Like her debut, Love, If That’s What It Is, Marijke Schermer’s new novel explores a marriage, this one built upon a shocking secret kept for so long there seems no going back until a thoughtless act triggers traumatic memories than can no longer be buried.

Emilia and Burch are rushing to get to the theatre in Amsterdam, getting the children to bed before driving from their isolated home. At the end of the performance, they become separated. Emilia wanders off to the bar, takes her drink outside and leans over the balcony. When someone grabs her from behind, she lets herself go limp, falling to the ground, shocking her friend Frank who thought he was playing a harmless prank but his behaviour has triggered memories of a brutal rape by a stranger that she chose to keep from Burch. Over the next few months, Emilia begins to unravel until a revelation is made which rocks her faith in her marriage.

There are echoes of #MeToo in Schermer’s novel. Frank’s thoughtless grab would have been discomfiting to any women let alone one who had suffered such an attack and the behaviour of Emilia’s friend and colleague towards their intern is inexcusable although her reaction offers hope of progress. Emilia’s decision not to tell Burch about the rape is based on protecting their relationship but it doesn’t acknowledge the damage done to her, nor the effort of keeping a secret she had begun to feel might be better told. Hers is a powerful, graphic narrative written with the same compassion and empathy that characterised Schermer’s first novel

This was a quick, tense read. Unlikeable characters, raging floods, mental/marital collapse. Unlike some translations, the atmosphere and plot weren’t lost. Unfortunately, I still felt like I was left with too many unanswered questions to feel that the ending was satisfying.