“Phenomenal.” —Het Financieele Dagblad

“Heartbreaking.” —De Standaard

“Once again, Robben shows himself to be a master of concise, restrained sentences that keep sentimentality at bay. Afterlight is an impressive and delicately wrought book about loss. […] How does he do it? The drama that unfolds in this, his third novel, is beautifully paced and written with a keen sensitivity that steadily tightens the knot – Jaap Robben’s trademark.” —Trouw

“One of the most beautiful books of the year.” —MEZZA

“Brilliantly constructed.” —Bart Moeyaert, author

“Every sentence shimmers and resonates in Jaap Robben’s stunning novel about living with a pain that goes unspoken. Afterlight is an impressive achievement, a story no reader can forget.” —Het Parool

“Not a word is out of place, every sentence is charged with emotion. And especially as the novel builds towards its conclusion, every paragraph hits home.” —De Morgen

“In Afterlight, Robben tells the brutal story of what many women had to endure not so very long ago. The result is a beautiful novel, alive with compassion.” —Dagblad van het Noorden

“One of the subtlest novelists writing in the Dutch language.” —De Lage Landen

“What a wonderful book. What a master Jaap Robben is. Do yourself a favour and read it.” —Griet Op de Beeck, author

“Tender and perceptive. Jaap Robben’s description of Frieda’s life is masterly.” —De Ochtend, NPO Radio 4

“Through his protagonist’s strength of character, Robben speaks from his feminist heart.” —Humo

“The subtlest of touches bring these lovers to life, in their exchanges with each other and with the wider cast of characters. Robben is a master of dialogue.” —Ons Erfdeel

“A literary gem that deals with a profoundly moving, unseen history. With inspired precision, Jaap Robben sketches an entire life in impressive fashion.” —Confituur Booksellers’ Award 2023

“Part of what makes Afterlight such a powerful novel is the assurance with which Robben allows Frieda’s trauma as a young woman to filter through in her later life […] He is a sober, sensitive stylist who has no need of ostentation. His pared-down sentences stay with you.” —MappaLibri.be

“Like Frieda herself, the reader is drawn into a story they will never forget – a story that is wonderfully written to boot.”—Knack

“I can’t remember the last time a novel made me cry. And I suspect I won’t be the only reader moved to tears by the touching story of Frieda Tendelow.” —Feeling

“In this compelling and lovingly written novel, Jaap Robben has captured the harsh injustice inflicted on so many women and their children in the century gone by. It’s astounding how Robben, a man in his late thirties, so convincingly inhabits the mind of a young woman and that same woman in old age: remarkable in its truth and depth of feeling.” —Bazarow

“A gripping novel and a feminist indictment in one.”—Nederlands Dagblad

“Jaap Robben is a specialist in intimate spaces. A haunting and deeply human story, this book is a monument to every mother whose child was born into silence.” —Friesch Dagblad