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Dear Mr. M
Dear Mr M.,
I'd like to start by telling you that I'm doing better now. I do so because you probably have no idea that I was ever doing worse. Much worse, in fact, but I'll get to that later on.
Mr M. is being watched. As a famous writer, he is no stranger to the limelight, although interest in his work has been dwindling of late, the print runs shrinking, the crowds at signings thinning . . . Our narrator clearly takes a keen interest in M.'s work, and indeed in every aspect of his life. But what exactly are his intentions? And to what does Mr M. owe the honour of his undivided attention?
We learn that our narrator was once involved in a murder, the story of which bears more than a passing resemblance to the plot of Mr M.'s most famous novel: a teacher has an affair with a student, only to be brutally murdered by her and her teenage lover. The body is never found.
That's the problem with reality versus fiction: in real life bodies have an awkward habit of turning up. Mr M. has used some artistic licence, and our narrator is not pleased, not pleased at all. And just before he fades into obscurity, he's prepared to give Mr M. one last review, and it's unlikely to be a rave.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 6, 2014
549 people are currently reading
10100 people want to read
About the author
Herman Koch
70 books1,633 followersHerman Koch (1953) is known as a television producer and a writer. The book 'Het diner', published in 2009, was his breakthrough in the Netherlands. It was published in 17 countries. It was partly based on a true story involving a homeless woman named, María del Rosario Endrinal Petit, in Barcelona (Spain), in December 2005.
Koch was born in Arnhem, and later moved to Amsterdam. He studied Russian for some months, and lived in Finland for a while. Nowadays he is married to the Spanish Amalia, and has a son, Pablo (1994).
Koch was born in Arnhem, and later moved to Amsterdam. He studied Russian for some months, and lived in Finland for a while. Nowadays he is married to the Spanish Amalia, and has a son, Pablo (1994).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,217 reviews
March 26, 2017
OMG OMG OMG!! My head is spinning. All I know is that I was so jazzed when I finished this book at 1 a.m. last night, I just had to write down a list of the things that happened to make sure I understood it all. This is a literary mystery about some nasty people who have some god-awful secrets and plans. The storytelling is phenomenal.
When I closed my Kindle, it felt like I had just finished drinking three cups of java. Overstimulation! Help! I didn’t need this mania in the middle of the night; I needed to get down with a sleep plan. But all of my “I mean it” instructions to calm down fell on deaf ears. The story just would not stop playing in my head. Now am I sure I have it right? Did he do this and this other guy do that? What about her? When was then and when is now? It felt like I had figured out a geometry theorem or found the last couple of pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, but I wasn’t sure whether I was jamming them into empty spots with do-jicky shapes that weren’t quite the right fit, or whether the pieces, with their indents and sticky-out parts, weren’t crafted well enough.
This is one intricate plot, juicy as hell. But it’s so damn complicated, I got confused. In fact, though I absolutely love Koch’s style, language, insights, and his totally sicko characters, I have to look seriously at how confused I was throughout the read. This is not a book that I could read in large doses (it sort of made my head hurt), yet it wasn’t a book that I could let sit for a few days either (I’d forget what the hell was going on). So my main question is—for a book I mostly loved, how many points do I subtract for the confusion that made my head hurt? Final answer: 1 point.
Yes, this started as a soaring 5 stars or maybe even 6. The first section was just incredible. As is Koch’s trademark, a psycho is talking first-person, and he is so intriguing and nutso, I couldn’t stop reading. Koch is a master at describing human nature, physical imperfections, and motives, I was just in awe. Plus, there’s something about the voice that just makes me giggle. “Oh god, did he really just say that? No one says that, let alone thinks that!” At the same time he is outrageous, he is also eerily right-on. So there’s this “Oh no, did he say that?” punctuated with, “Yes, that is so damn true!” Yet then you have to laugh at yourself for identifying with a psycho!
This first section is also full of little pieces of wisdom—ideas about mediocrity and coincidences, for instance. He really made me think. One of his thoughts particularly haunted me for some reason: He talks about a person who dies in an accident, how bizarre it is that in the morning the person ties his shoes, looks in the mirror, thinks of food he must pick up at the store. He has no idea that this is his last day on earth. I’m still thinking about that one!
And the story is about writing, about the creation of characters, about fact versus fiction. Koch is playful. There’s a story within a story, and parallel narratives. The character points these out to us, which sort of messed with my head in a cool way—like when I ran across this line: “I’m not a character. I’m real.”
