Fathers Affair - Softcover

Van Loon, Karel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 000639289X ISBN 13: 9780006392897

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2004

Synopsis

What happens to the father of a 13-year-old boy when he discovers that he has been infertile all of his life? This is the intriguing premise of A Father’s Affair, the international bestseller 250,000 copies sold in Holland alone that has received widespread acclaim.

The story of Armin, a man in search of the biological father of his now motherless son, A Father’s Affair is, as writer Michel Faber said, “a whodunit of the heart, compelling, touching and peculiar.” Armin’s eventual discovery forms a shocking but brilliant climax, one that Karel van Loon handles with extraordinary sensitivity. A novel that probes the eternal question of how well we know the ones we love, A Father’s Affair is a stylish, thrilling and, most of all, captivating read.

About this title

About the Author:

KAREL VAN LOON is the author of two bestselling novels and a collection of stories, The World Went Mad Last Night, which was shortlisted for the ECI prize. The winner of the Generale Bank Literature Prize, A Father’s Affair was originally published in Dutch and has since been translated into 22 languages. A freelance journalist and television producer, Karel van Loon lives in Amsterdam.

From Publishers Weekly:

Dutch novelist Van Loon's American debut is a whodunit with an irresistible twist: Armin Minderhout, a widower in his 30s with a 13-year-old son, learns that he has been sterile all his life. A doctor breaks the news to Armin after he and his girlfriend, Ellen, endure a battery of tests to find out why she can't get pregnant. The revelation is numbing; Armin's late wife, Monika, who died suddenly 10 years ago at the age of 25, was the love of his life. After deciding not to tell his son, Bo, Armin tries to figure out who could have been Bo's father. The first suspect, a former boyfriend and fatuous consultant named Robbert Hubeek, taunts Armin by describing his interlude with the pregnant Monika in detail. Armin gets enough information to eliminate Robbert from his list, and he also rules out Monika's doctor as a suspect. He seemingly hits pay dirt when he tracks down one of Monika's friends, Niko Neerinckx, and finds a photo of Monika in Niko's family album. But his meeting with Niko's wife touches off a fierce fight with Ellen, leading Armin deep into his own family history and eventually to an even more shocking discovery. Van Loon tells the story through dialogue and flashbacks as Armin retraces his courtship and marriage to Monika; his romance with Ellen, who had been a friend of Monika's; and his close relationship with his parents throughout the upheaval. The inventive story line and the stunning ending combine to make this book a winner.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 000639289X
• ISBN 13: 9780006392897
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1