Jeannie Van Rompaey: 8 books

On holiday on the Costa del Sol, Spain, Kate and Jonathan, serous-minded academics from Cambridge, strike up an unlikely friendship with a charismatic Swedish couple. From the moment they meet, they embark on a trail of pleasure that is both exciting and dangerous. Will this change in their behaviour have a permanent effect on the English couple's already faltering relationship?

On the subtropical island of Gran Canaria,two British residents, Ellen and Queenie, have been friends for fifty years. They both have secrets, but have not confided in each other. The revelation of these secrets could have a devastating effect on them both.

At sixteen, a young woman gives up her baby for adoption. Thirty years later, the daughter, Thea, seeks her out. Full of anticipation and misgivings, mother and daughter set out to meet each other. Thea has always felt herself a misfit in the home of her fussy, middle class, adoptive parents and hopes she will have more in common with her biological mother.

At the funeral of her possessive mother, Anne feels free at last, but events take a strange turn. At once amusing and chilling the story explores the relationship between a daughter and her mother.

When the mutant humanoids of Compound 55 hear that new company boss, Ra, is about to pay them a visit, they fear they will lose their jobs and be turned out into the wilderness. Even the dedicated chief chronicler, one-eyed Odysseus, is unsure of his future. During a bizarre interview the three-headed Ra asks Odysseus to carry out a distasteful task.

Anna and Belinda are twins, one seemingly more beautiful and talented than the other. Belinda considers herself the other and lives in the shadow of her sister. At times she worships her, at others despises her. After Anna leaves, Belinda has to find a way to get on with her own life, even if the cost is sacrificing her memories of Anna.

Two women past their prime sit on the terrace of the Café Hulstkamp on the De Keyserlei in Antwerp, sipping coffee. They have known each other since schooldays but have never been friends. They sit at separate tables hoping that, for the price of a few whiskies, they can buy the company of an attractive young man for a few hours. But how dangerous is the game they are playing?

Two actors meet in a café in Antwerp. Years before at drama school, they were full of ideals, convinced they could help to save the world through political theater. Each accuses the other of losing his artistic integrity.