{"id":139364,"date":"2026-09-30T13:55:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T11:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/?p=139364"},"modified":"2026-09-17T14:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T12:08:14","slug":"monsterzicht-roept-interessante-vragen-op","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/09\/monsterzicht-roept-interessante-vragen-op\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Monsterzicht\u2019 raises some interesting questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jan van Aken, <em>Monster View<\/em> |  320 pp. |  Querido, \u20ac27.99<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jan Van Aken\u2019s new historical novel is set in the recent past: the years 1937\u20131939, when not only Nazism was on the rise, but also Carl Gustav Jung\u2019s psychoanalysis. Van Aken skilfully weaves these two elements into <em>Monster View<\/em> It\u2019s lovely to connect with one another. Who\u2019s mad, what\u2019s normal, and who are the monsters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Authors of historical novels have an incredible wealth of material to draw upon, with centuries of events, characters and plot twists to choose from. The rich body of work by the author Jan van Aken (1961) therefore spans many centuries: he takes the reader just as easily back to the sixth century BC (<em>King for a day<\/em>, 2008), the fourth century AD (<em>The apostate<\/em>, 2013), the fifteenth century (<em>The procession<\/em>, 2018) or to the 1980s (<em>The Velvet Labyrinth<\/em>, 2005). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his new novel <em>Monster View<\/em> he looks closer to home: the story is set in the years leading up to the Second World War. The protagonist, Victor Montanus, joins the Order of Saint Dymphae in Hilligenkapel as a junior doctor; it is a psychiatric institution with a ward for women with mental illness and one for male patients. Victor is assigned to the women\u2019s ward, where he intends to put his knowledge of Jungian psychoanalysis into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Van Aken immediately pulls out all the stops to set the scene and paint a picture of the era: \u2018A layered mist hangs in the dining hall of St Dymphna\u2019s. They are the suffocating odours of carbolic acid and Lysol, the sharp, acrid fumes of ammonia and vinegar, of tar-like creosote and bleach; the complex bouquet of all those cleaning and disinfecting agents with which the sisters scrub the floors and the walls, doors and windows, and indeed any surface that can be scrubbed, as if they were trying to keep the devil at bay, for everyone knows that he can not only swell to planetary proportions, but just as easily disguise himself as microscopic swarms or a miasma of mould. The odours cling to dresses and aprons, to habits and veils. They are in the hair and deep within the pores of these hard-working women. For these women, the sweat on their faces has mingled with the distinctive aromas of their domestic duties.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nuns look after the female patients, who suffer from psychoses, nervous disorders or schizophrenia, and particularly hysteria. However, there is something unusual about the patient Lena. This highly intelligent young lady witnessed her mother\u2019s fatal accident right before her eyes when she was fifteen, and has suffered from severe anxiety ever since. This is caused by the fact that, when she looks at people, she sees a double face: half \u2018normal\u2019 and half monstrous. Are these hallucinations, or does she see the true person behind the mask? Victor decides that she is a suitable candidate on whom to trial the Jungian treatment method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had acquired his knowledge of psychoanalysis a few years earlier in Heidelberg, Germany, and this forms the second storyline in <em>Monster View<\/em>. Whilst Nazism is on the rise and Victor\u2019s German mistress, Verena, is being swept up in it, Victor\u2019s unease grows, as does his fascination with the human mind. He considers the rather cruel treatments commonly used to be outdated and primitive; he sees psychoanalysis as the gateway to a new form of treatment for mental illness. When he falls out with the Germans and is deported to the Netherlands, his appointment in Hilligenkapel gives him a chance to further develop his skills after all. But how effective is his approach?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Could the highly critical reception of Van Aken\u2019s previous novel <em>The xoanon<\/em> (2024) played a part in the decision to take a completely different approach this time? Several reviewers compared this historical novel, set in Constantinople in 1922, to Indiana Jones films, and they did not mean that as a compliment: after a strong start, the book descended into such a jumble of conspiracies, quests, chases and other events that the reader could no longer make head nor tail of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nothing of the sort in <em>Monster View<\/em>, and the protagonist is not the sort of opportunistic schemer who often features in Van Aken\u2019s novels. <em>Monster View<\/em> is a more contemplative book, consisting mainly of dialogue rather than adventurous events \u2013 and it could hardly be otherwise for a book about the human psyche. Rather than a plot packed to the brim, this novel centres on discussions about the workings of the mind, depth psychology, treatment methods that have thankfully long since been abandoned, characters who display unusual behaviour or have other peculiar conditions, such as diphallia (a double penis).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Above all, the question is who the madmen are, who the monsters are, and whether the \u2018true\u2019 face of humanity is not, more often than not, a mask. These are interesting questions, which also resonate in the present day. Although Victor, as the main character, remains somewhat one-dimensional \u2013 the reader\u2019s sympathy lies more with the perceptive Lena, who gains greater depth and substance through the letters she writes to her absent father \u2013 Van Aken succeeds in weaving two interesting and well-told storylines into <em>Monster View<\/em> to build up a good sense of suspense that holds the reader\u2019s attention right to the end.