Dr. Adriaan

In Short

Set in the damp countryside of Driebergen and the grey streets of the Hague, Louis Couperus’s classic domestic drama captures the steady unraveling and tentative repair of the extended Van Lowe and Van der Welcke families. Centered on Dr. Adriaan ("Addie") van der Welcke—a calm young physician burdened since childhood with acting as the emotional anchor for his troubled relatives—the novel traces his efforts to treat the neuroses, secret griefs, and career failures of his cousins, parents, and siblings. It endures as a masterclass in psychological realism and subtle family dynamics.

The Story

The narrative opens in the dismal, wind-swept Dutch winter at Driebergen, where Constance van der Welcke and her husband Henri reside in a large, damp house surrounded by dark pine woods. Having gathered a sprawling tribe of ailing and fragile relatives under their roof—including Constance’s aging mother, several orphaned nieces and nephews, and an assortment of sickly cousins—the household relies entirely on the quiet strength of young Dr. Adriaan. Since his earliest childhood, Addie has served as the mediator between his perpetually mismatched parents. Now a twenty-six-year-old husband, father, and physician, he treats the surrounding local poor for free while carrying the weight of his extended family’s mental and physical breakdowns.

Addie’s young wife, Mathilde, bitterly resents being marooned in the quiet countryside and forced to live alongside the neurotic, constantly ailing Van Lowe clan. Desperate for a life of social standing in the Hague, she complains of being sacrificed to her husband’s family. In an effort to make her happy, Addie moves Mathilde and their two small children to the Hague, opening a practice there and attempting a separate life. Yet the move fails to cure the rift between them. Mathilde grows increasingly distant, spending her evenings out in society, while Addie recognizes that their marriage was a fundamental mistake based on physical attraction rather than true harmony. When he discovers her growing intimacy with another man, Erzeele, Addie reacts with quiet resignation rather than anger, agreeing to a separation so Mathilde can seek her own path.

Meanwhile, back in Driebergen and across the family network, the younger generation struggles to find its footing. Alex remains haunted by the childhood memory of seeing his father’s bloody body after a suicide; Guy and the younger boys lack perseverance and flounder in their studies; Marietje suffers from severe, listless anemia and withdraws into a cloistered, nun-like existence; and the house itself seems haunted by strange, trailing sounds that echo the family's lingering ghosts. Addie tirelessly intervenes—employing hypnotism, medical care, and gentle counsel to bring Marietje back to health and comfort his grieving cousin Gerdy.

After his marriage collapses, Addie returns permanently to Driebergen, stepping back into the warm, protective embrace of his mother Constance and father Henri. Though burdened by his role as the family's eternal savior, Addie urges his parents and cousins to hold out hope for reconciliation and peace. The story draws to a close on a quiet winter evening as the family gathers in the dining room, only to discover that the ancient matriarch, Grandmamma, has passed away peacefully in her armchair, a serene smile resting on her face.

How It Unfolds

The gathering storm Amid the howling winds and dark winter clouds of Driebergen, Constance and her young relatives endure the dreary atmosphere of their damp estate. Mathilde’s sudden entrance into the family circle sparks immediate tension, making visible the deep-seated enmity and emotional instability brewing within the household.

The burden of childhood Addie reflects on his earliest memories of standing between his warring parents, realizing that his life’s destiny was set when he became their sole source of comfort. He agrees to move Mathilde to the Hague, even as he continues traveling to manage the crises of his relatives.

Visiting the fragile and broken Constance visits her sister Adolphine in the Hague and discovers her niece Marietje living like a recluse in a tiny, grey, nun-like room. Despite Marietje's insistence that she is unsuited for cheerfulness, Constance convinces her to come to Driebergen so Addie can treat her.

Echoes in the dark estate During the long winter nights, the young cousins huddle together listening to strange trailing noises echoing up the staircases of the old house. The haunting sounds accentuate the delicate health of Adèletje and the deep psychological scars shared by the Van Lowe descendants.

