, but the diversity of the DFW Metroplex is a big one. Only in beginning this challenge did I realize how much harder my reading is going to be in MormonLand). But I’m quite glad this is the book I ended up with, as it was unlike anything I’ve read before, in both style and substance.
At the end of January 1953, a major storm flooded the North Sea. More than 1800 people were killed in the Netherlands (as well as about 300 in England and at least 200 at sea) as hundreds of thousands of acres were suddenly underwater.
This book begins on January 31, hours before the storm hit. It’s the story of Lidy and Armanda, sisters whose lives are permanently separated—and, in a way, permanently merged—on that day.
I can’t actually describe the book very well, which is something I’m realizing now that I’m attempting to do it. It follows both sisters approximately equally, though one timeline ends up covering several decades and the other only one day. It’s full of logistical detail that I’m sure many people would find superfluous, but even as I sometimes found it tedious, I never questioned its inclusion in the book. Maybe it’s because one of the things you can’t help realizing, as you follow the Brouwer sisters’ stories, is how the most desperately mundane facts—like changes in the air pressure northwest of Scotland—can completely subsume our lives.
At the end of January 1953, a major storm flooded the North Sea. More than 1800 people were killed in the Netherlands (as well as about 300 in England and at least 200 at sea) as hundreds of thousands of acres were suddenly underwater.
This book begins on January 31, hours before the storm hit. It’s the story of Lidy and Armanda, sisters whose lives are permanently separated—and, in a way, permanently merged—on that day.
I can’t actually describe the book very well, which is something I’m realizing now that I’m attempting to do it. It follows both sisters approximately equally, though one timeline ends up covering several decades and the other only one day. It’s full of logistical detail that I’m sure many people would find superfluous, but even as I sometimes found it tedious, I never questioned its inclusion in the book. Maybe it’s because one of the things you can’t help realizing, as you follow the Brouwer sisters’ stories, is how the most desperately mundane facts—like changes in the air pressure northwest of Scotland—can completely subsume our lives.
April 8, 2010
Two sisters trade roles for a couple days so that one can attend a party and one can leave town to visit her sister's godchild. The latter unknowingly heads straight into the worst storm and flood that the Netherlands have seen in centuries. The woman's fate is known early on, so the plot is driven by an inevitable set of events, following both sisters' experiences. The sister that remained home grapples with her responsibility for the situation and the sister in the storm struggles for her life. It's compelling, especially the scenes within the storm. The author writes with a technical tone that depicts exact movements of pressure and water movement, but it's oddly fascinating at moments. However, the final chapter is completely jarring and of a different tone than the rest of the book, making for an ill-fitting conclusion.
November 3, 2015
I loved this book. And that is something, because usually I don't like books written in my own language (Dutch). Of course, the ending it was to be expected. Everyone with even a little knowledge of what happened in 1953, could've guessed it.
I thought this book was wonderful. I loved the little, heartbreaking facts the author gives the reader, and how one story ends, while the other continues. I especially loved the ending.
Although... The book was quite confusing sometimes, but after reading parts over (it might also have to do with my lack of concentration I seem to be having) I just loved it.
I was more interested in Lidy's story though, because she's a victim of the disaster.
This is a beautiful, sad, amazing read and I'd really recommend this book to everyone who likes a little (a lot) drama.
I thought this book was wonderful. I loved the little, heartbreaking facts the author gives the reader, and how one story ends, while the other continues. I especially loved the ending.
Although... The book was quite confusing sometimes, but after reading parts over (it might also have to do with my lack of concentration I seem to be having) I just loved it.
I was more interested in Lidy's story though, because she's a victim of the disaster.
This is a beautiful, sad, amazing read and I'd really recommend this book to everyone who likes a little (a lot) drama.
May 22, 2012
Wieder einmal ein echtes "Magriet de Moor"-Buch! Und wieder einmal feinfühlig ins Deutsche übersetzt von Helga van Beuningen.
