Rits

by Mariken Jongman, Wanda Boeke (Translator)

When his father runs off with his girlfriend and his distraught mother is admitted to an institution, thirteen-year-old Rits goes to live with his uncle and tries to make the best of his unusual circumstances.

Genres: Humor

236 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Mariken Jongman schreef onder meer Rits, Kiek en Liefde, liefde, nog eens liefde. Voor dat laatste jeugdboek won ze in 2012 de prijs voor Het Beste Groninger Boek. Naast kinder- en jeugdboeken schrijft ze ook theaterstukken en liedjes.

Reviews

[Ronnie]

"You've got quite a few problems, isn't that so, Rits?"

This is a curious little book written from the perspective of a peculiar 13-year-old, one Maurits "Rits" Hofmeijer, composed entirely of his journal entries--sort of a Diary of a Stress-Ridden Kid. Essentially abandoned by his flaky parents--mom's in an institution after an apparent nervous breakdown, dad's traveling the world with his new girlfriend in a quest to "find himself"--Rits finds himself living his Uncle Corry, a bachelor accurately described as "boorish" and a "drip" but who nevertheless is the character who most evolves in the course of the summer covered by the epistolary entries, with Rits initially recording his worries about things no early adolescent should have to consider, such as where his next meal is coming from, if rent is being paid, if his parents ever think of him, what his mom's mental state is, and what rare disease he himself might be developing, along with the stuff every 13-year-old deals with, such as making friends, wondering what he might want to be when he grows up, what the next school year might be like, and so on. I think probably most but not all early teens would identify with the emotions Rits scribbles down, even though he's probably on the fussier end of the spectrum for his age group and definitely on the more eloquent side of things; the entries for the most part feel authentic and universal despite the European setting and the fact that this was written in Dutch. There's some random but pretty tame foul language ("Life is full of shit," Uncle Corry observes at one point. "That's the way it happens to be.") and some offhand, questionable bits about Chinese food possibly containing dog meat and razzing from Corry's bar buddies about his being able to date only "a woman from the loony bin" or "a fag" or "a loony-bin fag!" but such instances are isolated and fairly arbitrary. The ending initially struck me as both too sudden and a sort of fizzle, but it has stayed with me and, on second thought, was amply foreshadowed.

First lines:
"For my birthday last year, my parents got me a writing journal and pen and a video camera. That way I could still choose what I wanted to be, a writer or a filmmaker."

[Dawn]

Not bad. Fun glimpse at teen life in another country.

[pandamans]

"RiTS" addresses issues of divorce and depression through the journal writings of 13 year old Maurits (Rits). Writing in the journal is a new activity for Rits, and the entries begin short and choppy, but improve as the days go by. Sent to live with his Uncle Crorry during the Summer, it isn't immediately apparent why. Rits is reluctant to address the reasoning even in his writings. The story follows the progression of Rits' relationships with his new friends Rita and Eva as well as the budding of Uncle Crorry from a depressed, out of work and boozing stranger into family. The humor with which "RiTS" is written makes for a fun read, but it can also come at the expense of it's main character. It is an enjoyable read, likely more so for the younger end of the 12-18 spectrum.

[Int'l librarian]

Life is tragedy for 13-year-old Maurits. His father is travelling the world with his new girlfriend. His mom has suffered a nervous breakdown. Rits is forced to live with his Uncle Corry, who spends most of his time drunk on the couch. It’s not the most obvious foundation for a farce, but Rits is a master of unintentional comedy.

He’s also a master worrier, and I loved his descriptions of scurvy and “sagging brain.” As a journal narrator, Rits has a frustrating habit of introducing events and then jumbling them up. But it’s all part of his “worry first, organize later,” mindset. He’s forced to make far more serious decisions than any middle schooler should have to. His good-humored responses make for a very entertaining and thoughtful story

[Sue]

Bit slow moving at first, but it gets more and more interesting when you continue flipping the pages, you get to know more about the boy, his world, his thoughts (innocent yet straightforwardly mature yet funny, go figure :P), and when I reached the end, it felt like I have experienced part of this 13 year old boy's life -- bit subtle, bit loud, and at times, bit sad.

Heard this is Jongman's first try on children novel, I won't mind a sequel to it.

[Erin Sterling]

Rits is 13, has to stay with his boring Uncle Corry indefinitely, wants to be either a filmmaker or a writer, and is not having a good summer so far. Written through journal entries, this book is touching, funny, and thoughtful. I loved Rits's voice and his adventures with Rita, a neighbor his age who befriends him.

[Emily]

I identified with Rits--a thirteen year old boy--so much it was scary. For some reason I had to put this book down, read other books, and then come back to it. I think the prose became a little too overwhelming and I needed a break. But I'm glad I finished.

[Megan]

I'm lurvin' this so far

Rits was one of the most endearing characters I've come across in a long time. I especially love that he's a 13 y/o hypochondriac that is sure he has "brain sag".

[Selina]

nice book for kids. not so easy to read.