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| English: the forests in new hampshire in autumn (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
This is the author
(and book) that has been touted as the new European bestseller in the vein of The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Written by Swiss author Dicker and set in America, it has
garnered lots of accolades even before being translated into English. So what’s
it all about?
Thirty-three years
ago , fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan is glimpsed fleeing through the woods,
never to be heard from again. According to the plot that was the day Somerset,
New Hampshire lost its innocence.
Today Marcus
Goldman, successful young novelist is visiting Somerset to see his mentor,
Harry Quebert, one of Americas most respected writers, to find a cure for his
writers block. But Marcus’s plan ends when Harry is implicated in the cold case
murder of Nola Kellergan.
As the national
media convicts Harry, Marcus launches
his own investigation, following a trail of clues through Harry’s books, the
backwoods and beaches of New Hampshire and the hidden history of Somerset.
I found his to be an
interesting read and compelling as the various plot turns unfold using
interesting and different ways of treating the storyline. For example scattered
through the book are tips that Marcus received from his mentor about how to
write – each of which gives a hint of how the next section of the story will
unfold.
I did feel though
that the author’s ‘voice’ was somewhat naive which maybe attributable to the
translation. Overall though an extremely
readable and enjoyable book, one of those that you look for any excuse to pick
up (hide to read, if you will!).
