First published 2009
Helmer never planned to come back. The small family farm was his twin brother's life, not his. But a car accident changes everything. Now Helmer must leave his old life behind and take his brother's place, resigned to spending his days milking cows and working the land. He moves his aging father upstairs and begins arranging the house to suit his simple tastes. Ada, the neighbor woman, suggests he get a proper bed and hints at other domestic arrangements with a knowing smile. Then Riet arrives at his door. She was once engaged to marry his dead twin, and now she needs a place to stay with her young son. Helmer faces a choice that will determine whether he remains alone with his grief and duty, or opens his life to the possibility of something he never expected to find.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Netherlands
Period: 21st-century
283 pages · Paperback · Vintage Books