Breakwater

A novel about a marriage torn apart by a violent secret for fans of Lauren Groff's Fates and FuriesEmilia has it all: a
rewarding career as a statistician, a wonderful husband, two healthy young sons,
and a house in the countryside. But when a brief moment of panic triggers the
memory of a traumatic experience from twelve years before, Emilia finds herself
floating away from her average existence. The secret she’s kept for so long
refuses to stay hidden, and as Emilia’s grip on reality loosens, heavy rains
begin to fall and the river threatens to overflow the house. In this critically
acclaimed novel, Schermer explores the impact of sexual violence, and whether
or not it’s possible to truly know another person. Breakwater is a haunting examination of memory and trauma, written
in prose stunning in its frankness and precision.



Genre: Literary Fiction

"Breakwater is that rare kind of novel, equally mysterious and profound, that effortlessly brings forth the unspoken paradoxes that lurk in every household; the need to be sheltered versus the desire to be free, the craving for intimacy versus the inability to divulge one's secrets. And the secrets Marijke Schermer writes about are big and dark and violent. They show us that the wounds of sexual aggression may be covered up, but never fully heal. Breakwater is easily one of the best books to come out of the Netherlands in a long time." - Joost de Vries