How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
All afternoon he had felt liberated, free to be himself in a new way. A self that had been suppressed, hidden, not allowed out, had been released. He liked this new self, and told himself that he was not going to let it be shut away again. (16.111)
Check out that word liberated. After visiting his grandpa's grave and getting to know Hille, Jacob finally feels free—he gets to be himself for once, almost like someone being liberated in a war.
Quote #8
And suddenly he thought for the first time, surprising himself: I don't want to go back. I want to stay here. There's more for me here than there. And I can be more me here than I can be there. (21.27)
Finally Jacob seems content in Amsterdam. He thinks this after learning the truth about his grandpa, which makes us wonder whether that was his missing piece all along. If he hadn't have learned about Jacob's affair with Geertrui, would he still want to go back to Amsterdam? We'll let you answer that one.
Quote #9
"Ton never sleeps with women. That's the way he is. Simone only sleeps with me. That's the way she is. I sleep with them both. That's the way I am. They both want to sleep with me. That's how we are. That's how we want it. If we didn't, or if any one of us didn't, then, okay, that's it. All the stuff about gender. Male, female, queer, bi, feminist, new man, whatever—it's meaningless. As out of date as marriage forever. I'm tired of hearing about it. We're beyond that now." (21.56)
As part of Jacob's quest to find himself, he's also got to figure out his sexual identity. He's confused as to why he's in attracted to a guy, and why he tried to convince himself he was a she. Daan and Ton help Jacob figure out that he doesn't just have to be one thing.