The Jaap Holm-effect

As a child, I was mesmerized by a book with a distinctly Christian signature. The book was titled ‘Jaap Holm en z’n vrinden’ (Jaap Holm and his Mates) by W.G. van de Hulst (1910). It would have been better if the author had titled the book ‘Not a Glimmer of Hope’. I read it many times, fascinated as I was by the masochistic fumes that wafted from its pages.

Jaap grew up in an impoverished family; his father had lost his job as a street sweeper, naturally due to a minor transgression that later turned out to be unjust. He was sacked by the local capitalist, in the person of the miserly gentleman farmer Baas Brom (‘Get out of my orchard!’). Van de Hulst doesn’t mention this in his book, but it was a time when vagrants, idlers, or unjustly accused street sweepers were banished by the government to the hinterlands of Drenthe to dig peat. Such abuses were normal then and, strangely enough, are rarely discussed by opponents of Zwarte Piet with their rigid fixation on our slavery past.

Nothing ever went right in that damn book, because at Jaap’s home, a sister lay in the cradle, crying heartbrokenly, from hunger, of course, that goes without saying. And they constantly had to keep piously believing in God, because He had planned it all that way. Every setback was thus rationalized and elevated to a higher spiritual experience. Comfortably seated next to the coal stove, I repeatedly read the low point of this terrible book, although for me it was the undisputed highlight.

Jaap and his friend Kees, the son of the village doctor, had gone to clear snow on the ice in the freezing cold. It was, of course, always incredibly cold in that blasted book, as no opportunity was missed to hammer home that life isn’t fun, and it never would be. So it was quite a boost when, after clearing the snow, the collected money was stolen by a tramp, because good fortune, that’s worthless. Naturally, the sister now had to bawl even louder from hunger. Jaap was, for heaven’s sake, given a sandwich in Kees’s scullery. Thus, class differences were consolidated in passing.

At the same time, there was something appealing about it too, such a clear-cut sadistic society, with distinct winters and thin clothing. If things are going against you, dear reader, just think of this story. Then you will naturally experience the wholesome effect of the so-called ‘Jaap Holm Effect’. After all, it can never get worse than this dreadful book. But never give it to your child. I feel supported in this by Maarten ‘t Hart, who considers W.G. van de Hulst unsuitable for giving a growing child any insight into life and the world. He also always found ‘Jaap Holm en z’n vrinden’ to be a terrible book. In that respect, ‘t Hart is a comrade in arms.