“False Alarm: Inside the Mind of OCD”
Author: Dr. Menno Oosterhoff, Psychiatrist
Translation: Marjolijn De Jager, PhD.
English Publisher: To be determined
In her precise and nuanced translation of Menno Oosterhoff’s award-winning “False Alarm,” Marjolijn de Jager brings a Dutch bestseller on obsessive-compulsive disorder to English-speaking readers with remarkable sensitivity.
This book offers a rare dual perspective: Oosterhoff writes both as a practicing psychiatrist and as someone who has lived with OCD for four decades.
De Jager’s translation skillfully navigates the book’s clinical explanations while preserving the profoundly personal narrative at its core. Her careful work maintains the accessibility that made this book a multi-edition success in the Netherlands, ensuring it remains approachable for the lay reader while retaining its informative depth. Particularly moving is her handling of the chapter “Living with Menno and his OCD,” written by Oosterhoff’s wife, which provides an invaluable perspective on loving someone with this condition.
What makes this translation particularly compelling is how it retains the original’s occasional moments of wit and insight despite the seriousness of the subject. De Jager ensures that the interweaving of professional observation and personal experience flows naturally in English, creating an accessible yet authoritative text.
Currently seeking an English-language publisher, this vital work seems poised to make the same impact internationally that it did in the Netherlands. De Jager’s meticulous translation work continues with Oosterhoff’s forthcoming book on euthanasia for people with mental illnesses, demonstrating her commitment to bringing significant medical and ethical discussions to wider audiences through her exceptional translation skills.
References
Source: Uitgeverij Lucht BV (Publisher), book description for “Vals Alarm: leven met een dwangstoornis” by Menno Oosterhoff, first published May 9, 2017. ISBN: 9789491729683.