However, part two of the book was a buzz kill. Suddenly it’s third-person narration, and I really wasn’t interested in this other main character, who is the writer Mr. M. The writing was still brilliant, but I wasn’t feeling the love any more. I just wanted to get back to the maniac in the first section—now he was really fun.
From there, we went on to a story about a group of teenagers, and the reason Koch goes there is to flesh out one of the main characters. So that made sense, but there is way too much detail I thought. I still wanted to get back to present-day, to Mr. Psycho and his sinister plan.
In all, there are several points of view, and that’s where some of the confusion arises. Koch jumps back and forth (sometimes too quickly) between characters, and it’s not always clear which character we’re hanging out with. Also, Koch jumps from past to present in this very convoluted way, and that got super confusing.
The final twist is a humdinger, one that I’m betting no one could possibly see coming. I did have some leftover questions, though, but they weren’t serious enough to make me mad at the book.
My editor hands were jonesin’ a little here, and here’s why:
-The book was a little too long (scissors, please).
-There was a short section on Dutch politics that I think added nothing—it would have gotten the axe if I had had my way.
-There was also too much information about a writer’s world—the agents, the gatherings, the interviews; it was pretty boring. In fact, the writer Mr. M for the most part was somewhat boring. And I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I needed every part to be as exciting as the beginning.
-There was an important incident that took place near the end of the book, when writers are talking together at a conference. To me, what happened wasn’t believable. Also, there was a big unanswered question as far as I was concerned. I hate being vague, but the details don’t belong in a review.
This is a book I want to talk about forever, so I hope to have some good discussions with fellow GoodReaders. I finally fell asleep, but man, the mania went on for a long time. So word to the wise: Don’t finish this book late at night. Mania sucks when it’s time for nighty-night.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.
August 7, 2016
Reading 'Herman Koch' is like biting into hot fresh bake bread directly from the oven!
Add some melted butter to your steamy soft & crusty chunk with a glass of wine...
and you'll be in heaven with *fireworks*. And page after page there are some
brilliant -'thought provoking' paragraphs about the most basic situations which will turn your brain into red and black licorice twisters.
It's the type of deliciously - original crafting- complex -entertaining book, that when you get to the very last page, you're tempted to turn to page one and read the entire book again.
.....We learn early on that the narrator has the same name as the author. The narrator tells us that they share the same name. But, since the narrator was not saying 'what' that name was -- until later in the novel -- I laughed sooooo silly 'later' when I realized the 'way' in which I had pieced their names together. I was hiking on the wrong trail.
Circulation started flowing through my body once that piece of the puzzle was resolved for me. --- and soooo cool! I'm tempted to say more....but I'd rather discuss this part with other readers later.... ( so, just trust me-- something very clever was done).
.....'Mr. M', has been a published author for many years. He is aging now -and his career is fading -but he is still writing and giving interviews.
His 2nd best selling book was called "The Hour of the Dog". He wrote it after the divorce - in a fury -airing dirty laundry and overly intimate details. Most critics thought Mr. M went too far.
.....His best selling novel was called "Payback". It's based on a real life story- a suspense novel about the disappearance of a history teacher in Amsterdam, who at one point had an affair with one of his high school students named Laura.
The teacher, Jan Landzaat, was never found.
Laura had dumped Mr. Landzaat, for a younger boyfriend her own age.....which at that time the history teacher, Jan, behaved liked a sulking- 'semi-stalker'-annoying schoolboy..... constantly pestering Laura.
So, one day Mr. Landzaat comes by Laura's apt. where she and her boyfriend are living. He said he came by to give them a message. He says he is sorry for his childish
behavior and just wants to tie up loose ends and that he had moved on. He is taking a trip to Paris .... and once school begins again - he hopes he and Laura will be friends.
GO AHEAD AND LAUGH NOW!
Not only do we want to know about what really happen in the 'real life' story of "Payback".....which we will explore through the writer, Laura and her boyfriend, other teenagers in the high school, colleagues: M, N, C, W, L, D, the missing teacher, and the details of the best selling book itself....but, we are dying to know about 'the neighbor' ( our first and dominate narrator). He has an obsessive interest in Mr. M - and his wife. He even manages to sweet talk the postman in helping him distribute the mail in various letterboxes - so he can 'peek' for a few seconds at a postcard sent to M's letterbox. We wonder ..."what the heck is his interest in this aging author who many people don't even recognize any longer.
you won't know how things finally unravel and tie together until you get there.
There is, creepiness, mystery, laughter, wisdom, characters that are not easy to peg, Dutch roots and expressions, perhaps an expanded love for the Netherlands, surprises, and terrific writing!
