‘Blooddrops like tears’ by Arie de Ruiter: an ethical theme that makes the reader think – De Puttenaer

April 25, 2024 at 8:00 PM

People

HARDERWIJK Last Saturday, Harderwijker Arie de Ruiter had a signing session in bookstore Boeklief for his new novel Drops of blood like tears. A story about an almost 18-year-old boy who is confronted with schizophrenia, losing dreams and the long, difficult road to recovery.

The now 70-year-old Arie de Ruiter comes from the Alblasserwaard and has lived in Harderwijk since 2009. From his apartment overlooking the forests of Ermelo on one side and Wolderwijd on the other, all the way to Zeewolde, Arie has Harderwijk around him. “I live here fantastically. When the weather is nice, I don’t write. Then I go outside for a walk or a cup of coffee on the terrace.” The fact that Arie is now completely integrated into the environment is evident from his novel Threat which takes place in Ermelo in 1860.

WORDPERFECT

Arie’s first stories date from the 1990s. “Some authors say that they have been writing from the moment they learned the first letters. I’m not one of those. I was terrible at it at school. Because teachers liked me, I just got a six.”

Because teachers liked me, I just got a six

Still, when the question came for a still empty page in the church magazine, Arie found the courage to sit down at the computer and write. His first story was soon followed by new ones. “At that time, everyone had a computer and you didn’t do much with it. I had fun getting behind it and playing around with WordPerfect.”

CONTRAST NUMBERS AND WRITING

At that time, the hobby of writing was combined with a job as an accountant. A remarkable contrast from factual figures and situations to the imaginative world of writing. “I can’t tell you why I took up accounting, I just didn’t know what to study.” Yet Arie felt at home in both circles. “My sense of language has really been improved by working, taking minutes and being the pivot in an organization.” The fact that language is a writer’s most important working material is convenient. “I still get feedback from my proofreaders that I sometimes use old-fashioned Dutch. Then I really have to sit down and adjust that.”

BURNOUT

Due to a severe burnout, Arie finally stopped working as an accountant in 2006. He found the inspiration to switch from stories to novels. “The Married Monk is my first novel. I have now rewritten it, because my style has really improved over the years.” Arie cannot exactly explain where the preference for history comes from. “I had a teacher who could tell stories well. Later I read about it, that’s kind of how it started.”

HISTORY

Modern language use is a less important point for the historical novels that Arie has often written. “For those stories I really immerse myself in the time period. I look for what can be found in history.”

The fact that the reader really feels like they are in that time is a great compliment

For the story about Ermelo and Harderwijk, he gained inspiration from old booklets in which the experiences of people in the area over generations are recorded. “I get a lot of pleasure from going through those types of works.” The reviews of Arie’s books indicate that the reader really imagines himself in that time and is completely drawn into the story. “That’s a great compliment.”

SCHIZOPHRENIA

The time periods in which his eight novels are set are very variable. From 500 AD in the novel Cloud Horse to the Golden Age, but also the interwar period. Drops of Blood Like Tears is the second book set in the present. “I was a bit out of time. Otherwise I’ll write the same kind of story twice. A few stories about schizophrenia surfaced in my environment.” Arie delved into the problem, read many experience stories and interviewed people about life with such a diagnosis. “The impact on the life of a boy who is on the edge of adulthood and actually sees his world collapsing is enormous. The fears they experience are real to them. Simply saying that what they see is wrong has no effect. More is needed.” He thinks it’s only a good thing that Arie is addressing a subject that is fairly unusual. “I hope it reaches a wide audience.”

ETHICAL THEME

All Arie’s books have an ethical theme that makes the reader think. “A married monk, how do you continue to live with a murder on your conscience or the impact of discrimination. It’s about vulnerable people who deserve attention.” Arie is not yet writing the next novel. “I am currently translating my books into English, hopefully I can become known there too. And I can see where inspiration suddenly surfaces again.”

Arie’s books are for sale at the Boeklief bookstore. You can order online via www.boekarie.nl.