Pear Trees Blossom White
A family is turned upside down when their mother leaves. Then the youngest son, Gerson, loses his eyesight in an accident, and the balance is disturbed even more. The father feels guilty – he was driving the car and failed to give way.
Meanwhile the twins, Kees and Klaas, try to support their little brother, but they too are victims of a situation in which nothing can be taken for granted any longer. In this dark and shaky world, Gerson worries about his life and his sexuality.
Without any over-dramatization, the events head almost casually towards a tragic conclusion. Bakker shifts the perspective between Gerson and his brothers. The twins speak as one, further underlining Gerson’s isolated position. This book calmly shows how, from one day to the next, life can become hopeless. This cool inevitability is what makes the story so heartrending.
