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A review by primalmusic
Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for providing me with an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
With Dear Mr. M, Herman Koch has perfected the art of suspense. Aging novelist M has seen his popularity on the decline. One of his best known novels was ripped from the headlines, a story about a teenage couple taking revenge on a philandering teacher who will not let a fling end. We know early on that M's neighbor is the teenage boy in the relationship. Is he a dangerous murderer? A misunderstood victim? A reformed criminal? The perspective bounces between chapters to illuminate past and present and blur the lines between good and evil, not to mention writer and subject. This is a delightfully tense and meta thriller that is more character study than action.
With Dear Mr. M, Herman Koch has perfected the art of suspense. Aging novelist M has seen his popularity on the decline. One of his best known novels was ripped from the headlines, a story about a teenage couple taking revenge on a philandering teacher who will not let a fling end. We know early on that M's neighbor is the teenage boy in the relationship. Is he a dangerous murderer? A misunderstood victim? A reformed criminal? The perspective bounces between chapters to illuminate past and present and blur the lines between good and evil, not to mention writer and subject. This is a delightfully tense and meta thriller that is more character study than action.