A marriage disintegrates Returning unexpectedly to the Hague late one night, Addie encounters Mathilde walking home with Erzeele. Recognizing that neither of them is happy and that their connection has vanished, Addie calmly initiates a frank discussion about their future, leading to their eventual separation.

Return to the fold Addie moves back to Driebergen for good, restoring comfort to his mother Constance and offering gentle guidance to his broken cousin Gerdy. The novel closes as the family turns up the gas in the dark dining room to discover Grandmamma has quietly died in her chair.

The People

• Dr. Adriaan ("Addie") van der Welcke: The central figure, a dedicated twenty-six-year-old physician who has acted as a mediator and emotional anchor for his parents and extended family since early childhood. He wants to heal those around him, but his devotion to his frail relatives strains his own marriage beyond repair.
• Constance van der Welcke: Addie’s mother, who seeks to redeem her past by gathering her broken family under her roof at Driebergen. She desires unity and peace, constantly worrying over her son's happiness while battling her own anxieties.
• Mathilde van der Welcke: Addie’s vibrant, practical wife, who craves social life, financial comfort, and a home of her own in the Hague. She resents the sickly, neurotic nature of the Van Lowe family, ultimately drifting away from Addie into an independent existence.
• Marietje: Addie’s cousin, a pale, severely anemic young woman of twenty-six who initially retreats into a cell-like bedroom, convinced she is beyond healing, before submitting to Addie's care.
• Gerdy: A sensitive, emotionally volatile cousin who suffers deeply from romantic heartache and anxiety, relying completely on Addie’s gentle reassurance to endure her emotional distress.

In Its Own Voice

"The soul of that landscape appeared small and all forlorn in the watery mists of the dreary winter."

A view of the lonely Driebergen countryside as Constance and young Adeletje walk along the wind-swept road.

"She was twenty-six, but looked younger; her lacklustre eyes were innocent of all passion, as though she were incapable of ever becoming a woman, as though her senses were dying away like some fading lily on its bending stalk."

Constance visits her languishing niece Marietje in her secluded room in the Hague.

"There was nothing for it but to smile, later, much later, at all the disappointment, even that of seeking and not finding and not achieving...."

The family friend Brauws reflects quietly on the inevitable sorrow and crushed illusions of human life during a quiet meal.

What It's Really About

At its core, the novel explores the invisible bonds of familial inheritance—both the genetic legacy of fragile nerves and the emotional burdens passed down through generations. Couperus contrasts the steady, pragmatic "Dutch seriousness" of the Van der Welcke line against the hypersensitive, morbid, and decaying vitality of the Van Lowe family. The book questions whether a single individual can bear the emotional weight of an entire clan without sacrificing their own personal fulfillment. Through Addie's failed marriage, it demonstrates that noble intentions and a sense of duty cannot substitute for genuine romantic compatibility. Ultimately, the narrative argues for quiet acceptance of life’s disappointments, emphasizing that peace comes not from achieving perfect illusions, but from enduring sorrow with collective warmth.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate deeply atmospheric family sagas, nuanced character studies, and classic European fiction will find much to admire in Couperus's writing. Translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, the prose moves with an unhurried, rhythmic precision that mirrors the quiet passage of time in the Dutch countryside. The narrative captures the exact texture of domestic life: cold winter walks, quiet games of backgammon by the fire, subtle parlor rivalries, and the melancholy rustle of wind through pine trees.

The novel does require patience. Its pacing is deliberately slow, reflective of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century realism, and its character roster is large and interconnected. Modern readers must adjust to the dramatic, highly sensitive temperaments of the period and the subdued narrative stakes, where a quiet conversation or an unexpressed grudge carries immense weight. Yet what stays with you long after finishing is the profound empathy Couperus extends to every figure in his canvas—from the rebellious, misunderstood wife to the quietly fading invalid—making this final volume of The Books of the Small Souls a poignant study in human resilience.