The Yellow House paints a fictional picture of Vincent van Gogh’s life between August 1888 and December 1889 when he lived in Arles in Southern France and where he created many of his masterpieces. Jeroen Blokhuis tells the story from van Gogh’s point of view, from inside his mind, providing a fresh and revealing look at how this intriguing painter worked.The Vincent in this novel very much tries to fit in, but is often baffled by how people react. It is almost as if he can only express himself through his paintings, which in turn flummox the public.At this point, Van Gogh has fled from the dark sombre Netherlands of his youth, from Paris, and even from his best friend and beloved brother Theo, in search of the light, the sun of the South. The yellow house in Place Lamartine becomes his refuge but what about his hope of setting up an atelier with other painters, of making friends, and having a sense of belonging?