De Goede Zoon

A writer of unsuccessful 'sudden thrillers' lives in a wonderful near-future world in which everyone has a basic income and is often done by robots. Recently, his ancient mother died, whom he faithfully visited for twenty years as a good son. Unexpectedly he is taken on an indefinable journey by a former colleague of 'the Archive'. Gradually it appears that he is given the task of 'De Meester', another former colleague, 'giving back his memory'. For this Master, the I-figure once created a different identity through 'The Service', using his own childhood memories.

Faced with the often elusive events in 'the now', the parts of the story that play in the distant and recent past are clear and recognizable. The storyteller grew up in Amstelveen and Rijssen with parents who first fall from their faith and later rejoin the church.

As an unemployed person in his twenties, he gets a job at 'the Archive' through the Social Service, where he works for a year with three colleagues: Lennox, Guido and Bonzo, aka 'De Meester'. This Bonzo appears to have been involved in the controversial kidnapping of Batavier, a wealthy beer magnate. Bonzo has linked his sizes and receives a new identity from 'The Service' in return, which is designed by the I-figure. The 'ransom' – a large batch of diamonds – has never been found. Apparently Bonzo is the only one who knows where they are. But now, many years later, he has lost his memory. It is Lennox with whom the I-figure travels and eventually crawls 'into Bonzo's head' again.

On that journey, "the good son" contemplates important elements of his life, such as the gradual deterioration of his mother. There are also many reflections on life in the futuristic world, on the end of art and literature and on the functioning of memory.