Even though it spans some 40 years, this novel seems to be built primarily around sexual deviancy, psychosis, and World War 2, in that order. A near-incestuous relationship that's taken to further heights by pretending its cousin participants are brother and sister, a guy who likes women as a woman, and the daughter's a lesbian. Anyway, Geur der droefenis is a familial novel, the genre most famously represented by Die Buddenbrooks and The Forsyte Saga. Typical elements are unhappiness in spite of (sufficient) material wealth, one or more characters being destroyed by some issue, and a lack of communication. This novel embodies all of those characteristics. Through this superficially outdated mode of storytelling Kossmann gives us a critical look at "our" era of a few odd decades ago, utilizing some enjoyable, quite well-written prose.

The protagonist, Thomas Rozendal, walks around the streets of Rotterdam "like a tourist" after the bombardment. That seems to be his attitude pretty much throughout his life, but the war is the only time the outside world is present in the novel. There's an offhand remark about Greece being a dictatorship, but nothing comes through about the protests of the 1960s, with its social issues and the Vietnam War. This seems to illustrate once more that these characters were made, or I should say destroyed by World War 2. Many of the major and supporting characters commit suicide in some way eventually, whether in the form of actual suicide or in a more figurative way, such as the destruction of the only manuscript copy of a novel on which they spent many months of labor.

In the end the book is a fairly light, fast read. I wasn't always impressed by what's described, but I was definitely impressed by how it's described. A fine specimen of nihilism — pardon me, of the smell of sadness. The lack of meaning in life comes through quite well, and there's some technical mastery on top of the pleasant prose. I might actually like it better than some of the canonicized '80s works like Mulisch' De aanslag, an enjoyable read in spite of the fact that it belabors its Greek tragic build-up as well as its deep philosophical layers, and Claus' Het verdriet van België, a fragmented mainly aestheticizing work.

I read this book primarily because it was featured on the list of 1000 Books You Must Read Before You Die, and I figured I should acquaint myself with those Dutch books on that list I didn't know. I suppose there was an intent to avoid a more obvious book like the conspicuously absent Max Havelaar, but my own vote in that case would be Maria Dermoût's The Ten Thousand Things. ( )

Beste roman van de toch al zeer goede romanschrijver Kossmann.Breed panorama van een opgroeiende jongeman tussen 1930-1970.Klassieke coming-of-age-en dan eindelijk eens een goede van een Nederlandse auteur, die alweer vergeten is, maar in de jaren 50 even serieus telde als Hermans,Vestdijk, Haasse.Terecht. ( )