Just for Fun: (a few favorite parts): ... that does not spoil the story itself:
Mr. M has just written a 'new' book called "Liberation Year".
A few days ago Mr. M had signed the neighbors book at a bookstore.
He wrote:
"For [...], you wrote. Hope you have fun reading this.
"Fun reading ---yes, that's what writers sometimes write at the front of their books,
you're not alone in that. "Have fun reading this". I don't know how that works with you, but I rarely have fun while I'm reading. Fun reading makes me think of someone who slaps his knees in mirth as he turns the pages".
"A reader reads a book. If it's a good book, he forgets himself. That's all a book has to do. When the reader can't forget himself and keeps having to think about the writer the whole time, its a failure. That has nothing to do with fun. If it's fun you're after, buy a ticket for a roller coaster.
I'm GUILTY!!!!! I thought this book was more fun than I would being on ANY roller coaster!!!! lol
(but I get the point)!!
At a Book Reading: Mr. M is at the library speaking: ( about 30 people are in the room)
"Could I ask how many of you have already read my book?"
"I'm on the library waiting list" ....a woman answers.
[Mr. M thinks a borrowed book is yucky- filthy... wine spots, etc.]
"So why don't you 'buy' my book? He tries to smile....but only succeeds halfway.
"Excuse me?"
[He hears someone chuckle]
"Are you poor? Can't you afford a book that costs less than twenty euros?"
[He is still looking at her face, then at her hair; it has a wave to it and it is obviously
dyed: A color like that is biologically impossible at her age]
"How much did you have to pay the beautician who did your hair this morning?"....
THERE IS A LITTLE MORE >..... Disgustingly embarrassing! I cringed & laughed!
Sooo bad!!!
THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH had me pause. After reading it a couple of times...I had a long conversation with Paul while hiking early this morning about how he- Paul- is my go-to-guy.....that I'm always formulating stories about the smallest things in my day.
I keep thinking about this paragraph in many different ways.
I think it's my favorite of all in this novel. Hope you enjoy it too....( haha) ...like a roller coaster ride?
Well....anyway, here it is:
"The first thought that came to me was that I had to tell my mother about it. I had even started formulating a description, in my mind I was describing the bomber's last few moments in the air. And less than a minutes later I realized that I had been living like that for a long time, everything just happened to me in my life, on my way to school, at school, on my way home, I had always shaped it right away into a story I would tell when I got home. To my mother, sometimes to my father, but mostly to my mother. The drowned bomber was the first story that I had experienced all on my own, that I didn't have to tell anyone, that didn't even have to become a story".
As you might be able to tell... I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!
I apologize if this review was too long... ( sometimes I need write a review for my own completion when I haven't had the pleasure to 'book-chat' with another reader) I needed to outflow this novel today. Thank you... for those who read even part of it.
I could read this book again....dissect it like a frog. I think it was kinda brilliant....very satisfying twisty cerebral enjoyment!
You rock Herman Koch!
Add some melted butter to your steamy soft & crusty chunk with a glass of wine...
and you'll be in heaven with *fireworks*. And page after page there are some
brilliant -'thought provoking' paragraphs about the most basic situations which will turn your brain into red and black licorice twisters.
It's the type of deliciously - original crafting- complex -entertaining book, that when you get to the very last page, you're tempted to turn to page one and read the entire book again.
.....We learn early on that the narrator has the same name as the author. The narrator tells us that they share the same name. But, since the narrator was not saying 'what' that name was -- until later in the novel -- I laughed sooooo silly 'later' when I realized the 'way' in which I had pieced their names together. I was hiking on the wrong trail.
Circulation started flowing through my body once that piece of the puzzle was resolved for me. --- and soooo cool! I'm tempted to say more....but I'd rather discuss this part with other readers later.... ( so, just trust me-- something very clever was done).
.....'Mr. M', has been a published author for many years. He is aging now -and his career is fading -but he is still writing and giving interviews.
His 2nd best selling book was called "The Hour of the Dog". He wrote it after the divorce - in a fury -airing dirty laundry and overly intimate details. Most critics thought Mr. M went too far.
.....His best selling novel was called "Payback". It's based on a real life story- a suspense novel about the disappearance of a history teacher in Amsterdam, who at one point had an affair with one of his high school students named Laura.
The teacher, Jan Landzaat, was never found.
Laura had dumped Mr. Landzaat, for a younger boyfriend her own age.....which at that time the history teacher, Jan, behaved liked a sulking- 'semi-stalker'-annoying schoolboy..... constantly pestering Laura.
