BOOK: De Tuin Der Onschuldigen - Kristien Hemmerechts

Title: De Tuin Der Onschuldigen (The Garden Of The Innocent)
Author: Kristien Hemmerechts
Genre: Family saga
Publisher: Pandora 1999
Pages: Paperback, 223
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10

Summary: Three sisters are on their way to a small village in Spain where they used to spent their summervacations wth their parents. Behind the wheel is Judith, the eldest, who organized the trip. She feels overly protective for Heleen, the sister in the middle, who’s very nervous when she’s not taken care of by her mother or husband; she needs structure to survive. In the backseat sits actress Nora, always the main character in the family dramas. During the long ride they travel through their childhood memories.

Review
Bought in a second hand store because I read my name on the back;) I tend to stay away from stories about sisters, since I really can’t relate.This book was no exception. The whole dynamic between women is utterly strange to me; the petty bickering always gets on my nerves.
Although the women are shown at their worst during the roadtrip, most of the book deals with the different points of view of the sisters on the events that happened in the past. As it turns out their personalities as kids shine through in their adult behaviour. Even though they are related, they have their own memories and way of dealing. The family secret that is eventually revealed is not that spectacular, but I was mostly annoyed by their characters. Judith is too controlling (obviously the eldest daughter;), Heleen is too brainless and Nora is too selfabsorbed for me to care about either one of them. Even though they complement each other (a little too) perfectly, I’m so glad I never had to deal with sisters.