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blackoxford's review
4.0
A Distinctive Kind of Policing (and Country)
As a foreigner in The Netherlands, one of the essential pieces of vocabulary the novice Dutch-speaker acquires is the word gezellig (pronounced like the English ‘gazelle’ with the guttural ‘g’ at both the beginning and end). Gezelligheid is a concept easy to understand but much harder to comprehend. It includes the Danish idea of hygge, coziness in one’s surroundings; and the German notion of Gemütlichkeit as friendly warmth. There’s even a bit of Japanese Wa, or natural social harmony. But ultimately it is something uniquely Dutch, a cultural trait that appears as a sort of national aspiration. Van de Wetering uses gezelligheid as a central theme in his murder mystery.
It appears first in the attitudes of the investigating police officers. One lives alone, and although somewhat of a ladies’ man, his real ambition is for a quiet evening with his cat. The other is married and being driven mad by the domestic tumult created by his wife and three children; he longs for a quiet retreat to escape the chaos.
But the attachment to gezelligheid is more profound than mere desire for peace and quiet. Van de Wetering’s editorial musings by the officers are instructive. The policemen are professionals and good at their jobs; but they are also ambivalent about the criminal justice system. Their jobs are necessary but mainly as a sort of necessary evil to combat an even greater evil of a lack of order, an absence of gezelligheid.
This ambivalence is demonstrated practically in their relationships with the general public, particularly with suspects. Their response to taunts is irenic. They have time for a little cup of coffee with witnesses. They would prefer not to jail the prime suspect as a matter of principle. This is not naivety on their part but a behavioural counter-balance to their inherent power to disrupt the lives of those around them, to destroy gezelligheid. Van de Wetering suggests that even criminals respond to its existence and give themselves up without undue violence.
Gezelligheid implies a mutuality; it is not an individual’s feeling but a relationship. When one is invited to an event in Holland, a not uncommon response is “Oh gezellig!” (Or, in Amsterdam, more likely: “Gezellig, hoor”), signifying not just acceptance but the anticipation of a reason for being together in order to strengthen a relationship. Gezelligheid is used as a social tactic by the officers to establish rapport with those involved in the investigation - as well as with each other. They play flute and drum duets together at the station - something considered not abnormal by their colleagues.
An antonym to gezellig is eigenwijs, literally ‘one’s own way,’ that is, stubborn or uncooperative. The Dutch may be provoked into eigenwijsheid when gezelligheid is demanded of them. Social harmony is voluntary or it doesn’t exist. One of the policeman makes this clear to an immigrant who thinks the police act ‘under orders.’ The policeman sets him straight on the cultural rules of the game: “The Dutch do not like to work under orders. It is true that I was asked to come here but I was not ordered. I came here because I thought the suggestion was right.” This just to remind the reader that gezelligheid is a matter of choice, and sometimes of considerable interpretive effort.
Holland no doubt has its fair share of villains, miscreants, and anti-social types. One senior officer indicates his acute awareness of reality when he refers to “Amsterdam, ... the lunatic asylum of Holland.” Gezelligheid is not a universal state of affairs but a commonly shared ideal. It is a standard, a norm, of social interaction which has emerged as unspoken ethic. Remarkably, it is this ethic which is at the core of The Corpse on the Dike, and perhaps even the entire country. Oranje Boven!
As a foreigner in The Netherlands, one of the essential pieces of vocabulary the novice Dutch-speaker acquires is the word gezellig (pronounced like the English ‘gazelle’ with the guttural ‘g’ at both the beginning and end). Gezelligheid is a concept easy to understand but much harder to comprehend. It includes the Danish idea of hygge, coziness in one’s surroundings; and the German notion of Gemütlichkeit as friendly warmth. There’s even a bit of Japanese Wa, or natural social harmony. But ultimately it is something uniquely Dutch, a cultural trait that appears as a sort of national aspiration. Van de Wetering uses gezelligheid as a central theme in his murder mystery.
It appears first in the attitudes of the investigating police officers. One lives alone, and although somewhat of a ladies’ man, his real ambition is for a quiet evening with his cat. The other is married and being driven mad by the domestic tumult created by his wife and three children; he longs for a quiet retreat to escape the chaos.
But the attachment to gezelligheid is more profound than mere desire for peace and quiet. Van de Wetering’s editorial musings by the officers are instructive. The policemen are professionals and good at their jobs; but they are also ambivalent about the criminal justice system. Their jobs are necessary but mainly as a sort of necessary evil to combat an even greater evil of a lack of order, an absence of gezelligheid.
