'Netherland' by Joseph O'Neill - Book Review

Netherland by Joseph O’Neill is a novel of reverie that is as grounded in reality as New York itself. O’Neill takes readers through one man’s period of personal despair without pulling us into the dark. Indeed, candles of hope light the way through the narrative until the satisfying, though not saccharine, ending.

If you are reading Netherland, and someone asks you what it is about, you might answer, "cricket" or "New York" or "immigrants" or "marriage." All of these answers would be true, but none would capture the essence of the novel. Indeed, Netherland is the story of Hans van den Broek's lonely years in New York after his wife decides to leave him. Hans finds comfort by joining a cricket league and in friendship with a Trinidadian immigrant, Chuck Ramkissoon, who he meets at a cricket match. Netherland, however, is not a linear story. The past and the future are always popping into Hans’ period of despair, providing glimmers of insight and hope. Although there are many facets to the story, you might best describe Netherland as one man’s reverie on what makes life significant.

A novel on the meaning of life has a high risk of being too heady or trite. The reason Netherland succeeds and has gained so much praise is that the meaning of life is grounded in a very earthy story that includes sports, gangsters, a murder mystery and a grown man who discovers he loves body surfing. If Hans provides any philosophical insight, they are the insights of a man who is fighting his way through a period of crisis without any claim to answers.

Netherland does not move quickly, but it is not the kind of book that is meant to provide an exhilarating high. You need not rush through it, but once you start, I think you’ll find that the novel moves forward with ease. This is a thoughtful book.

Netherland Book Club Discussion Questions