Guus Bosman

De Asielzoeker is a beautiful but depressing book about a man's journey through life, and the role that his dying wife has played in it. The book won the Dutch AKO literatuurprijs in 2004 and it's easy to see why -- it's beautifully written with characters that are well thought out and executed. The downside was the depressing story line -- it's just so sad and depressing! The main character feels that life consists of illusions and self deception, and his way of approaching life is therefore very cold and, again, depressing. A beautiful read, over all. This book was a present by Jessica.