Whether you love or hate her, Dutch author Connie Palmen (1955) deserves some credit: more than three decades after its first publication, her debut novel The Laws continues to spark conversations. I must admit, I started with low expectations, as I was not eager for yet another Dutch psychological novel about sexuality. Fortunately, those expectations were off. Instead, Palmen offers a glimpse into a young woman’s search for… well, life, the universe, and everything, I suppose. Throughout seven chapters, she encounters seven men, each of whom shapes her in one way or another. Set in the 1980s, the term ‘mansplaining’ had not yet emerged, but it seems to amuse the protagonist. In any case, it was a relief that they weren’t all lovers.

Recognition played a significant role in my appreciation of the novel. Any story depicting student life in Amsterdam – especially around the Oudemanhuispoort – sparks my imagination. I also value the author’s attempt to intertwine literature and philosophy. On the downside, I occasionally lost track of the narrative, unsure of where the author was headed. In the later chapters, the novel unfortunately takes on the character of ‘yet another psychological novel about sexuality’. All in all, I understand why so many people love this book, but I’m not among those who shower it with praise.