So, one day Mr. Landzaat comes by Laura's apt. where she and her boyfriend are living. He said he came by to give them a message. He says he is sorry for his childish
behavior and just wants to tie up loose ends and that he had moved on. He is taking a trip to Paris .... and once school begins again - he hopes he and Laura will be friends.
GO AHEAD AND LAUGH NOW!
Not only do we want to know about what really happen in the 'real life' story of "Payback".....which we will explore through the writer, Laura and her boyfriend, other teenagers in the high school, colleagues: M, N, C, W, L, D, the missing teacher, and the details of the best selling book itself....but, we are dying to know about 'the neighbor' ( our first and dominate narrator). He has an obsessive interest in Mr. M - and his wife. He even manages to sweet talk the postman in helping him distribute the mail in various letterboxes - so he can 'peek' for a few seconds at a postcard sent to M's letterbox. We wonder ..."what the heck is his interest in this aging author who many people don't even recognize any longer.
you won't know how things finally unravel and tie together until you get there.
There is, creepiness, mystery, laughter, wisdom, characters that are not easy to peg, Dutch roots and expressions, perhaps an expanded love for the Netherlands, surprises, and terrific writing!
Just for Fun: (a few favorite parts): ... that does not spoil the story itself:
Mr. M has just written a 'new' book called "Liberation Year".
A few days ago Mr. M had signed the neighbors book at a bookstore.
He wrote:
"For [...], you wrote. Hope you have fun reading this.
"Fun reading ---yes, that's what writers sometimes write at the front of their books,
you're not alone in that. "Have fun reading this". I don't know how that works with you, but I rarely have fun while I'm reading. Fun reading makes me think of someone who slaps his knees in mirth as he turns the pages".
"A reader reads a book. If it's a good book, he forgets himself. That's all a book has to do. When the reader can't forget himself and keeps having to think about the writer the whole time, its a failure. That has nothing to do with fun. If it's fun you're after, buy a ticket for a roller coaster.
I'm GUILTY!!!!! I thought this book was more fun than I would being on ANY roller coaster!!!! lol
(but I get the point)!!
At a Book Reading: Mr. M is at the library speaking: ( about 30 people are in the room)
"Could I ask how many of you have already read my book?"
"I'm on the library waiting list" ....a woman answers.
[Mr. M thinks a borrowed book is yucky- filthy... wine spots, etc.]
"So why don't you 'buy' my book? He tries to smile....but only succeeds halfway.
"Excuse me?"
[He hears someone chuckle]
"Are you poor? Can't you afford a book that costs less than twenty euros?"
[He is still looking at her face, then at her hair; it has a wave to it and it is obviously
dyed: A color like that is biologically impossible at her age]
"How much did you have to pay the beautician who did your hair this morning?"....
THERE IS A LITTLE MORE >..... Disgustingly embarrassing! I cringed & laughed!
Sooo bad!!!
THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH had me pause. After reading it a couple of times...I had a long conversation with Paul while hiking early this morning about how he- Paul- is my go-to-guy.....that I'm always formulating stories about the smallest things in my day.
I keep thinking about this paragraph in many different ways.
I think it's my favorite of all in this novel. Hope you enjoy it too....( haha) ...like a roller coaster ride?
Well....anyway, here it is:
"The first thought that came to me was that I had to tell my mother about it. I had even started formulating a description, in my mind I was describing the bomber's last few moments in the air. And less than a minutes later I realized that I had been living like that for a long time, everything just happened to me in my life, on my way to school, at school, on my way home, I had always shaped it right away into a story I would tell when I got home. To my mother, sometimes to my father, but mostly to my mother. The drowned bomber was the first story that I had experienced all on my own, that I didn't have to tell anyone, that didn't even have to become a story".
As you might be able to tell... I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!
I apologize if this review was too long... ( sometimes I need write a review for my own completion when I haven't had the pleasure to 'book-chat' with another reader) I needed to outflow this novel today. Thank you... for those who read even part of it.
I could read this book again....dissect it like a frog. I think it was kinda brilliant....very satisfying twisty cerebral enjoyment!
You rock Herman Koch!
September 17, 2016
Herman Koch sure knows how to write one crazy-ass, complex, whodunit thriller!!!
Ok, one minute I'm creeped out, the next cracking up, then confusion sets in.....What? Who is narrating now? Ok, now I'm perplexed, but also drawn-in; I cannot wait to figure out what in the hell is going on.
