The Hairdresser’s Son

‘Bakker once again, through David Colmer’s bracingly fresh translation, explores with remarkable deftness the ways in which lives are interwoven.’

-- Paul Binding * TLS *

‘Bakker’s unhurried precision delivers an understated portrait of middle-aged loneliness, before a twist that probes the role of narrative indeterminacy in how we make sense of the world.’

* The Sydney Morning Herald *

‘A well-constructed, playful novel about three generations of barbers.’

-- Declan O'Driscoll * Irish Times *

‘To say that Gerbrand Bakker hasn’t forgotten how to write a novel would be an understatement. With The Hairdresser’s Son, he presents himself as one of the very best writers the Netherlands has to offer … With this vivid prose, he makes Simon fascinating, he makes him someone — perhaps the greatest and most loving thing a writer can do. For the reader this results in the almost magical illusion that is the most extraordinary (and, I believe, unforgettable) thing about this novel: the sense of having really seen someone. Gerbrand Bakker has written his characters to life.’

* NRC *

‘[E]nthralling in that although nothing feels invented, the pages still seem to exude something magical … Simply narrated scenes, terrifying and moving at once.’

-- De Groene Amsterda