BOOK: Een Schitterend Gebrek - Arthur Japin

Title: Een Schitterend Gebrek (In Lucia's Eyes)
Author: Arthur Japin
Genre: novel, historic figures
Publisher: SingelPocket 2009 (2003)
Pages: Paperback 239
Language: Dutch
Rating: 7/10
Summary: 18th century Venice: 14 year old Lucia falls for 17 year old Casanova. For both of them it's their first big love, but then Lucia suddenly disappears and Casanova feels betrayed. Lucia's life takes a turn for the worst. What happened?

Spoilerfree review
It took me a while to understand who was telling the story, but as the English title reveals, that turned out to be Lucia looking back on her teenage experience. But she starts telling about her life somewhere in the middle, which was a little confusing. Through her eyes we learn how her running away influenced Casanova's view of women.
I didn't find the writing as accesible as the short stories by Japin I read before and Lucia is not an easy girl to care about. I didn't like her decisions very much, even though she seems to be grown into a very smart woman. In the end I did find it to be a heartbreaking story, though.