Books with author Bart Moeyaert

We raced across three small fields we'd never been in before. It was downhill all the way. We were running faster than our legs could carry us. Sometimes we tripped over our own feet. Because we'd never been there, we didn't know the danger spots. —FROM THE BOOK So begins this story of two boys—Ward and Bernie—who trespass on the land of a lonely, mistrustful farmer, Betjeman. When Ward accidentally kills Betjeman's duck, the farmer retaliates and what began as a prank rapidly spirals out of control. Bare Hands is a parable of power and impotence, staged against an emotional landscape and climaxing in a phantasmagoric New Year's Eve celebration.

It's summer and it's hot. A girl is riding in the back seat of a car between her mother and her mother's sleeping boyfriend, his dog tucked between her feet. Her brother is driving. He suddenly stops the car, gets out, and stands silently. His mother joins him. The boyfriend continues to sleep. Mother and son lean against each other. He starts to cry. The girl distracts her little sister by taking her for a walk. From a distance, the girl hears shouting and sees her mother's boyfriend fall heavily onto the pavement. Their mother shoves her brother to the ground. This novel tells the bittersweet story of an unconventional family and its struggles. The story unfolds with an immediacy and an impact that only a perceptive but innocent child can convey.