'Blood of My Blood tackles a major taboo: the parent who no longer wants to be a parent.' — de Volkskrant
‘Blood of My Blood is heartbreaking, but also gripping. I couldn’t put it down. — Margriet
What drives people to have children—and what drives them to give a child up again?
As a baby, Hebe is adopted by a couple who seem to have it all: wealth, beauty, and each other. But Hebe never feels at home with them, and when she turns six, her parents conclude that their attempt to become a family has failed. In a desperate bid to put things right, they take Hebe back to her country of birth. When that plan also falls apart, Hebe is forced to spend the rest of her childhood in foster care.
Now an adult, Hebe has no desire to have children of her own. Yet her partner’s daughter sees in her the mother she refuses to become. And when Hebe’s adoptive father unexpectedly reaches out after many years, memories of her fractured beginning come flooding back.
In Blood of My Blood, Margo Hoogenberk combines cool clarity with deep compassion to explore these questions, revealing how difficult it is to pass judgment on even the most ethically troubling choices.
About the book:
- A literary novel exploring adoption from various perspectives.
- An exploration of what happens when the dream of adopting a child doesn’t turn out as expected.
- Winner of Mensje van Keulen Writing Competition
- Eligible for translation subsidy of ca. 50%-80%
- An unflinching look at the international adoption system and its vulnerability to corruption.
- The impact of adoption on children’s identity.