The Guardian declares THE TWIN one of the 10 best farming novels

Of the Van Wonderen twins, Henk was the boy favoured to take over his father's farm; Helmer is the boy left behind when Helmer dies in a car crash. He is also our narrator, and it's almost 40 years later; he and his invalid father are still on the farm. Helmer's life is twisted by resentment; it stunts his yearning for change. Then the woman who was Henk's girlfriend writes to ask whether her teenage son – Henk – can come to work alongside Helmer on the farm, and Helmer comes to see what change really looks like. Bakker's prose has immense control and deeply unsettling psychological reach.

Read about Belinda McKeon's other picks here.