Belgium

Amy said, "I noticed you did not have any book suggested for Belgium (where I live). I would like to recommend The Sorrow of Belgium by Hugo Claus, the most important book of one of our most famous 20th century writers (he has been suggested as a Nobel prize candidate for many years now.)"

The Sorrow of Belgium is a portrait of a wartime Belgium and one boy's coming of age -- emotionally, sexually, and politically. Louis struggles through the trials of adolescence in occupied Belgium between 1939 and 1947. His family is staunchly Flemish and willingly collaborates with the Germans. Through it all is the tension between the Flemish and French linguistic and cultural traditions of Belgium.

Amy came back to add: "Ironically enough, to celebrate the book's 25th anniversary, there was a reading marathon of it held in my town (Leuven) just last weekend."
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UPDATES: Amy said, "I have sad news: Hugo Claus died today. Here is the link to my post on this." You'll find Amy's review on her blog.

Samantha said, "If anyone's interested, here's my review for the book, the first one of my travel around the world." Bonnie added, "When I went to read her review, I discovered she has a list of books she plans to read for 31 countries of Western Europe. Thanks, Samantha, both the review and the list are helpful to the rest of us.