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jan van Aken, Monsterzicht | 320 p. | Querido, \u20ac 27,99 De nieuwe historische roman van Jan Van Aken speelt zich af in een nabij verleden: de jaren 1937-1939, toen niet alleen het nazisme in opkomst was, maar ook de psychoanalyse van Carl Gustav Jung. Van Aken weet die twee in Monsterzicht mooi met elkaar [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":330,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16518,4763,11687],"tags":[16600,58],"class_list":["post-139364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","category-literatuur-2","category-donatie-gevraagd","tag-psychoanalyse","tag-recensie"],"featured_image_url":[],"post_author":"A Quattro Mani","assigned_categories":"featured, LITERAIR, WAARDEER &amp; DONEER!","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":98712,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2025\/09\/gijsbrecht-van-aemstel-voor-het-eerst-opgevoerd-als-opera\/","url_meta":{"origin":139364,"position":0},"title":"Gijsbrecht van Aemstel staged as an opera for the first time","author":"Rudolf Hunnik","date":"25 September 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Eeuwenlang klonk de beroemde zin in het theater: \u2018Het hemelsche gerecht heeft zich ten lange lesten erbarremt over mij, en mijn benaeuwde veste.\u2019 Dit is de eerste strofe uit het treurspel \u2018Gijsbrecht van Aemstel\u2019 (1637) van Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679). De componist Jan van Maanen heeft de originele tekst\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ERFGOED&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ERFGOED","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/erfgoed\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Gijsbrecht_Nederlands-Concertkoor%E2%94%AC%C2%AESimon-van-Boxtel-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Gijsbrecht_Nederlands-Concertkoor%E2%94%AC%C2%AESimon-van-Boxtel-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Gijsbrecht_Nederlands-Concertkoor%E2%94%AC%C2%AESimon-van-Boxtel-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Gijsbrecht_Nederlands-Concertkoor%E2%94%AC%C2%AESimon-van-Boxtel-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Gijsbrecht_Nederlands-Concertkoor%E2%94%AC%C2%AESimon-van-Boxtel-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Gijsbrecht_Nederlands-Concertkoor%E2%94%AC%C2%AESimon-van-Boxtel-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40504,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2016\/10\/stefan-hertmans-bekeerlinge-dood-opgewekt\/","url_meta":{"origin":139364,"position":1},"title":"Stefan Hertmans: 'I raised this convert from the dead'","author":"A Quattro Mani","date":"28 October 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The last lavender fields have been harvested, and Haute-Provence is preparing for autumn. The white mists come earlier and start to rise later. As the village of Monieux basks in the sun, which still shines warm and bright, the tree-lined river Nesque meanders through...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Alleen voor leden&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Alleen voor leden","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/service\/members-only\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Hertmans-digitaal-%C2%A9Marc-Brester-6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Hertmans-digitaal-%C2%A9Marc-Brester-6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Hertmans-digitaal-%C2%A9Marc-Brester-6.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Hertmans-digitaal-%C2%A9Marc-Brester-6.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Hertmans-digitaal-%C2%A9Marc-Brester-6.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":137055,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/09\/bouwwerkzaamheden-renovatie-amsterdam-museum-van-start\/","url_meta":{"origin":139364,"position":2},"title":"Construction work on the Amsterdam Museum renovation gets underway","author":"Amsterdam Museum","date":"3 September 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"AMSTERDAM, 3 September 2026 \u2013 With the installation of a protective plate around the centuries-old Jan van Speijk plaque in the historic boys\u2019 courtyard, construction work on the renovation of the Amsterdam Museum began last Thursday, 3 September. 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For three days you can enjoy floating, paddling and swimming works of art from the banks of the Dommel river, in the middle of the historical centre of...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BEELDEND&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BEELDEND","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/beeldende-kunst-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/KLEINER-Evolutie-der-Demonen-_-Boost-Producties_foto-Roos-de-Bolster.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/KLEINER-Evolutie-der-Demonen-_-Boost-Producties_foto-Roos-de-Bolster.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/KLEINER-Evolutie-der-Demonen-_-Boost-Producties_foto-Roos-de-Bolster.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":92973,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2023\/12\/theatergroep-aluin-maakt-voorstelling-over-de-erfenis-van-jan-pieterszoon-coen\/","url_meta":{"origin":139364,"position":5},"title":"Theatre group Alum creates show about Jan Pieterszoon Coen's legacy","author":"een van onze leden","date":"12 December 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Premiere: 23 December 2023, Theater Kikker in Utrecht Utrecht Utrecht - After the success of 'Ik zeg toch Sorry' (selected for the Dutch Theatre Festival), Aluin is coming this Christmas with a zeitgeist comedy. 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