I’m Marrying Frau Antje’s Family
My new Dutch relatives. A novel
In love and lost in »Oranje-Land« During a raft ride on the river Isar, loner Gabriel saves the life of Dutch girl Anouk. Thus, his fate is sealed. In marrying her, he also weds all 78 members of her extended family, and they have only one thing in mind: partying! The couple move into a house boat on the river Maas, and from that moment on are never again undisturbed – the Dutch just love to be »gezellig« (gregarious). Gabriel quickly unmasks the Netherlands as one giant marketing gag: smoking dope and group sex are very exceptional cases, the food is horrible, and his relatives are extremely obtrusive. Ben Bergner tells stories about our dear European neighbours – always fastpaced and incredibly funny. Ben Bergner got his master’s degree in history, politics and pedagogy at Cologne University, where he also trudged through a whole semester of Dutch studies during the chaos and confusion of his early university days. Together with his Dutch wife, the father of three now lives in Munich, Germany. Among other things, Bergner works as a journalist and freelance writer for Süddeutsche Zeitung TV.
In love and lost in »Oranje-Land« During a raft ride on the river Isar, loner Gabriel saves the life of Dutch girl Anouk. Thus, his fate is sealed. In marrying her, he also weds all 78 members of her extended family, and they have only one thing in mind: partying! The couple move into a house boat on the river Maas, and from that moment on are never again undisturbed – the Dutch just love to be »gezellig« (gregarious). Gabriel quickly unmasks the Netherlands as one giant marketing gag: smoking dope and group sex are very exceptional cases, the food is horrible, and his relatives are extremely obtrusive. Ben Bergner tells stories about our dear European neighbours – always fastpaced and incredibly funny. Ben Bergner got his master’s degree in history, politics and pedagogy at Cologne University, where he also trudged through a whole semester of Dutch studies during the chaos and confusion of his early university days. Together with his Dutch wife, the father of three now lives in Munich, Germany. Among other things, Bergner works as a journalist and freelance writer for Süddeutsche Zeitung TV.
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