I also cannot believe the crude, twisted, heartless characters in this novel.......oh wait a minute.....yes I can, I read The Dinner and Summerhouse with a Swimming Pool.
Anyway, in DEAR MR. M, you have an aging writer with a wisecrack mouth (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA), a menacing stalker-type neighbor dude, (you won't believe this guy) a long in the tooth horny teacher and some wise-ass, devious, and mischievous young adults that join together to give the reader an entertaining and uniquely constructed story.
Thank you Crown Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.
September 12, 2016
A slow moving and complex tale that takes patience and time to unravel
Having loved the The Dinner I was really looking forward toDear Mr. M by Herman Koch.
The premise for the novel drew me in and Herman Korch's cast of dislikeable characters never fail to deliver. However I did find for the most part this story tedious and dull and while the first few chapters had me intrigued I did however find myself losing interest as the story is quite complex and difficult to follow and the end result was far from satisfying.
I have no doubt that Herman Koch is a clever and talented writer and his complex novels are certainly unique and creepy but while I loved the Dinner I am afraid I struggled to with Dear Mr M. right to the end.
Having loved the The Dinner I was really looking forward toDear Mr. M by Herman Koch.
The premise for the novel drew me in and Herman Korch's cast of dislikeable characters never fail to deliver. However I did find for the most part this story tedious and dull and while the first few chapters had me intrigued I did however find myself losing interest as the story is quite complex and difficult to follow and the end result was far from satisfying.
I have no doubt that Herman Koch is a clever and talented writer and his complex novels are certainly unique and creepy but while I loved the Dinner I am afraid I struggled to with Dear Mr M. right to the end.
October 16, 2025
Отново безапелационни 5* за творбата на г-н Кох!!!
Много силен и умело структуриран роман, с няколко нишки на повествование, преплетени както и когато трябва, съчетани чудесно с достоверно създадените герои. Няма да разказвам за сюжета, защото ме е страх да не издам фрагмент, който би ви развалил изненадата и съответно бихте изгубли част от удоволствието, което изпитах аз. Разглежда се падението на важна и уважавана някога професия - учителската, във "Вила с басейн" пък тема бе упадъкът на лекарската професия.
Жал ми е, че не съм могъл да прочета тази книга преди двайсетина години. Не че щях да избегна грешките си, но може би щях да ги правя далеч по-елегантно. :)
Кох е първият западен автор прочетен от мен, който описва достоверно така наречените западните леви интелектуалци, без да пести от лицемерието и глупостта им. Същите тези, на които руснаците викат полезни идиоти. Нищо не им е спестил и затова мнозина са се обидили, кеф голям. Шапо, маестро - уважавам ви много, г-н К.!
Ще прочета и останалите му книги, стилът и начинът му на мислене ме радват много, особено на фона на политкоректната пасмина избуяла в последните години! Да не повярваш, че идва от "толерантната към всички" Нидерландия - сиктирдосал ги е кораво и сънародниците си.
Цитат:
"Не бива да настояваме да се чете, както не настояваме да се ходи на кино, да се слуша музика или да се прави секс и да се консумира алкохол. Мястото на литературата не е в средното училище. Мястото и по-скоро е сред нещата, които току-що изброих. В редицата на секса и наркотиците, на всички неща които ни доставят наслада без външен натиск."
P.S. До тук, Херман Кох е литературното ми откритие за 2020!
Много силен и умело структуриран роман, с няколко нишки на повествование, преплетени както и когато трябва, съчетани чудесно с достоверно създадените герои. Няма да разказвам за сюжета, защото ме е страх да не издам фрагмент, който би ви развалил изненадата и съответно бихте изгубли част от удоволствието, което изпитах аз. Разглежда се падението на важна и уважавана някога професия - учителската, във "Вила с басейн" пък тема бе упадъкът на лекарската професия.
Жал ми е, че не съм могъл да прочета тази книга преди двайсетина години. Не че щях да избегна грешките си, но може би щях да ги правя далеч по-елегантно. :)
Кох е първият западен автор прочетен от мен, който описва достоверно така наречените западните леви интелектуалци, без да пести от лицемерието и глупостта им. Същите тези, на които руснаците викат полезни идиоти. Нищо не им е спестил и затова мнозина са се обидили, кеф голям. Шапо, маестро - уважавам ви много, г-н К.!
Ще прочета и останалите му книги, стилът и начинът му на мислене ме радват много, особено на фона на политкоректната пасмина избуяла в последните години! Да не повярваш, че идва от "толерантната към всички" Нидерландия - сиктирдосал ги е кораво и сънародниците си.
