A hair-raising new tour de force from Herman Koch, New York Times bestselling author of The Dinner and Summer House with Swimming Pool.
Once a celebrated writer, M's greatest success came with a suspense novel based on a real-life, unsolved disappearance. It told the story of a history teacher who went missing one winter after his brief affair with a stunning pupil. Upon publication, M's novel was a bestseller, one that marked his international breakthrough.
That was years ago, and now M's career is almost over as he fades increasingly into obscurity. But not when it comes to his bizarre, seemingly timid neighbour who keeps a close eye on him. Why?
From various perspectives, Herman Koch tells the dark tale of a writer in decline, a teenage couple in love, a missing teacher, and a single book that entwines all of their fates. Thanks to M's novel, supposedly a work of fiction, everyone seems to be linked forever, until something unexpected spins the 'story' off its rails.
With racing tension, sardonic wit, and a world-renowned sharp eye for human failings, Herman Koch once again spares nothing and no one in his gripping new novel, a barbed thriller suspending readers in the mysterious literary grey space between fact and fiction.
Industry Reviews
`Herman Koch is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers. His three novels, taken together, are like a killer EP where every track kicks ass.' -- Stephen King
`Koch's latest novel once again demonstrates his talent, skills and sheer guts.' * De Morgen *
`Koch confirms his gift for telling a story.' * De Telegraaf *
`With his well-known humour and momentum, Koch takes his readers where the action is.' * Algemeen Dagblad *
`The writing is crystal clear and unpretentious, typically Koch!' * NRC Handelsblad *
`Sophisticated and exciting.' * Hamburger Morgenpost *
`Dear Mr M. has everything, excitement, humour, aggravation, emotions, its style and structure are nothing short of perfect.' * De Limburger *
'Like all of Koch's novels, Dear Mr M works ultimately through the deliberate withholding of information: it is a book, like all his books, with a final and magnificent twist.' * Guardian *
'A riveting but disturbing literary thriller...Delicately told, in spare, haunting prose, there are echoes of Stephen King's Misery, but this is even more subtle, with a denouement to send shivers down the spine.' * Daily Mail *
`Koch cleverly lays out the pieces of his puzzle, letting first one pattern and then another emerge, and leaving the final piece in reserve until the last few pages. His sardonic sense of humour and dark perspective on human failings give the novel a greater, more satisfying depth than the usual thriller.' * Publishers Weekly *
`A whip-smart murder mystery.' * Marie Claire *
`Flawlessly translated from the original Dutch by Sam Garrett, this novel is Koch's best yet. A brilliant read!' * BookMooch *
`Ultimately this is a story about culpability, one with a shocking and unpredictable resolution. A rich, deliberate and engaging thriller worth more than one read.' * Newtown Review of Books *
