Us
The story is about eight boys and girls who view the worlds of school and adulthood as empty. Free and secluded, they dispel tedium with uninhibited sexual games, continually shifting their limits. When one of them dies as a consequence, even this fails to move them. With no thought of morality, they take to the world of internet sex and prostitution. The book does not conclude with a drama nor catharsis and the young people manage to save themselves in confrontation with the underworld.
The young people take turns in telling how they look at life, and how they distance themselves from normative ideals. They are not motivated by rebellion or negativism. At most, they are characterized by a derisive rejection of their parents’ lifestyle.
A ruthless, merciless motherf***ing novelLiterair Nederland
In their striking realism and the detached tone of the young people’s narratives, Peeters reaches into the unfathomable depths of the existential feeling that prevents this group of adolescents from entering into the adult world. They regard this world as one of universal frustration, compromise and non-fulfilment, whereas they champion absolute freedom and autonomy. ‘Us’ is a stunning novel that no one can read and remain unmoved by.
'Us’ sharpens one’s senses, broadens one’s mind and offers the best of what literature may be expected to. *****De Volkskrant
A brutal and powerful portrait of children playing on the rubbish dumps of our bored welfare state.Boek
The trailer video is age-restricted and only available on YouTube. Watch it.