Цитат:
"Не бива да настояваме да се чете, както не настояваме да се ходи на кино, да се слуша музика или да се прави секс и да се консумира алкохол. Мястото на литературата не е в средното училище. Мястото и по-скоро е сред нещата, които току-що изброих. В редицата на секса и наркотиците, на всички неща които ни доставят наслада без външен натиск."
P.S. До тук, Херман Кох е литературното ми откритие за 2020!
August 16, 2016
Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.
You can always count on Herman Koch to serve up a novel that is going to be a different repast from the cookie-cutter offerings that abound. Dear Mr. M is no exception. There is little chance of the publisher sticking a blurb on the covers of his books touting it as the next "Gone Girl". We can all applaud that!
Mr. M is a writer of some fame, but whose star is quickly burning out. No longer a young man, his latest book is not enjoying soaring sales. It seems the reading public has tired of him, they have moved on. He himself has lost the bliss of reading for enjoyment, bitterly referring to best sellers as 'pretentiously formulated impotence'.
This is a dark and serpentine tale that will keep you reading, with many nooks and crannies and alcoves to explore. A fascinating sorting of the types of writers and teachers. The constant searching of all the faces around, gleaning details for future use.
As an aside, the mention of the 'filthy practice' of sharing books had me smirking; on the other hand, it is not unusual to come across certain unidentifiables on and in the pages of these borrowed books. We've all seen it - food smears and crumbs, stains, and whatnot. What the hell? Have a little pride!
You can always count on Herman Koch to serve up a novel that is going to be a different repast from the cookie-cutter offerings that abound. Dear Mr. M is no exception. There is little chance of the publisher sticking a blurb on the covers of his books touting it as the next "Gone Girl". We can all applaud that!
Mr. M is a writer of some fame, but whose star is quickly burning out. No longer a young man, his latest book is not enjoying soaring sales. It seems the reading public has tired of him, they have moved on. He himself has lost the bliss of reading for enjoyment, bitterly referring to best sellers as 'pretentiously formulated impotence'.
This is a dark and serpentine tale that will keep you reading, with many nooks and crannies and alcoves to explore. A fascinating sorting of the types of writers and teachers. The constant searching of all the faces around, gleaning details for future use.
As an aside, the mention of the 'filthy practice' of sharing books had me smirking; on the other hand, it is not unusual to come across certain unidentifiables on and in the pages of these borrowed books. We've all seen it - food smears and crumbs, stains, and whatnot. What the hell? Have a little pride!
November 16, 2016
Find more of my reviews on my blog: https://thesuspenseisthrillingme.com
Date Read: 07/29/16
Pub Date: 09/06/17
3 STARS
Once a celebrated writer, M’s greatest success came with a suspense novel based on a real-life disappearance. The book was called The Reckoning, and it told the story of Jan Landzaat, a history teacher who went missing one winter after his brief affair with Laura, his stunning pupil. Jan was last seen at the holiday cottage where Laura was staying with her new boyfriend. 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 neighbor 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 The Reckoning, 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 tour de force suspending readers in the mysterious literary gray space between fact and fiction, promising to keep them awake at night, and justly paranoid in the merciless morning.
This is my third novel by Herman Koch and it was simultaneously my most/least favorite. Weird right? Let me explain. The premise of this book was by far the one that intrigued me the most; when I first read the blurb for this book I felt it had potential to be in my Top 10 for the year! It was off to a fantastic start; the first 25% was a little confusing but extremely suspenseful and i just couldn’t put it down. After the initial euphoria wore off, it seemed to lose a little traction as it was drawing every plot point out to the nth degree. I kept pushing through, thinking it was just a lag and would pick back up again, but then it just kept slowing down to the point I just wanted the painful feeling of trudging through molasses to end. While I was pleased with the ending and the story in general, I couldn’t get past how unnecessarily long this one was. The author’s books feature unlikable characters with plots that are heavy and depressing, so I feel to draw out the story took away some of the power behind it.
Again, I actually really enjoyed the story; the despicable characters with no redeeming traits have never bothered me, but it felt like it was uncomfortably boring to reach the end. It was so uncomfortable I almost put it down and was ready to mark it a DNF. I guess I am grateful that I finished it, but if I had to do over again I probably would pass. As I have thoroughly enjoyed the author’s previous two novels, I will be on the lookout for his next work all the same. This quite possibly could have been a flop for me, meaning the problem lies within myself as a reader and not in the writing of the book. I’m ok with shouldering that responsibility. If you’ve enjoyed his previous work and love all the detail that I felt unnecessary, I think you should give this a try. The actual plot was his best yet and gives me hope that his next novel could be his best to date.
