Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.2 out of 5)
A City Where Bicycles Tell Stories
Some books begin with a big dramatic moment. A crime. A romance. A mystery.
But Bicycle Thieves of Amsterdam by Raju E Raphael and Johny Panamkulam begins with something almost ordinary.
A walk.
Three journalists wandering through Amsterdam, looking for the Van Gogh Museum, arguing about bicycles.
And somehow, from that small moment, the story slowly opens into something much larger.
When I started reading this book, I expected a simple travel narrative. Maybe some observations about Dutch life, canals, museums, cafés.
But within a few pages, I realized this book is doing something slightly different. It mixes personal travel experience with reflection, cultural observation, and storytelling in a way that feels part memoir and part fiction.
In my years as Editor in Chief at Deified Publication, I have read quite a few travel books. Some feel like guidebooks with nicer sentences. Others feel like diaries written mainly for the writer.
This one sits somewhere in between. And honestly, that mix makes it interesting.
What the Book Is About
At the heart of Bicycle Thieves of Amsterdam is a narrator named Sunil Ettimani, a television journalist from Kerala who travels to the Netherlands to attend a journalism training program at the Radio and Television Netherlands Training Centre. Alongside him are fellow journalists from different countries. Sherpa from Bhutan. Kabir from Bangladesh. Later we meet Tanya from Georgia and Amare from Ethiopia.
So from the beginning, the book carries an international energy. Different cultures meeting in one city, trying to understand each other.
Amsterdam becomes the stage where all of this unfolds.
The early chapters capture the first impressions of the city. Canals stretching quietly under old bridges. Streets where bicycles dominate everything. A rhythm of life that feels very different from the crowded noise of Indian cities.
The narrator notices things that a local person might ignore. For example, the way bicycles appear everywhere. Leaning against bridges. Parked along canals. Even accidentally appearing in photographs meant to capture something else. What begins as mild irritation from one character slowly becomes a central theme.
Bicycles are not just vehicles here.
They represent the identity of the city.
As the story continues, the narrator moves through museums, forests, university classrooms, train stations, and cafés. We see moments of friendship, cultural misunderstandings, unexpected kindness, and even a small encounter with bicycle thieves near a railway bridge.
That particular scene stayed with me.
A man tries to sell a bicycle for twenty euros. Something feels wrong. A classmate appears at just the right moment and pulls the narrator away before he unknowingly buys stolen property.
It is a small moment, but it says a lot about the hidden layers of any city.
Even the most beautiful places have shadows.
What Stood Out to Me
One thing I noticed quickly is how observational this book is.
The authors clearly pay attention to details.
There are scenes describing how Dutch families transport children on bicycles, sometimes with multiple baby seats attached to the frame. There are descriptions of office workers riding bicycles in formal suits, something that might look unusual to someone coming from a car dominated culture.
And then there are quiet moments that feel almost poetic.
For instance, the narrator sitting in a park watching an elderly man riding a recumbent bicycle that looks more like a comfortable chair than a machine. That kind of observation makes the city feel alive.
Another aspect I appreciated was the cultural comparison.
Throughout the book, the narrator often reflects on Kerala while walking through Amsterdam. Memories of his own first bicycle as a teenager appear unexpectedly while he watches Dutch cyclists passing by. Those moments add warmth to the story.
Travel writing becomes more interesting when it connects two worlds rather than simply describing one.
I also found the journalism training element fascinating.
The sections describing the RTNTC program show how journalists from different countries learn together. They discuss storytelling, editing techniques, and the challenges of teaching journalism in their home countries.
As someone who has spent years around publishing and writers, I always enjoy stories that reveal how media professionals actually learn their craft.
The Emotional Core
If I had to describe the emotional center of Bicycle Thieves of Amsterdam, I would say it is about curiosity.
The narrator moves through Amsterdam with the curiosity of someone who is constantly noticing small things.
Why are bicycles everywhere?
Why do Dutch police also ride bicycles?
Why does a city with millions of bicycles also experience tens of thousands of bicycle thefts each year? These questions create a thread connecting different chapters.
There is also a quiet sense of gratitude in the story.
At one point, a stranger helps the narrator find his way through a forest path when he gets lost while walking toward the Media Park training center. Instead of explaining directions verbally, she simply lets him sit on the back of her bicycle and rides him there. That scene stayed with me for a while.
Travel often depends on small acts of kindness from strangers.
And sometimes those moments become the strongest memories of a place.
The book also carries a gentle nostalgia. The narrator repeatedly thinks about bicycles from his childhood in India, remembering how his first second hand bicycle felt like freedom. Anyone who grew up riding a bicycle in a small town might feel a similar tug in their chest reading those passages.
Who This Book Is For
Not every reader looks for the same thing in a book.
So I think it is helpful to be honest about what kind of experience Bicycle Thieves of Amsterdam offers.
This book will appeal strongly to readers who enjoy travel writing mixed with storytelling. People who like cultural observations and reflective narratives rather than fast moving plots.
Journalism students might also find the training center sections interesting because they show how international media education programs work.
Readers who enjoy slower paced narratives will likely appreciate the atmosphere of the book.
On the other hand, someone looking for a tightly structured novel with dramatic twists might find the pacing uneven.
The book moves more like a long walk through a city.
Sometimes you pause. Sometimes you wander. Sometimes you stop simply because something caught your eye.
And I think the authors intentionally chose that rhythm.
Final Thoughts
When I finished reading Bicycle Thieves of Amsterdam, I kept thinking about how unusual the genre is.
The authors call it travel fiction. And that label actually makes sense.
Parts of the book feel like a travel diary. Other parts feel like a reflective essay about culture and memory. Occasionally it even reads like a small adventure story.
That combination does not always follow strict narrative rules, but it gives the book its personality.
Raju E Raphael brings the eye of a documentary storyteller. Johny Panamkulam adds a reflective literary voice. Together they create something that feels personal rather than polished.
And sometimes that authenticity matters more than perfection.
Would every reader connect with the book in the same way?
Probably not.
But if you enjoy stories about cities, cultural encounters, journalism, and the strange beauty of everyday life, Bicycle Thieves of Amsterdam offers something worth spending time with.
Somewhere between canals, classrooms, and forest paths, the book quietly reminds us of something simple.
Sometimes the best way to understand a city is to slow down.
And maybe ride a bicycle.
FAQ
Is Bicycle Thieves of Amsterdam worth reading?
Yes, especially if you enjoy travel writing combined with personal storytelling and cultural reflections.
What is Bicycle Thieves of Amsterdam about?
The book follows a journalist attending a training program in the Netherlands and exploring Amsterdam while reflecting on culture, bicycles, and life.
Who wrote Bicycle Thieves of Amsterdam?
The book is written by Raju E Raphael and Johny Panamkulam.
Is Bicycle Thieves of Amsterdam fiction or travel writing?
It blends both. The authors describe it as travel fiction, mixing real experiences with narrative storytelling.
With over 11 years of experience in the publishing industry, Priya Srivastava has become a trusted guide for hundreds of authors navigating the challenging path from manuscript to marketplace. As Editor-in-Chief of Deified Publications, she combines the precision of a publishing professional with the empathy of a mentor who truly understands the fears, hopes, and dreams of both first-time and seasoned writers.