BOOK: Problemski Hotel - Dimitri Verhulst

Title: Problemski Hotel
Author: Dimitri Verhulst
Genre: Creative nonfiction
Publisher: Contact
Pages: Hardcover 110
Language: Dutch
Rating: 8.5/10

Summary: Bipul Masli, once a photographer in his own country, now lives in a Belgian facility for refugees. He is waiting for a decision from the authorities whether he will be allowed to stay and work in Belgium. In the mean time he observes his fellow refugees from all over the world. Each one of them has his and her own story to tell.

Spoilerfree review
Dimitri Verhulst, an investigative journalist, had himself locked up in the asylum seekers' centre for several days for a Belgian magazine. He then wrote a magazine article, but the experience would not let go of him and he wrote this book with several short stories. In his epilogue he lets the reader know "about half of these stories are made up, but none of them contains a lie."
Before reading this book I already had a preconception about asylum seekers and how they are treated in western 'civilisation' and even though I knew about the appalling conditions in these centres, this book still hit me in the gut. Especially since the refugees are not described as being helpless or in need of pity. They are people willing to go far to have a life worth living. I may not like them or agree with their point of view on the situation in the part of the world they fled from. But after reading about how they are treated like second rate people, who are not allowed to be in control of their life, I did understand why some of them exaggerate their story, even if the truth is already horrid enough. It pains me that 'we' make people defend their decision to seek a better life. This book made me even more cynical about us ever getting it right. The book offers no solutions, but I hope it inspires people to think about the issue. Highly recommended.

It's available in English!