Infidelity only acceptable in novels

The autobiographical novel by author Raymond van de Klundert (pseudonym: Kluun) about a man who cheats on his wife who is dying of cancer has become an unexpected hit. Around a million copies have already been sold, mostly to women. The daily NRC Handelsblad asks why: "What does this tell us? Are many women masochists, attracted by forms of male behaviour that injure their self-respect? Unlikely. Is it that many women are secret advocates of free love and no longer want a monogamous relationship? Even less likely. The solution to the puzzle is obvious: there is a huge gap between the views of women (and men) in everyday life and what they expect from a novel or other works of art. … The peculiar thing is that this difference is no longer recognised by many as soon as a tie is established with sex or general codes of behaviour."

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