Jan Van den Weghe

This short novel, 131 pp., published in 1966, by the Flemish author Jan van den Weghe relates how a young man rapes and murders a young girl. Part 1 is written from the perspective of the girl, her aspirations to be taken seriously, her longing to be grown up, the misguided idea that her seducer loves her, and finally her panic and fear as things go wrong. Part 2 is written from the perspective of the rapist, what a miserly little nobody he is, his delusions, how he came to his actions, how he keeps himself concealed and finally gives himself up.

Cleverly done, but the style of writing and treatment of the subject matter, would now be considered simplistic. Nonetheless, an interesting read.… (mer)