Tedious, atmospheric novel about a Huguenot family on the run in the 17th century, attempting to run a sugar plantation in the jungle of Surinam, experimenting with enlightened principles (free slaves, harmonious community).

As one expects rather than providing an alternative way of making a piece of jungle productive to everyone’s benefit, the experience becomes a bitter one, turning everything on its head, with the jungle as ultimate winner after claiming three fatalities. It is the story of Raoul, who marries Josephine and takes responsibility for her two sisters Agnes and Cecile. After the edict of Nantes (offering protection for protestants in France) is renounced in 1685, they sell their farm and move to Holland, where they all feel miserable. They then decide to pursue a dream of a new start in the jungle of the West Indies (Surinam) and travel there by ship. The captain of the ship advices them on a potential foreman, the harshly racist Willem Das, a man of the planters’ world, who enters in a partnership with the weak Raoul and his strange, liberal ideas. Willem treats the slaves badly, sexually abuses the black women at night, while running a tight ship on the plantation. The latter has been given by the governor to Raoul. Raoul chose a site far removed from the other plantations, so as to enable his experiment with liberal ideas without interference from other conservative planters. Agnes is vigorous in taking up farming and she is impressed by Isidore the foreman of the African slaves. At the same time she despises Willem Das, who in turn is quite smitten with Agnes. When he asks Raoul for her hand, the latter is faced with a dilemma. Agnes declines the request out of hand, and Raoul begrudgingly respects her wish. This sets the stage for adversity after adversity – drought, deluge, ant plague.

The drama peaks when Willem Das decides to give in to his urge to molest Agnes. Isidore protects her by hitting Willem on the head, necessitating Raoul to act. Contrary to his nature – he incarcerates Isidore. When two neighbouring planters discover the fate of dying Willem they demand ‘proper’ punishment for the slave Isidore. While the argument rages, one of the planters shoots Isidore, who drops dead. This proves the final straw. Agnes retreats from active life, going local in the hut of the slave women. Cecile dies of disease. And the ants wreck havoc. When finally Josephine proves to be pregnant, Raoul concludes it is better to leave, providing for a suitable environment for his new born. They leave the colony and embark the same ship that brought them at the invitation of the captain. The ship takes them to England, where Raoul soon finds work among fellow Huguenots.

Over time their collective memory of the silent plantation becomes nostalgic, less bleak. When the son has become a young adult, lovingly raised by his story telling aunt Agnes, he desires to find out about the plantation of her stories. Of course the jungle has reclaimed the plantation, Cecile’s grave can not even be located. Gaston decides to withhold the truth from his family. Life goes on.

In an afterword, added in 1980, Helman provides some background info on the process of writing this ‘classic’ Dutch novel on colonialism and slavery. Soon after his arrival in the Netherlands in the early 1930s, Helman had submitted a first chapter as an entry to a literature competition. His novel was snubbed, but once published became a success. However, translations for the American and British market fell through on account of its hint at an interracial love relation (between Agnes and Isidore). Later Helman wrote another novel on the silent plantation from a female perspective (in diary form, entitled the flaming silence (laaiende stilte)). For Helman, the book remained pivotal for his career as a writer, though he had his regrets about some parts of it (the novel reflects his own ‘misplaced’ longing for the jungle, as a young man).

For the present day reader, the going is tough: tedious, long winding sentences, applying archaic Dutch at times. A slow burner that successfully portrays an ominous atmosphere, driven by a sense of futility. ( )