The old thatcher tells his story, his son writes it down. And continues to write until after his father’s death.

In this touching memoir about his father, Rinus Spruit captures the hard life of a thatcher’s family in the early years of the last century, when people worked from dawn to dusk, living in fear of ending up old and poor. Mixed with this evocative description of a lost way of life is the story of a father and his son, close yet divided by all the changes of the last fifty years. Spruit's restrained style of writing perfectly matches the seriousness of the subject but a subtle humor emerges that helps to make the book totally engaging.

Rinus Spruit has worked in a hospital and written several prizewinning short stories. He is also a professional photographer. He took the cover photograph and the one used inside the book. The book has been adapted into a succesful theatre production, has been reprinted several times and has been published by DTV in Germany.

‘What a lovely book! A magnificent monument in words for a father. And what great details and wonderful expressions.’ – Maarten ’t Hart