{"product_id":"people-with-no-charisma-9781964992211","title":"People with No Charisma","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the International Booker Prize- shortlisted author of \u003cem\u003eWhat I'd Rather Not Think About\u003c\/em\u003e comes a darkly humorous novel about multigenerational family dynamics and individuality in Dutch suburbia.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn unnamed narrator grows up overshadowed by her unconventional mother, an ex-Jehovah's Witness and former television star with an inferiority complex. Her father is the head of a psychiatric institution, whose only form of parenting is to offer his daughter the same life advice he dispenses to his patients. Reserved and somewhat aloof, he chooses not to intervene when his wife obsesses about charisma, calorie counting, and turning their daughter into a child prodigy.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTheir daughter strives to meet her mother's expectations and bond with her father while secretly worrying she lacks the drive or charisma to do anything significant with her life. When her mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she begins to address their generational trauma, forge a new relationship with her father, and discover life on her terms. In twelve chapters--each reflecting a different phase of life--Posthuma expertly dissects a fraught family history, exposing the absurdity that often lies at the heart of life's most poignant and challenging moments.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePosthuma, Jente:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJente Posthuma\u003c\/strong\u003e is a Dutch writer whose first novel, \u003cem\u003ePeople With No Charisma\u003c\/em\u003e, was published in the Netherlands to critical acclaim. Her second novel, \u003cem\u003eWhat I'd Rather Not Think About\u003c\/em\u003e (2020) was shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature. The English-language translation by Sarah Timmer Harvey was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2024. The translation rights of \u003cem\u003eWhat I'd Rather Not Think About\u003c\/em\u003e have been sold in more than fifteen countries. Posthuma's third book \u003cem\u003eWitch! Witch! Witch!\u003c\/em\u003e (2023) is an idiosyncratic and witty retelling of three ancient Dutch sagas. Posthuma is currently working on a memoir.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimmer Harvey, Sarah:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSarah Timmer Harvey\u003c\/strong\u003e is a translator and writer currently based in Woodstock, New York. She holds an MFA from Columbia University in New York and a BA from Southern Cross University. \u003cem\u003eReconstruction\u003c\/em\u003e, their translation of stories written by the Dutch Surinamese writer Karin Amatmoekrim was published in 2020, and their translation of \u003cem\u003eThistle\u003c\/em\u003e by Nadia de Vries was published in 2024. Sarah's translations of Dutch-language poetry and prose have appeared in \u003cem\u003eModern Poetry in Translation\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAsymptote\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Los Angeles Review\u003c\/em\u003e, and elsewhere. Born in Australia, she lived and worked in the Netherlands for fourteen years before moving to New York City in 2013.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Scribe Us","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51603272892690,"sku":"9781964992211","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_aca1c847-9d97-4a05-b451-253a43a84445.jpg?v=1757432876","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/people-with-no-charisma-9781964992211","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}