One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2022 was to read more books by Dutch and Flemish authors. First on the list: Zielsveel (“with all my soul”) by Laura Dirkx!
Note: This book is currently not yet available in English!
Zielsveel
Zielsveel is the first part of a Young Adult Trilogy that takes place in a dystopian world in which young people are raised for only one aim: to find their soul mate. During the Split, all souls were ripped in two and each individual has to spend their life to locate the second part of theirs so that they can melt together.
Main character Noé celebrates her 20th birthday at the start of the novel, which is the age when young girls leave the House in order to search for their soul mate. But Noé soon realises that being outside is not at all without danger. She might be free for the first time in her life, but she also needs to learn how to survive in nature and how to assess risks. And fast. But then, she meets Arthur, a handsome boy with a mysterious past. As she falls for him, she starts to doubt what she’s been taught. Because if Arthur is not her soul mate, then how is it possible that she’s in love with him? And who is her soul mate if it’s not Arthur?
An exciting post-apocalyptic story
Oh my. It’s clear I chose a good book to start my journey into Dutch stories. Zielsveel pulls you into the dystopian world in which it takes place as of the beginning. A world which, by the way, feels all to realistic. The Administration that controls it is quite terrifying (and, unfortunately, not even that far-fetched), but the inability to trust anyone at all is even worse. Because of this, the atmosphere of the story is quite oppressed, which is of course ideal for a post-apocalyptic narrative.
This book makes you want to continue reading, so I easily read it in two days. The language is very sensory, there’s a lot of focus on colours, impressions etc. This fits the story very well, seeing that the protagonist is experiencing everything for the first time. Noé’s knowledge is limited to what she learned in school (e.g. mosquitos are small, flying creatures that cause mild inconveniences; wolves are big dangerous animals that attack as groups), which makes her feel much younger than she actually is. This creates a unique view on a world that feels normal to the reader. This also made me like the first-person narrative. Usually, that’s not my favourite but I can see why it was important for this story.
Zielsveel is a tale filled with unexpected plot twists, a beautiful romance, and some – very – dark elements. It’s suited for a broad young adult audience: younger readers will consider it a scary story with some romance, older readers will definitely also like the social criticism that it contains. Four out of five gemstones:
Age Category: young adult
Representation: LGBTQ+ supporting character
Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)
Warnings for attempted rape, off-page rape, abuse by guardians, torture, manipulation, drugging.Do you want to discover more?
If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.
Amazon.nl: Dutch paperback edition
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As I already mentioned, Zielsveel is part one of a trilogy. Part two will likely be published next year. I am already looking forward to this!
I have to admit that I am by no means an expert in dystopian tales (yet?). Therefore, I find it hard to recommend similar works. Nevertheless, I can recommend two classics. First of all, The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins, which I suspect almost everyone will know. Zielsveel does not have a similar game concept, but it’s clear that both works are about learning to trust in a world where trust might very well be fatal. Secondly, the Administration in Zielsveel reminded me of the Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi. I liked Zielsveel a lot better though. Nevertheless, I think younger readers might also appreciate this series.
Finally, I would like to recommend at least one other Dutch book when reviewing a Dutch author. Today, I opt for Lotte van den Noort, a writer from the Netherlands who writes historical Young Adult novels. I’ll be reviewing her book about the Titanic shortly, called Unsinkable. This book is also available in English! Update: my review is now available!
Recap: Zielsveel
In the following section, you’ll find a recap that you can use to prepare for the next book when it is published. Of course, this is by definition full of spoilers, so it is hidden behind a spoiler tag. Enter at your own risk!
Want a recap before starting the next part? (click here, contains spoilers)
World: : Post-apocalyptic world. Thousands of years ago, souls were the most powerful beings on earth. Unfortunately, they kept wanting more, so Destiny split them. As of that moment, each human being only had one part of a soul and everyone was suddenly supposed to spend their lives looking for the other half (the Praesidia) so that they could merge. Boys and girls are raised separately in “Houses”. When they turn twenty, they are sent out into the world in search of the other half of their souls. Because of this practice, they are almost completely ignorant of the world. In some of the Houses, though, books about love were hidden. These books were put there by the Soulless, a band of rebels that try to overthrow the Administration. On top of all this, there are still humans that are born “in the wild” and who do know their parents. The Administration is an archetypical dictatorship.
Main characters: Noé, 20-years-old. She’s in love with Arthur, a boy she met outside and who was born free. He’s part of the Soulless. Her best friend is Juna, who left the House one month before Noé. She was forced to join the Administration in order to survive. Lissa is a few years younger and is part of the Soulless. She also befriends Noé. Elenor was like a mother to Arthur and was a friend to Noé. She died as retribution when Noé rescued Arthur from the Administration. James is the leader (president) of the Soulless.
Plot: At the beginning of the story, Noé leaves her House, looking for her soul mate. She soon meets Elenor and Arthur and starts to live with them. When a man tries to rape Noé, Arthur rescues her. The Administration arrests him and Noé rescues him (badly burning her hand). The Administration retaliates by killing Elenor and blaming Noé and Arthur. Arthur takes Noé to the Soulless. This is a group of rebels, but they are in practice much closer to a sect. Once there, Noé befriends Lissa but also discovers that the Soulless are kidnapping and torturing members of the Administration. Juna turns out to be among them and Noé is desperate to save her. They succeed and Juna tells Noé she likes Lissa. At the end of the story, Juna and Lissa are captured by the Administration. Juna is also poisoned and Noé attempts to find an antidote but walks right into a trap. The Administration tells her they’ve found her soul mate. Noé embraces him, after which she loses consciousness. At the very last page, Noé awakens after a long time, finding Lissa and Arthur at her side.