He denounces all deception in his friends and family and promises his own unmasking as a finale; swearing off all personal desire, he now dedicates his life to the happiness of his girlfriend, "Bird", a former prostitute.

The couple lived for a time in Eilat, Israel, where Beck was a regular customer to the brothel and Bird was sleeping with ugly, deformed men.

Back in Europe, it becomes clear that she is suffering from a fatal disease, and before she dies agrees to marry an asylum seeker from Algeria so he can attain permanent residence.

It is one of the most controversial books in recent Dutch literary history, and Erica van Boven has argued that the work compares to that of Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, and W.F.

"[3] Reviewing that edition, Dirk Leyman of De Morgen praises Grunberg's new direction (earlier, he had gained recognition as an absurdist) and the precision with which he captures both the protagonist and the reader.