Reclusive author of An Imperial Affliction. He acts hostile toward Hazel and Gus during their Amsterdam meeting, later explains his novel was inspired by his daughter's death from leukemia, and apologizes at Gus's funeral.
Both are present at the funeral service, where Van Houten fulfills Gus's final request.
Van Houten acts as a hostile figure who dismisses Hazel's emotional search for meaning in his novel.
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