Need is a big word van Nynke Nauta is a novel that explores the complexity of freedom and connection through personal stories. The novel follows Nynke 'Skip' Nauta, who after seven years at sea is unexpectedly confronted with her past in the marina at Cannes: the couple Zeno and their brilliant teenage son Juda invite her to spend a summer in their garden house in Amsterdam.
Skip returns to the Netherlands and discovers a city and family where time has left its mark. In the crowded streets of Amsterdam, she is confronted with the scars of lost loves, including a man and a mother who tried to pull her into tragedy. While she has always resisted imposed roles, her outsider status is now being called into question. The question arises whether an exile ever truly belongs.
Need is a big word offers an incisive look at attachment—both to people and to reality itself. It is a novel about disorientation, longing, and the tension between freedom and commitment.
Nina Polak (1986) debuted in 2014 with the prize-winning We won’t smash to pieces, which was nominated for the Anton Wachter Prize and the Anv Debutanten Prize, among others. She is an editor at De Correspondent and writes regularly for The Guide.