[REVIEW] An Unwanted Inheritance by Herman De Jonghe Schrijverspunt
INTRIGUE BRINGS DECEPTION AND SUSPICION…

++ 'She can't recount what he goes on to talk about, trivia about family trees, families and archives; her head is full of grandma. Between all those strips of information she senses the faint outlines of something monstrous' ++
Original title: Een ongewenste erfenis
ISBN: 978 94 626 6370 1
Published by: Uitgeverij Schrijverspunt
Pages: 298

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A life that was largely devoted to teaching young people as a teacher, that is what characterises Herman De Jonghe. It was not until 2008 that he launched his debut, Koppenbergblues. His writings can now be classified as novels, thrillers and work for the theatre. For Ondergrond he received a nomination for the Hercule Poirot Prize in 2016. In terms of content, it can be said that his stories are always well thought out and also contain a suggestive truth or are based on true events. His recently published novel An Unwanted Inheritance speaks to the reader's imagination even before reading and raises the expectation that it will be a journey through the past. Mien Ooms flees in panic in 2016 from the Flemish-Limburg town of Hasselt and crosses the border into neighbouring Germany. After a disagreement with her partner Marc, she decides it is better to disappear from the radar for a while. Dismissed as an actress, her grandmother recently died, and her partner has debts that cannot simply be paid off. How much more can a person endure? She meets Belle Gladrow, who arranges temporary housing in a cottage belonging to her sister Käte, in Sassenhagen, in northern Germany.
A chance encounter with Geert Spaepen from Ghent makes a deeper impression on her than she lets herself believe. Spaepen is there to buy a castle that he wants to convert into a guesthouse. A year later, Geert Spaepen turns out to be held in the Ghent prison NieuweWandeling on suspicion of murdering Marnix Piesseurs. Mien Ooms is meanwhile back in Flanders and lives in the cottage she inherited from her grandmother. Her life takes an unexpected turn when 'the cottage' begins to reveal its secrets to her….

++ 'The work on the castle was underway, a digger roared, black smoke spurted from the exhaust, the shovel dug deep into the earth and clawed laboriously at a heap of soil; from the pile a pale skeleton protruded' ++

A Unwanted Legacy actually consists of two storylines. On the one hand, Mien Ooms, a fallen actress, is the focus as she tries to get her life back on track. On the other hand, Geert Spaepen's life unfolds in the Ghent prison. His story takes shape through the conversations he has with his lawyer, Paul Hendrickx.
As a reader, it is quite quickly concluded that both storylines are largely driven by dialogue, which implies that there are hardly any unexpected and/or surprising situations. Constant shifts in perspective between Mien and Geert delve into the pasts of both and go back a few generations to bring to light some origin of the present. Discovering extramarital relationships in the past casts a new and surprising light on the roots of the descendants. To want to know that, you as a reader have to invest some energy to take in all the ins and outs well. With A Unwanted Legacy, De Jonghe has put a surprising and different kind of story on paper than what he is used to. Content-wise very precise, down to the smallest detail, and also structured that way on paper, it slows all pace to less than walking speed. Many characters are mentioned, with most not going beyond being named, and a few also having a physical role. Still, it is up to the reader to take all of this in and bring it together, which in itself will be a tough nut to crack but is also challenging. Intrigues win out over suspense in this novel, and the reader's greatest curiosity will also go out to: what is really the connection between these two characters (Mien and Geert) and their ancestors? With, at the end of the rainbow, the usual pot of gold or a full bucket of disillusionment....

Final verdict: 3.0 stars
Suspense: 2 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Reading pleasure: 3 stars
Writing style: 4 stars
Originality: 3 stars
Psychology: 3 stars

(What Cees reads)

Mien Ooms, one of the protagonists, plays the role of Yvette in 'Mother Courage' by Berthold Brecht; Yvette is the prostitute with the red shoes who is the only one to profit from the war. Mien plays Yvette with heart and soul, and only on stage does she feel completely at home.

The dismissed theatre and soap actress Mien Ooms is on the run from the creditors of her former boyfriend when she meets Gent businessman and IT specialist Geert Spaepen in Sassenhagen (Northern Germany). The latter wants to regain ownership of an ancestral castle from the former GDR to turn it into a resort. Mien is the heir to a little house that belonged to her grandmother. However, she has not taken into account some "discoveries' in the inherited house. After the death of her father, she will also have to take care of his Syrian girlfriend Yalda, who turns out to have supernatural gifts. Two "heirs' who start a relationship. Until Mien disappears and Geert is prosecuted both for murder and for the disappearance of Mien.

Chapters following the storyline through the eyes of Mien alternate with 22 conversations (also 22 chapters) that Geert Spaepen has with his lawyer in the "Nieuwewandeling' (the Gent prison). In this way the author (1941) builds the plot and suspense around both inheritances, their dark, mystical side and the unexpected outcome.

Marc De Pril (NBD Biblion)