A Sleepless Summer

With the arrival of a wind farm, a new wind literally begins to blow through the village of Blaashoek. The continuous humming keeps Herman Bracke, a butcher, awake for nights on end. Slowly, the sleep deprivation begins to take its toll. Herman is not alone – the wind turbines are a nuisance to other villagers too. Tensions grow, and what began as a little change snowballs into a tumult of highly-strung emotions, rancour, and even murder. Life in Blaashoek will never be the same.

In this minimalistic and unconventional crime novel, an apparently trivial event trips an unstoppable chain reaction that culminates in a furious apotheosis, leaving few characters unscathed. ‘A Sleepless Summer’ is a tragicomic thriller with a strong narrative and everyday, yet unforgettable, characters. In a deceptively simple style with witty imagery, Dehouck creates a melancholic and wistful atmosphere in a world dominated by dark egocentrism. Uncanny, original and haunting.