6 out of 5 stars. Yes, it's that good.[Review originally posted at Iris on Books]Before I say anything else, can I just mention that this is, easily, among my favourite reads of this year and may very well make it to the favourite books of all time list.I mention this to prepare you for lots of gushing going on in this post. But, mind you, it is well-earned.The Book of Everything is the story of a boy called Thomas. Thomas knows what he wants to be when he grows up: he is going to be happy. But he also knows that that’s easier said than done. Especially when you grow up in a household with a father who beats your mother and you. Thomas knows it might take a while before he finds happiness. In the meantime, he records everything he finds of note in his “book of everything”. These are small things, things that sometimes no one else can see. For example, he sees the magic of his neighbour Mrs. van Amersfoort and her efforts to help Thomas. He is struck by the beauty in a girl called Eliza, who has an artificial leg. And he sometimes talks to Jesus during the evening’s prayer.I hardly know where to begin writing about this book. This may sound silly, but having read the book, and rereading that plot summary, it makes me feel all sentimental. The plot summary may sound deceptively simple, and also rather weird, or perhaps a little bit funny. And that’s exactly what makes this book so strong. It is deceptively simple. Just look at the idea of knowing that you want to be happy when you grow up, and imagine a child saying that instead of wanting to become a fireman or any other particular occupation; the thought of wanting to be happy is touching, and sweet, and also tinged with sadness. That is what this book does, it takes a difficult situation, and convincingly illustrates the difficulty, cruelty, and sadness of it, but manages to make it wonderful to read about at the same time, because it does end on a cheerful note.Guus Kuijer needs few words to set a scene, to evoke feelings, and to make you long for a particular unfolding. By page two you feel as if you are familiar with the situation:He heard his father coming home and thought, “It is half past five and I still don’t know what my book is about. What are books about, anyway?”He asked this question during dinner.“About love and things,” giggled his sister, Margot, who went to high school and was dumb as an ox.But Father said, “All important books are about God.”“They are about God as well as about love,” said Mother, but Father glared at her so sternly it made her flush.“Who reads books in this family?” he asked.“You do,” she said.“So who should know what books are about, you or I?”“You,” said Mother.“When I grow up, I’m going to be happy,” Thomas thought, but he didn’t say it out loud. He looked at his mother and could see that she was sad. He wanted to get up and throw his arms around her, but he couldn’t do that. He didn’t know why, but it was simply not possible. He stayed where he was, in his chair.There is your set up: a sister who is silly, a mother who is afraid of her husband but secretly has her own views, a father who is strict and overbearing and all of this in the name of his belief in God, and Thomas, who is lost and hopeful and torn and wonderfully easy to identify with.But of course, things are not all as simple as that. And that is what I loved about The Book of Everything. Even though it is only a 117 page novel, every of the above characters is allowed to show more than one side of him or herself, and with that they are allowed to grow. Thomas soon finds out that Margot is not all that silly, and his Mother may just need a little push to flourish, and his father is overbearing but also scared. And Thomas? As he is told by Mrs. van Amersfoort, “[happiness] begins with no longer being afraid.” And that is exactly what Thomas learns to do, by accepting and appropriating help and tools offered by those around him. And the wonderful thing is watching Thomas see, appreciate, learn, and grow.Among all the things I loved about this book was the fact that it offers so many strong women in its narrative. I admit it felt a little empowering to have women and girls just be regular persons, but also provide support to those around them. I also loved that you see Thomas try, and that he sometimes stumbles, and that he is sometimes wonderfully naive or a little bit too young to understand certain things. That he is allowed to feel lost, but also to persevere. Thus, this is not only the story of strong women, but also that of the abilities of children.There is one reason why this book may not be for everyone, and that is the way in which Christianity appears in this book. Thomas talks to Jesus, and there is little reverence about it. Jesus tells Thomas to “Just call me Jesus.” Thomas sometimes questions God, that is, the God of his father, the one he considers violent, oppressive, and abusive: of his family, of women. During one of their talks, Jesus tells Thomas that he and his father have been on the outs since he had him crucified. As Guus Kuijer mentions in his introductory note, which chronicles the presumably fictional meeting with the older Thomas who’d like to recount the story of his younger self, the story can be considered irreverent or disrespectful. But, as Mr. Klopper explains to him: an unhappy childhood will make you irreverent.I personally appreciated how Guus Kuijer handles the question of faith in this book. He questions the abuse of faith: he shows Thomas doubting God when he hears his father beat his mother. But he also shows how Thomas finds strength in his own interpretation of the Bible: the inspiration he finds to challenge his father in the story of the Ten Plagues in Exodus, and how his talks with Jesus stand in for a grounded parent unit providing support. Thomas may have little use for talks with Jesus, by the end of the book, but the big category of “faith” is never rejected outright. Instead, it shows how one might lose it because of its abuse. And The Book of Everything is also the story of having that more oppressive form of belief (which is something else than saying Christianity equals oppression) replaced by a faith in love and compassion (whether it be based in religion or humanity).As you might have noticed, I cannot quite talk about this book without becoming sentimental. It is layered enough to want to talk about every single character arch, and every single occurrence. But the thing is, I can’t do that as yet. The book simply became too precious to me while reading it. By the end of the story, I had tears in my eyes. The book reflects such trust in humanity and love and friendship. It is so perfectly executed. This is definitely one of those books that I want to own and keep on my forever and ever shelf.
