In the book, Fortuyn sharply criticizes the then ruling "Purple" coalition government and its direct predecessor (both composed of PvdA, VVD and D66) on nearly all areas of their policies.

[13] However, Van Gennep parted ways with Fortuyn in November 2001 when the latter became close to confirmation as lijsttrekker of Livable Netherlands,[13] citing the incompatibility between their Marxist roots and the party's political positions.

[27] However, in May 2003, coinciding with the first commemoration of Fortuyn's death, Puinhopen saw a small sales figure jump, with book stores purchasing "hundreds" of copies to sell to their customers.

[28][29] On March 14, Fortuyn officially presented De puinhopen van acht jaar Paars in the political society Nieuwspoort (News gate) in The Hague.

[34] Job Frieszo of the television news program NOS Journaal reviewed the book on its release day, calling it "unusual" for an election manifesto to reflect the opinion of just one individual.

[7] Hubert Smeets of NRC Handelsblad wrote a generally negative review of the book, in which he compared Fortuyn to a burglar and rejected his ideas as duplicitous.

[36] Citing Fortuyn's reference to his departed mother and his colorful language, Sommer saw a world of differences between it and election manifestos of, for instance, the CDA and PvdA parties.

[39] Balkenende was negative about Fortuyn's "return to the government" when looking for solutions, as well as his calls for ending the year-on-year increases in the respective healthcare and education budgets.

Although prime minister Wim Kok considered Puinhopen to be "a good read", he criticized Fortuyn for penning "the most abhorrent accusations" against his administration.

[39] The title of the book (sometimes simply stated as De puinhopen van Paars) has gained widespread notoriety to depict the policies of the first and the second Kok cabinets in a negative way.

[41][42][43] Occasionally the term has also been applied to the second Rutte cabinet at the start of the 2012-2017 legislature (particularly by Geert Wilders)[44][45][46] or as a synonym for Fortuyn's 2002 general election campaign.

[47][48][49] On the last page of Puinhopen, Fortuyn promised a sequel, which he planned to release in four years' time, at the end of the next legislature, and in which he would dwell on the successes and failures of his parliamentary career.

[52] Puinhopen also inspired Flemish N-VA politician Geert Bourgeois to write De puinhoop van paars-groen (The wreckage of purple-green) in late 2002.