This ambivalence is demonstrated practically in their relationships with the general public, particularly with suspects. Their response to taunts is irenic. They have time for a little cup of coffee with witnesses. They would prefer not to jail the prime suspect as a matter of principle. This is not naivety on their part but a behavioural counter-balance to their inherent power to disrupt the lives of those around them, to destroy gezelligheid. Van de Wetering suggests that even criminals respond to its existence and give themselves up without undue violence.
Gezelligheid implies a mutuality; it is not an individual’s feeling but a relationship. When one is invited to an event in Holland, a not uncommon response is “Oh gezellig!” (Or, in Amsterdam, more likely: “Gezellig, hoor”), signifying not just acceptance but the anticipation of a reason for being together in order to strengthen a relationship. Gezelligheid is used as a social tactic by the officers to establish rapport with those involved in the investigation - as well as with each other. They play flute and drum duets together at the station - something considered not abnormal by their colleagues.
An antonym to gezellig is eigenwijs, literally ‘one’s own way,’ that is, stubborn or uncooperative. The Dutch may be provoked into eigenwijsheid when gezelligheid is demanded of them. Social harmony is voluntary or it doesn’t exist. One of the policeman makes this clear to an immigrant who thinks the police act ‘under orders.’ The policeman sets him straight on the cultural rules of the game: “The Dutch do not like to work under orders. It is true that I was asked to come here but I was not ordered. I came here because I thought the suggestion was right.” This just to remind the reader that gezelligheid is a matter of choice, and sometimes of considerable interpretive effort.
Holland no doubt has its fair share of villains, miscreants, and anti-social types. One senior officer indicates his acute awareness of reality when he refers to “Amsterdam, ... the lunatic asylum of Holland.” Gezelligheid is not a universal state of affairs but a commonly shared ideal. It is a standard, a norm, of social interaction which has emerged as unspoken ethic. Remarkably, it is this ethic which is at the core of The Corpse on the Dike, and perhaps even the entire country. Oranje Boven!
ericwelch's review
4.0
John Leonard said of Janwillem van de Wetering, “He is doing what Simenon [author of the wonderful Maigret stories:] might have done if Albert Camus had sublet his skull.” There is a great resemblance to Simenon — high praise, indeed. Wetering, who served in the Amsterdam Reserve Constabulary but now lives in the United States, ensconces his detective stories in Amsterdam. The commisaris, Amsterdam’s chief of detectives, is a wily, philosophical old man who wields subtle techniques to bring out the best in Adjutant Grijpstra and Sergeant De Gier, who suffer from the normal human catastrophes and ensorcellments.
I like police procedurals, and Dutch and Swedish are some of the best. These from Amsterdam are very satisfying. In The Corpse on the Dike , a man is shot dead in his back yard with a bullet between the eyes. The sole suspect, in what otherwise seems a motiveless murder, is the lesbian next door who, they suspect, might have been jealous of her fetching roomer’s interest in the dead man. She was a crack shot, a gun enthusiast and sportswoman in a country where guns are difficult to obtain legally. She vehemently and convincingly denies having committed the crime. The dead man had no apparent friends and was not involved in any crimes. A couple of motorcycle police stumble on the key to the case when they witness several men unloading a truck of stolen goods. Soon it is apparent that the residents of the dike are all involved in some prodigious thievery led by the “Cat,” but the motive for the killing still eludes the authorities — for a while.
Updated 6/19/09
I like police procedurals, and Dutch and Swedish are some of the best. These from Amsterdam are very satisfying. In The Corpse on the Dike , a man is shot dead in his back yard with a bullet between the eyes. The sole suspect, in what otherwise seems a motiveless murder, is the lesbian next door who, they suspect, might have been jealous of her fetching roomer’s interest in the dead man. She was a crack shot, a gun enthusiast and sportswoman in a country where guns are difficult to obtain legally. She vehemently and convincingly denies having committed the crime. The dead man had no apparent friends and was not involved in any crimes. A couple of motorcycle police stumble on the key to the case when they witness several men unloading a truck of stolen goods. Soon it is apparent that the residents of the dike are all involved in some prodigious thievery led by the “Cat,” but the motive for the killing still eludes the authorities — for a while.
Updated 6/19/09
evila_elf's review
3.0
As much as I love the characters of Grijpstra and De Gier, they weren't enough to carry this book like they had the other two. So-so mystery that wasn't strong or mysterious enough to make me really care. And the ending was so sudden that I thought my book was missing a few pages.
I think part of the problem was that there was too many other characters introduced that I had no interest in.
Maybe the next one will get better.
I think part of the problem was that there was too many other characters introduced that I had no interest in.
Maybe the next one will get better.
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