Author(s): Jente Posthuma (translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey)

Adult Fiction | International Booker Prize 2024 Longlist

What if one half of a pair of twins no longer wants to live? What if the other can't live without them?This question lies at the heart of Jente Posthuma's deceptively simple What I'd Rather Not Think About. The narrator is a twin whose brother has recently taken his own life. She looks back on their childhood, and tells of their adult lives- how her brother tried to find happiness, but lost himself in various men and the Bhagwan movement, though never completely.In brief, precise vignettes, full of gentle melancholy and surprising humour, Posthuma tells the story of a depressive brother, viewed from the perspective of the sister who both loves and resents her twin, struggles to understand him, and misses him terribly. 'What makes What I'd Rather Not Think About rise above the average mourning novel is its utter authenticity. Posthuma associates, philosophises, links memories to everyday actions, draws on films and television series and tries to interpret in a laconic, light-footed and pointed way. "Less is more" with Jente Posthuma. And again, she seems to be saying- nothing is "whole" here, in the subhuman. Everything rumbles, frays, and creaks.'-The Telegraph'The strength here is truly in the minimalist prose - razor-sharp sentences that often slot together perfectly in a seemingly nonchalant way. The result is a powerful story about death, life and survival.'-Nederlands Dagblad'It is impossible to name everything that is beautiful about this novel. Posthuma needs few words to evoke a feeling or an atmosphere. She writes striking sentences that conjure up poignant images ... this book deserves a large readership.'-Literary Netherlands