Love Life

February's Bookclub choice was Love Life by Ray Kluun. Translated from the Dutch, this (semi)-autobiographic novel tells about a couple trying to come to terms with the woman's breast cancer. The story is told from the male's point of view, Dan.

Dan is a self proclaimed 'monophoob' (afraid of monogamous relationships) and reacts to his wife's diagnosis by plunging into Amsterdam's nightlife, sleeping with lots of women and starting an affair with Rose.

The back of the book says the story is a modern love story and ultimately uplifting, despite the unhappy end. But most bookclub members didn't think the story was uplifting, as they kept on feeling really angry with the protagonist, preventing them from having any other emotions about the book.

Some of us felt that although Dan wasn't a very likeable character, the love between him and his wife seemed real and intense. Those people thought Dans wife, Carmen, knew about the cheating but chose to ignore it or consider it a character flaw. They felt Carmen was possibly the strongest person in the book, while Dan seemed clueless.

Even though most people gave Love Life a relatively low rating (6 on average), mostly due to the strong dislike of the protagonist, the book provoked good discussion. We talked about cheating, the effects of cancer on a relationship and euthanasia. And added, of course, that we would kick our husbands out of the house if he would even consider to behave like Dan.