the reader of books

This book. I don't even know how to describe what happened exactly especially because the ending was sort of vague (or I am really stupid).

Emilie is a disgraced academic who leaves the Netherlands after a failed affair with a student. She doesn't tell her parents or her husband where she is going, and instead finds a solitary farm in some remote part of Wales (or is it all remote?) and decides to be solitary and self-sustaining, kind of like the subject of her studies, Emily Dickinson.

Emilie takes care of the farm and does some exploring, but she is always tired and she eschews any interaction with the townies. However, she finds herself becoming more bored and lonely with being so remote, so when a young man Bradwen stops by with his dog, she welcomes the company. Bradwen is on some job that involves hiking around, but he determines his own schedule, so he ends up staying with Emilie. She keeps telling herself she will ask him to leave, but she does enjoy his company and he is very good at helping out, so he ends up staying. `

Back in Amsterdam, Emilie's husband (called The Husband) visits the university where Emilie worked. He becomes enraged and sets a fire and then immediately regrets it and yells FIRE, leading to his arrest and (I can't remember how exactly) his broken foot. While at the doctor, he accidentally learns that Emilie was very sick and becomes determined to track her down. The Husband also becomes extremely close to Anton, the police officer who arrested him for arson and some weirdness ensues.

Eventually, The Husband and Anton go to Wales, where everything comes together but nothing makes sense, and then the book ends.