After seeing the play based on this book, I knew I simply had to read it. Everything about the play was magical. From the acting of young children by adults, to the design to the sound effects everything was simply gorgeous. Little things like an actor playing a very believable dog and cat and getting the audience to all throw green pingpong balls at the stage making frog noises encouraged laughter and enjoyment by adults and children alike. Similarly, the book created the same magical feel. Whilst clearly designed as a children's book, I read it and loved it as a 16 year old who has just finished high school, and I know that adults too would not feel like they're reading a "kiddy book" when delving into this gorgeous story. I do have to mention however, although this is a children's book, there are some heavier themes that would definitely not be suitable for immature readers. Abusive relationships and religious themes.This story is perfect for young yet mature, inquisitive readers. They'll question what inspires characters to make certain decisions and will certainly discover a lot reading this book. ADULTS should definitely read this book. Not only is it one that will encourage parents to look at their own behaviours from the eyes of a young child. It is also a wonderfully heartwarming tale of a community looking after each other.Thomas, a young boy, has an imagination unlike any other, he see's the world very differently from everyone else. His father is dependent on his religion and follows the word of the bible as law. He believes that trams should not run on Sundays for that is the Lord's day and that women should certainly not wear pants for they are mens clothes. Thomas's older sister, Margot, a teenage girl who seems silly and light but is a strong, self sufficient young lady and their mother. Under the thumb of her abusive husband, she hides her opinionated self for the safety of her children. And possibly my favourite character, Mrs. van Amersfoort, the little old lady who lives next door and is probably a witch of some kind. Set in post World War II Netherlands, it was not difficult to associate with the characters and the plot as one might expect.The way the author deals with faith and religion is spectacular. Faith is not blamed for his fathers beating, and is never completely rejected. Thomas in fact finds strength in his own interpretations of the bible, the plagues of Egypt and conversations with Jesus. Whilst there are a lot of religious themes through out the book it is not overtly pro or anti religion. There is a lovely amount of strong, caring women in this story. It is the women and the children that this story raises as being important in starting change and caring-ness and love being important values
Do You like book The Book Of Everything (2006)?
I edited this book, so I'm completely biased here, but it is amazing. The facts are that it is a magic-realist atheistic translated novel set in the Netherlands post-World War II, featuring domestic violence, a protagonist who has visions, the disappearance of God, and Jesus Christ as a minor character (he's judged to be fairly useless). The truth is that it is the story of Thomas Klopper learning to be happy. It is certainly not for everyone, but it is fearless and marvelous, and its happy ending almost makes me cry every time I read it. I am so, so proud to have been involved with publishing it.
—Cheryl Klein
Божествена.* * *"На прозореца две врабчета надуваха пискливи тромпети, без да знаят, че днес е неделя.""Тогава ръката на баща му внезапно замахна и зашлеви майка му по бузата. Тя се олюля и пусна Томас.На небето ангелите закриха очи с длани и захлипаха, както правят винаги когато някой мъж удари жена си. Над земята се спусна дълбока тъга... Томас чу шамара по меката буза на майка си.""Когато боят най-сетне приключи и баща му му позволи да вдигне гащите и панталона върху парещото си дупе, Томас осъзна, че Бог е избит от мислите му завинаги.""– Какъв всъщност искаш да станеш, като пораснеш? – попита го дамата.– Щастлив – отговори Томас. Тя му се усмихна се и отвърна:– Адски добра идея. А знаеш ли къде започва щастието? Там, където свършва страхът.""От време на време Томас вдигаше очи от книгата и надничаше към госпожа Жасмин. Когато се смееше, от устата към ушите й тръгваха весели бръчици. Главата й кимаше, сякаш казваше “Да! Да! Да!”. А косата й неусетно се бе сдобила с две плитки с панделки. В първия момент Томас не повярва на очите си, но изумлението му не продължи дълго. Той откри, че госпожа Жасмин не е стара дама, а поостаряло момиченце. Току виж скочила от стола и грабнала обръча!"“Чух иглата да пада – написа Томас в “Книгата на всички неща”. – Издаде такъв звук, сякаш някой пищеше в далечината.”"– Само нехранимайковците и женчовците искат да бъдат щастливи – добави баща му. – Животът е борба!Всички лели и всички приятелки на госпожа Жасмин го порицаха с поглед, сякаш е пръцнал.""Томас виждаше неща, които другите не виждаха. Не знаеше как – просто си го можеше. Зърна баща си през стената. На бюрото. Сам. Томас усети странна болка в корема. Първо реши, че е глътнал хипопотам, но миг по-късно осъзна, че това е съчувствие."
—Neva
An intriguing story of one boy's relationship with family, neighbors, and God, in post-WWII Amsterdam, Guus Kuijer's The Book of Everything is a very thought-provoking tale.Nine-year-old Thomas keeps a diary, The Book of Everything in which he keeps record of all his activities and his (deep) thoughts. Thomas envisions all sorts of things to help him understand the world, a world of post-occupation suspicion, and religious fervency. Thomas, indeed all the neighbor children, believes old Mrs. Van Amersfoort is a witch. She's actually just very wise and likes to read. Thomas loves Eliza, despite her artificial leg, because she is remarkably beautiful. Despite the good things, Thomas isn't "happy", thanks mostly to his strict religious upbringing imposed by his father. Kuijer imbues Thomas' story with magical realism, which makes The Book of Everything quite fantastical, but given the horrors of war the Dutch have all just experienced, it feels right that a way to escape has become commonplace. Mostly autobiographic in nature, Kuijer grew up in a very religious home, although now he would confess to either atheism or agnosticism, which provides Thomas with a very unique relationship with Jesus, one both surprising and lovely.
—Gordon
