On Tom as a writer:

 

'Here we see a writer at work who enjoys the power of stories. Hofland invents the weirdest things to win over his readers, and he succeeds well. (...) The ten stories are not realistic, but very believable. Time and again, Hofland manages to throw his readers right into the deep end within the short span of this genre, providing enough context to get to know the characters and ensuring a surprising twist or denouement. Much is suggested, little is named and that gives readers something to do. Hofland clearly had fun writing this collection. And now the fun is up to the reader.'

- Trouw (on Een stroopgraf voor de bij)

 

'The novel “De Menseneter” is both tragic because of the human suffering and extremely funny because of the witty dialogues and absurdist twists the story keeps taking. Within the scheme of the genre,

Hofland keeps surprising the reader. He is original and possesses a rich imagination. That is a relief in a literary climate in which autofiction is mostly the order of the day.'

- Excerpt from jury report BNG Bank Literature Prize

 

The character sketches and descriptions of their inner worlds and physical sensations are just as comical and accurate as the sharp descriptions of the setting. In such observations, Hofland has something of Hermans. The carefully constructed derailments are sometimes reminiscent of Merijn de Boer's novels. But actually, such comparisons do a disservice to the originality of De Menseneter. Such a combination of hilarity and sagacity is very rare, you only come across a book like this once.'

- Het Parool

 

To credibly imitate a genre is clever, but it is still a trick. But Hofland adds something extra, something specific that also characterises his other work: a mix of irony, absurdism and suspense. Things that are difficult to dose; it quickly becomes bland, incomprehensible or too random. But in De Menseneter, it's done well. The whole thing is both funny and suspenseful; a rare combination. I was often reminded of Alex van Warmerdam's films, which are always set in uncanny places with a high end-of-the-world content, tight lawns, buzzing insects and scary dogs, in which the tragic protagonist is not infrequently destroyed by a strange force. And that it makes you laugh all the same.

- De Volkskrant

 

'Hofland is a true storyteller, an inventor, he remains invisible as an author and does not (yet) engage in autobiographical writing, against the prevailing trend. You could also count Hanna Bervoets, Bertram Koeleman and Thomas Heerma van Voss among that ‘counter-trend’; like them, Hofland takes visible pleasure in fantasising, twisting and alienating.'

- Trouw

 

'Tom Hofland writes attentively yet compactly, averse to ironising or blandness. Small and big stories alternate until a crisis, in the form of illness and conflict, strikes, after which Hofland dramatically collapses his carefully constructed house of cards. (...) The structure, suspense and themes of Lyssa seem to have been plucked straight out of the Russian Library, but the narrative and style have the fluency of contemporary prose. (...) As a result, this artful debut novel takes on the atmosphere of a romantic fairy tale, which, like the love described, has mainly sprung from the tragic hero's imagination'.
- De Groene Amsterdammer

 

'Feeling and imagination are what Hofland is looking for. That's what literature is all about, isn't it? (...) Hofland wants to show things in all sincerity, to take us by the hand, to show us everything like a happy writer. This is also in his style, which wants to be as ordinary as possible, to be a tone style, not an assertion style, and which therefore becomes more and more unusual. Something strangely liberating emanates from this style. (...) In this novel [Vele Vreemde Vormen], he doesn't care whether or not he belongs somewhere or represents a new movement. For example, that of the New Dreaminess.'
- Kees ‘t Hart in De Groene Amsterdammer

 

'To accept irrationality - that is the most important lesson for Tomás. This applies equally to Hofland's readers: the required open reading attitude and the dreamlike content of Vele Vreemde Vormen interlock beautifully. It's best to be carried away, by the stories the characters tell, past inexplicable facts, which appeal to the imagination. (...) A somewhat looser, magical view of reality offers the opportunity to escape the drab reality of everyday life - it offers freedom. Young fiction writers who are imbued with this are an asset to our literature.'
- NRC Handelsblad