As a little encore, I’m going to go out on a limb this week and mention some of the other stories* in the Paul Harland Prize 2012 that I especially enjoyed**. All they have in common is that they went on to be finalists in the Paul Harland Prize 2012 (and as such judged by the final jurors), and that I liked them.

Today, I’d like to mention Paul Waalderen en het Ulbricht-mysterie by Freek de Bruin. A weird story in the good sense of the word, PWehUm is told in the form of a radio play. Odd choice? Yes. But De Bruin makes it work, mostly, through an added convolution: messing with layers of reality, fiction, and what may be a radio play within the radio play that is the entire story. The story may not be for everyone, since it doesn’t provide a clean resolution, or too much clarity in general. But I personally enjoy stories that leave me with questions and, in this case, utter confusion. De Bruin manages to mess with my head and leave a lasting impression, and that in itself is worth a mention here.

* In no particular order.

** Please note that these remarks reflect only my private opinion. I am in wholehearted agreement with the final line-up, the selection of winners, and the ranking of the finalists as the jury determined it.