Just saw the Dutch version of “The Descendants”. I always wondered why the Netherlands would publish my book–it’s a place big on windmills, cheese, clogs, bicycles and little ovens, but then I remembered they’re also big on drugs, prostitution, and euthanasia, so it made a little more sense. But just a little.

I love the flap-copy. Reminds you things sure do get squished and trampled in translation:

“Matthew King, descendant of the royal family of Hawaii, is at a difficult point in his life. His wife Joanie lies in a coma and he needs for his daughters Alex (18) and Scottie (10) concerns. He has no idea how he should tackle. The situation is even worse if there really Joanie that of another man loved.
Alex comes home from boarding school to say goodbye to her mother where she had to fight before they went to boarding school. The reason was the deception of her mother. She announces that her friend Sid also live in the house until everything is behind us. Sid is a guy who father Matthew would rather not have. The boy says things at inappropriate moments and is constantly stoned…

The young Scottie behaving strangely. They do crazy things in order to have a story for her comatose mother. She refuses to talk to her mother or her touch and is also firmly convinced that her mother is better.

Matthew has his hands full with his daughters and their behavior. In addition, he has a heavy responsibility to get all their friends and family telling Joanie that the equipment will be met and then again about a week will live. He thinks it is a wish of his wife was also goodbye to her lover to take. That means that the confrontation with this man should go and thus equal to know exactly what this lover for his wife meant.

The story follows the brave Matthew, Alex helpful, negating the Scottie and Sid who simply exists, until the end of life of Joanie. In a week time people grow closer together and give you confidence that the family after the death of Joanie with each other will survive.

Kaui Hart Hemmings has a particularly sympathetic main character who created them airy tone by an awful difficult period of his life guide. He knows even his anger to overcome and the lover of his wife to visit out of love for her. The other characters in this book are great. Each person has peculiar traits, but they all have a little heart. And Hemmings know this graphically display in the dialogues between different people. At the end of the book you want to start up again so no need to take leave of this unusual, loving family.