Fantastisch wie ein erschütterndes Großereignis wie die Flut von 1953 vermittelt werden kann, indem die Autorin wie mit einer Lupe nur eine Familie in den Blick nimmt. "Wenn es nicht wahr ist, ist es doch gut erfunden." - Ja der Plot wirkt konstruiert, ja die Personen verhalten sich nicht immer plausibel - aber doch ist es toll, wie hier die Beziehung zweier Schwestern über Tod und Leben hinaus geschildert wird.
Und auch die Reaktion von Menschen in höchster Gefahr wird glaubhaft dargestellt.
Und das habe ich begriffen: Es ist viel einfacher, einen heldenhaften frühen Tod zu sterben, als ein langes belangloses Leben mit Würde hinter sich zu bringen.
Fantastisch wie ein erschütterndes Großereignis wie die Flut von 1953 vermittelt werden kann, indem die Autorin wie mit einer Lupe nur eine Familie in den Blick nimmt. "Wenn es nicht wahr ist, ist es doch gut erfunden." - Ja der Plot wirkt konstruiert, ja die Personen verhalten sich nicht immer plausibel - aber doch ist es toll, wie hier die Beziehung zweier Schwestern über Tod und Leben hinaus geschildert wird.
Und auch die Reaktion von Menschen in höchster Gefahr wird glaubhaft dargestellt.
Und das habe ich begriffen: Es ist viel einfacher, einen heldenhaften frühen Tod zu sterben, als ein langes belangloses Leben mit Würde hinter sich zu bringen.
May 29, 2017
Ik vond het in het begin erg moeilijk om in het boek te komen. Het geschetste beeld van 1953 voelde verkeerd en veel te modern aan. Ook de beschrijvingen van het jonge dochtertje waren onrealistisch. Ik heb het nog even opgezocht, Margriet de Moor heeft zelf twee kinderen, maar het is blijkbaar een hele tijd geleden dat ze voor een tweejarige gezorgd heeft, als ze werkelijk denkt dat je een aantal dagen op een tweejarige kunt passen en 'ook nog rustig de hele dag aan je scriptie kunt werken'.
Vanaf het derde deel van het boek werd het beter. De vervlechting van de twee verhalen vond ik heel kunstig. Toch nog 3 sterren.
Vanaf het derde deel van het boek werd het beter. De vervlechting van de twee verhalen vond ik heel kunstig. Toch nog 3 sterren.
September 11, 2010
2 1/2 stars. I really liked parts of this, but this is another novel I feel would work better as a collections of stories or vignettes. Part of my trouble getting involved had something to do with translation or culture, I think. It was hard for me to follow the motivations and reactions of characters. Because of that, frankly, I kind of skimmed the last few chapters. I know. I feel bad about it.
April 21, 2011
I did not like this book. A woman is caught in a flood in the Netherlands. Her sister marries her husband; mothers her daughter; has two more children; divorces the husband; and finally lands in a nursing home. Sandwiched between this story is the story of the unfortunate sister's last days and hours. At the end she comes back to her sister in the nursing home. It wasn't very significant to me.
June 2, 2011
The best thing about this book was that it took place in a country I have not read much about: The Netherlands. The description was tantalizing - look alike sisters trade places for a weekend then one is unexpectedly caught in an awful storm and flood and thought to be dead. The author writes in detail about the dead sister's last hours in such a manner that I found myself thinking perhaps she did survive after all. The disappointment when I realized she did not ruined the whole book for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2010
I gave this 2 stars because I hate it when I skim whole paragraphs just to get through a chapter (or two or three or eight). And I skimmed a lot to get past the boring bits. I felt like I need a degree in low country urban planning to understand some of the descriptions. At least I learned some new words like "polder". I already knew about dikes.
May 3, 2010
I liked the writing mostly. But this book borders on a 1 star for how it went to hell in the end. The last chapter was unreadable and I didn't care. The Lidy chapters ended tediously with cliffhangers that you could see coming a mile off. I felt like the author was trying to make me look stupid.
June 18, 2017
Ik lees het met interesse en huivering. Margriet de Moor schrijft erg prettig, maar soms ook wel wat academisch qua woordkeus. De afwisseling tussen de zussen plus het grotere perspectief zijn goed met elkaar in balans.
https://lalageleest.wordpress.com/201...
https://lalageleest.wordpress.com/201...
