Surrender On Demand
Biting social critique wrapped up in a playful, lyrical style
Shellfish, the novel’s narrator and protagonist, grows up in a working-class single-parent family in a run-down seaside town where you either end up working on an assembly line or getting a job at the local distribution center. When Shellfish is ostracised by their friend group, they decide to head for the big city. With no money, housing or friends to fall back on, they find themselves at the mercy of a sexually abusive landlord, a star reporter who hires them to do odd jobs, and a flatshare with a group of social justice warriors.
FictionPrint
Original title
Overgave op commando
Author
Nadia de Vries
Year of publication
2025
Publisher
Pluim
Page count
160
Contact for translation rights
Stella Rieck
Cossee
rieck@cossee.com
[object Object]
The strength is in De Vries’ gleaming prose. Witty, at times savage, gripping.
NRC
Surrender On Demand is the deeply moving story of an outcast trying to belong. This novel sheds light on a polarized society where good and evil are diametrically opposed, but the meaning of those terms is increasingly unclear.
Trouw
In a novel that reads like a fairytale, Nadia de Vries offers a searing, seemingly effortless critique of our times.
De Volkskrant
Nadia de Vries
Nadia de Vries is a poet, novelist and cultural critic. Her debut novel 'De bakvis' (Uitgeverij Pluim, 2022) was longlisted for two of the biggest literary prizes in the Low Countries. It was translated to English as 'Thistle' by Sarah Timmer Harvey (The New Menard Press, 2024). De Vries also writes poetry in English.