*Thanks Crown Publishing for providing my copy; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.
Date Read: 07/29/16
Pub Date: 09/06/17
3 STARS
Once a celebrated writer, M’s greatest success came with a suspense novel based on a real-life disappearance. The book was called The Reckoning, and it told the story of Jan Landzaat, a history teacher who went missing one winter after his brief affair with Laura, his stunning pupil. Jan was last seen at the holiday cottage where Laura was staying with her new boyfriend. 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 neighbor 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 The Reckoning, 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 tour de force suspending readers in the mysterious literary gray space between fact and fiction, promising to keep them awake at night, and justly paranoid in the merciless morning.
This is my third novel by Herman Koch and it was simultaneously my most/least favorite. Weird right? Let me explain. The premise of this book was by far the one that intrigued me the most; when I first read the blurb for this book I felt it had potential to be in my Top 10 for the year! It was off to a fantastic start; the first 25% was a little confusing but extremely suspenseful and i just couldn’t put it down. After the initial euphoria wore off, it seemed to lose a little traction as it was drawing every plot point out to the nth degree. I kept pushing through, thinking it was just a lag and would pick back up again, but then it just kept slowing down to the point I just wanted the painful feeling of trudging through molasses to end. While I was pleased with the ending and the story in general, I couldn’t get past how unnecessarily long this one was. The author’s books feature unlikable characters with plots that are heavy and depressing, so I feel to draw out the story took away some of the power behind it.
Again, I actually really enjoyed the story; the despicable characters with no redeeming traits have never bothered me, but it felt like it was uncomfortably boring to reach the end. It was so uncomfortable I almost put it down and was ready to mark it a DNF. I guess I am grateful that I finished it, but if I had to do over again I probably would pass. As I have thoroughly enjoyed the author’s previous two novels, I will be on the lookout for his next work all the same. This quite possibly could have been a flop for me, meaning the problem lies within myself as a reader and not in the writing of the book. I’m ok with shouldering that responsibility. If you’ve enjoyed his previous work and love all the detail that I felt unnecessary, I think you should give this a try. The actual plot was his best yet and gives me hope that his next novel could be his best to date.
*Thanks Crown Publishing for providing my copy; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.
August 19, 2016
Herman Koch has remarkable writer’s gifts: X-ray vision for the hidden thoughts and inner workings of everyone from an old man to a teenage girl, perfect pitch for dialogue, and such command of structure and plot that my persnickety editor’s mind disappears and I read with a fan’s full abandon, confident that I can give myself totally to the unfolding story.
I loved Koch’s The Dinner and Summer House with Swimming Pool , so I was predisposed to surrendered joy in reading for his new book, Dear Mr. M, and I was not disappointed.
The plot is complex with so many subtle turns and such heart-pounding tension from about mid-book to the end, I literally could not put it down. Suffice it to say there are a group of school kids in Holland. There is a teacher. There is a writer. And they all weave together in a kind of murder mystery—but ignore what I just said because this is not a typical mystery. It’s not a typical anything. It is an exposition of the inner workings of humans at their worst and a bleak philosophical treatise about good vs. bad, right vs. wrong, the nobility of action vs. inaction, the vicissitudes of power to create balance, loss of innocence and the nature of existence that is so well done that, even though my own philosophy about the final nature-of-life topic is quite different, having just finished reading, all I can do is bounce from couch to computer, yelling “Yay! Bravo!” The book is riveting, entertaining, and magnificently rendered.
In an NPR interview, the internationally bestselling Dutch author was asked about reader reaction to The Dinner, a disturbing story about people doing despicable things and enabling their children to get away with horrifying crimes. In reply, Koch said, “It goes from people saying, well, this seemed a nice man in the beginning, but in the end he is not, to put it mildly. And there is another part of the readers who say, finally, a character in a book who actually does what we are all thinking. This is the other extreme. Sometimes I noticed that in southern countries, they see it more like a social criticism. And in Holland and in northern countries, they see it more as the storyline, or the actual question of: How far would you go to protect the ones you love?” I live in the USA, which I guess qualifies as a southern country, and I certainly fall into the latter category.