June 29, 2010
This started out so well, but toward the middle I became bored and confused. Perhaps something was lost in translation and due to my unfamiliarity with the landscape. I couldn't make myself finish it.
April 11, 2024
Geweldige roman. Je voelt en ruikt de zilt stormende vloed en de vergáánde menselijkheid, ook de raak beschreven beklemmingen in de na-tijd. Mooie combinatie van historische en psychologische roman, met nadruk op het laatste aspect.
November 13, 2023
Tr. Carol Janeway. I really liked parts of this, others not so much but it feels as of it has an unfairly low Goodreads rating overall. It’s an interesting premise although the fact of one sister taking the other’s place (in death and in life) wasn’t what particularly interested me. I did really like how we followed Lidy as she makes her way through the storm, finding a strange intimacy facing death with people she doesn’t know, urging her on to her safety although we already know what is going to happen if not exactly how. Armanda’s story was less interesting to me but provided a good counterpoint.
De Moor mixes up a lot of styles and almost plays with the reader - even including fairly dry, informative snippets about weather fronts and dam engineering. Personally I liked it but that approach may not work for everyone. Still, overall I thought this was an atmospheric and increasingly concerning story given the more frequent extreme weather events that Europe (and elsewhere) are experiencing.
De Moor mixes up a lot of styles and almost plays with the reader - even including fairly dry, informative snippets about weather fronts and dam engineering. Personally I liked it but that approach may not work for everyone. Still, overall I thought this was an atmospheric and increasingly concerning story given the more frequent extreme weather events that Europe (and elsewhere) are experiencing.
January 31, 2023
Mooi boek, zeker om in deze tijd van het jaar te lezen. Extra 'leuk' dat de ramp dit jaar 70 jaar geleden is, waardoor er momenteel veel aandacht voor is d.m.v. documentaires etc.
Boek deed me qua stijl wat denken aan Anna Enquist: MdM is net als AE ook muzikant en zegt haar boeken te schrijven met technieken vergelijkbaar met die in de muziek. Verschillende tempi voor verschillende hoofdpersonen bijvoorbeeld, waarvan in dit boek ook sprake is. De zussen Lidy en Armanda raken elkaar al vroeg in het leven kwijt door de ramp, maar tegelijk blijven ze ook tot de dood van de zus die het oudst wordt (Armanda) juist erg sterk verbonden. Dit komt doordat Armanda eigenlijk de plaats van Lidy overneemt. Omdat Lidy's leven veel korter duurde dan dat van Armanda, verloopt haar leven in het boek veel langzamer, omdat de zussen wel min of meer tegelijk sterven aan het eind van het boek. Met name de laatste uren van Lidy, ergens in de polder op Schouwen-Duiveland, krijg je nauwgezet mee. Indrukwekkend, ondanks dat de personages misschien niet helemaal in hun tijd lijken te passen en de schrijfstijl wat afstandelijks heeft. Tegelijk is het wel móói geschreven. Net als De Schilder en het meisje, eigenlijk.
Boek deed me qua stijl wat denken aan Anna Enquist: MdM is net als AE ook muzikant en zegt haar boeken te schrijven met technieken vergelijkbaar met die in de muziek. Verschillende tempi voor verschillende hoofdpersonen bijvoorbeeld, waarvan in dit boek ook sprake is. De zussen Lidy en Armanda raken elkaar al vroeg in het leven kwijt door de ramp, maar tegelijk blijven ze ook tot de dood van de zus die het oudst wordt (Armanda) juist erg sterk verbonden. Dit komt doordat Armanda eigenlijk de plaats van Lidy overneemt. Omdat Lidy's leven veel korter duurde dan dat van Armanda, verloopt haar leven in het boek veel langzamer, omdat de zussen wel min of meer tegelijk sterven aan het eind van het boek. Met name de laatste uren van Lidy, ergens in de polder op Schouwen-Duiveland, krijg je nauwgezet mee. Indrukwekkend, ondanks dat de personages misschien niet helemaal in hun tijd lijken te passen en de schrijfstijl wat afstandelijks heeft. Tegelijk is het wel móói geschreven. Net als De Schilder en het meisje, eigenlijk.
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