“What if you weren’t alive yet, would you want to be born?” This is what’s written on the blurb of Dutch author Tjibbe Veldkamp’s children’s book The Boy Who Loved the World. Well, that’s fun, I thought, because this book could be about so many things. Would it be a philosophical novel? Or an adventure book? A magical tale? Or a love story? Or maybe all of the above? And what could we learn from it? Read on if you want to know the answer to these questions!
The boy Who loved the world is about Adem (the Dutch word for breath), a possible child who could eventually exist from the moment his parents feel each other’s breath on their lips. This means that they immediately form the idea of having a child together. However, Adem doesn’t exist yet, only in theory. Thanks to Barkov, some kind of magical sailor, Adem gets a preview on his life, allowing him to really walk the earth. He is then determined to ensure that his parents will end up together so he can really live.
Veldkamp’s novel takes place in an fictional city, probably in Eastern Europe. All we know about it is that a large river streams right through it, dividing the city in two parts. This river represents all the contrasts presented in the novel: the real world versus the ‘possible’ world; the strict, logical world of his mother, police officer Zdenka, and the artistic, rebellious world of Vaclav, his father; the beauty of the world and its ugly side; and the difference between living and not living, between being or not being. And Adem’s only wish is to become.
There are different ways in which to interpret this novel. It could be a story about a boy who has to bring his parents together because it will allow him to live. If you read it like that, it’s a whirlwind of an adventure story, since so many things happen and Adem has to make sure he will be alive. However, it is also a love story, because it is about the love shared between Vaclav and Zdenka despite their differences in how they view the world. There’s also plenty of magic in this novel, for obviously it is impossible to tell this story without using magic.
Most of all, though, The Boy Who Loved the World is about exactly that which the title describes: a boy who isn’t alive yet, but who would love nothing more than being alive. He views the world in a way that’s perfectly normal for children but almost impossible for adults: he sees and feels almost exclusively beautiful things. Think of the snow melting on your tongue, the colours a city can have, how warm a bed can be after a long, exhausting day, and how good food is when you’re hungry. And while I was reading Adem’s experiences, I kept thinking how badly I wanted to feel that way again.
When you’re a child, everything is special and fun and amazing and funny and interesting. Growing up, you get used to it, and then you focus on other things that are more important: education, money, work, politics and so on. And this brings us to the philosophical aspect of The Boy who Loved the World: why would you want to live. Or, in Adem’s case, why on Earth would you not want to live? While reading, I noticed I started thinking about all the things that I love about the world. Simultaneously, my mind also came up with things that make the world an ugly place. Somehow, I felt myself unable to focus on one aspect.
I talked about this novel with my book club. We found ourselves unable to define The Boy Who Loved the World, and to determine whether it was a children’s book in the first place. That’s because it has a bit of everything, and there’s many genres within this one book. Some of them were bothered by this. I, on the other hand, think that it’s one of the most charming aspects of this novel: the world is full of so many things all at once. It has plenty of adventure, it is filled with love, there are so many things that shouldn’t be real and might as well be magic. She makes us think, and makes us realise that there should be nothing better than being alive.
What did you think of The Boy Who Loved the World? Which book should you how beautiful the world can be? Do you believe in magic? What would you do if you were given a preview on the world? Should we always try our hardest to be aware of the beautiful parts of live? Or are we only capable of seeing them if we are also aware of the dark side of the world? Please let me know in the comments! Also, don’t forget to follow me for more bookish posts!
The Open Book 