Notes for Pelle

Once, mom hands twelve-year-old Pelle a shoebox full of notes from his deceased father. Each week, the boy must unwrap one of them and do what his dad instructed. The content of the notes varies: from a reference to a video where the father teaches Pelle how to shave, to the instruction to invite mom to a restaurant. Thus, even after death, the father helps Pelle and his mom to start a new life and meet new people. Pelle is very gifted and has an exceptional memory for encyclopedic facts. Since the boy lost his father, this talent defines his survival strategy. Whenever grief threatens to overwhelm him, Pelle thinks of facts that make him not want to cry. The way he manages to hold back adds color to Pelle's character and encourages the reader to empathize with his emotions, while not falling into sentimentality. The novella «Notes for Pelle» by contemporary Dutch writer Marlies Slegers is both a touching and charming portrait of a boy gradually overcoming grief, and a story about the love between a father and son.