An unnamed narrator grows up overshadowed by her unconventional mother, an ex-Jehovah’s witness and former television star with an inferiority complex. Her father is the head of a psychiatric institution, whose only form of parenting is to offer his daughter the same life advice he dispenses to his patients: to divide daily activities into measured time blocks in order to regain control.

When her mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer, our protagonist begins to address the family trauma, forge a new relationship with her father, and discover life on her terms.

In twelve chapters – each reflecting a different phase of life – Posthuma expertly dissects a fraught family history, exposing the absurdity that often lies at the heart of life’s most poignant and challenging moments. People with No Charisma is a darkly humorous novel about multigenerational family dynamics and individuality in Dutch suburbia.