The Darkness That Divides Us - Paperback

by Renate Dorrestein (Author), Hester Velmans (Translator)

"Just a remarkable book. Haunting characters, amazing voice, propulsive plot. I hope we see a lot more from Dorrestein. Count me among her fans."--Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club

"Dorrestein knows how to chill her readers with tragedy and then melt their hearts with forgiveness." --Susan Vreeland on A Heart of Stone

Lucy is the most popular girl in the local elementary school of an idyllic Dutch housing estate. When a bizarre crime rocks her world and sends her mother to prison, Lucy is turned into an outcast and her childhood becomes an ordeal of constant, vicious bullying. After her mother's release, Lucy's family decides to escape and make a clean start on a rugged Scottish island. But even here, in this remote corner of the world, Lucy's past holds a firm grip on her. Told in the alternating voices of the bullies and Lucy, this darkly atmospheric and emotionally gripping story is part family drama and part mystery.

Renate Dorrestein (1954-2018) was an internationally bestselling author who occupies a unique position within Dutch literature. An extraordinary storyteller, known for her unsentimental depiction of children and their flawed families, Dorrestein's wicked humor offsets the darkness of her subjects. Her novels have been made into films and translated into fifteen languages.

Front Jacket

Lucy is the most popular girl in the local elementary school of an idyllic Dutch housing estate. When a bizarre crime rocks her world and sends her mother to prison, Lucy is turned into an outcast and her childhood becomes an ordeal of constant, vicious bullying. After her mother's release, Lucy's family decides to escape and make a clean start on a rugged Scottish island. But even here, in this remote corner of the world, Lucy's past holds a firm grip on her. Told in the alternating voices of the bullies and Lucy, this darkly atmospheric and emotionally-gripping story is part family drama and part mystery.

Author Biography

RENATE DORRESTEIN (1954-2018) is an internationally best-selling author who occupies a unique position within Dutch literature. An extraordinary storyteller, known for her unsentimental depiction of children and their flawed families, Dorrestein's wicked humor offsets the darkness of her subjects. Her novels have been made into films and translated into 15 languages.

HESTER VELMANS was born in Amsterdam, but lived in five different countries while growing up, before finally settling in western Massachusetts. She is the author of the popular children's books Isabel of the Whales and Jessaloup's Song. The recipient of an NEA Translation Fellowship in 2014, she was previously awarded the Vondel Prize for her translation of Renate Dorrestein's A Heart of Stone. Her most recent novel, Slipper, was published in April 2018.