In Dear Mr. M, an anonymous letter writer says to the author (M) he is stalking that M has a kind of obscene expression: “You’re not looking at the reader, no, you’re challenging him to look at you—to keep looking at you. It’s like one of those contests to see who’ll avert their eyes first; a contest the reader always loses.” I suspect Herman Koch, too, does this. Not once during his virtual gaze that permeates the story does he blink. But neither did I. I was too enthralled, drawn by an ineffable magnetic force into his meticulously honest creation exposing how we really are. I will read with gusto anything this man writes.
* * *
P.S. I posted the above review August 12, and received a gorgeous hard copy of the book yesterday (thank you, Hogarth!) which has magic powers because I cannot not reread it. I've just started and am astounded by how good this is on a second read. Knowing the whole story and who is expressing what (anonymously) only gives it more depth and hilarity. I repeat: Bravo, Herman Koch! I'm in absolute awe of your skill.
I loved Koch’s The Dinner and Summer House with Swimming Pool , so I was predisposed to surrendered joy in reading for his new book, Dear Mr. M, and I was not disappointed.
The plot is complex with so many subtle turns and such heart-pounding tension from about mid-book to the end, I literally could not put it down. Suffice it to say there are a group of school kids in Holland. There is a teacher. There is a writer. And they all weave together in a kind of murder mystery—but ignore what I just said because this is not a typical mystery. It’s not a typical anything. It is an exposition of the inner workings of humans at their worst and a bleak philosophical treatise about good vs. bad, right vs. wrong, the nobility of action vs. inaction, the vicissitudes of power to create balance, loss of innocence and the nature of existence that is so well done that, even though my own philosophy about the final nature-of-life topic is quite different, having just finished reading, all I can do is bounce from couch to computer, yelling “Yay! Bravo!” The book is riveting, entertaining, and magnificently rendered.
In an NPR interview, the internationally bestselling Dutch author was asked about reader reaction to The Dinner, a disturbing story about people doing despicable things and enabling their children to get away with horrifying crimes. In reply, Koch said, “It goes from people saying, well, this seemed a nice man in the beginning, but in the end he is not, to put it mildly. And there is another part of the readers who say, finally, a character in a book who actually does what we are all thinking. This is the other extreme. Sometimes I noticed that in southern countries, they see it more like a social criticism. And in Holland and in northern countries, they see it more as the storyline, or the actual question of: How far would you go to protect the ones you love?” I live in the USA, which I guess qualifies as a southern country, and I certainly fall into the latter category.
In Dear Mr. M, an anonymous letter writer says to the author (M) he is stalking that M has a kind of obscene expression: “You’re not looking at the reader, no, you’re challenging him to look at you—to keep looking at you. It’s like one of those contests to see who’ll avert their eyes first; a contest the reader always loses.” I suspect Herman Koch, too, does this. Not once during his virtual gaze that permeates the story does he blink. But neither did I. I was too enthralled, drawn by an ineffable magnetic force into his meticulously honest creation exposing how we really are. I will read with gusto anything this man writes.
* * *
P.S. I posted the above review August 12, and received a gorgeous hard copy of the book yesterday (thank you, Hogarth!) which has magic powers because I cannot not reread it. I've just started and am astounded by how good this is on a second read. Knowing the whole story and who is expressing what (anonymously) only gives it more depth and hilarity. I repeat: Bravo, Herman Koch! I'm in absolute awe of your skill.
June 16, 2024
3.5 stars
Dutch author "Mr. M" is an older man, well past his writing prime, with a beautiful young wife and a little daughter.
Mr. M's most popular book, based on a real life occurrence, is called "Payback." Published four decades ago, "Payback" tells the story of two high school students accused of killing their history teacher.
The teacher, Mr. Landzaat - a married man with two daughters - had an affair with a pretty student named Laura.
When Laura dumped Landzaat to hook up with a fellow high-schooler named Herman, the teacher went a little crazy. He took to stalking Laura, even going so far as to 'drop in' (and stay over) when Herman and Laura were vacationing in her family's cabin. During this 'visit' Landzaat disappeared.
In the here and now Mr. M is being surveilled by his very creepy downstairs neighbor. The neighbor - a middle-aged man - observes Mr. M, checks the writer's mail, and 'accidently' runs into Mrs. M when she takes a short trip with her child.
Eventually the neighbor inveigles himself into a mild friendship with Mr. M, and - when Mrs. M opts out - even accompanies the author to a writer's gala. Seating at the gala's entertainment reflects an author's importance in the artistic community.....and less successful (or past their peak) writers get stuck in the back row or behind pillars. Mr. M, whose fading popularity and waning sales weigh on his mind, resents his more successful friends and colleagues.
The story moves back and forth between the present time and the high school days of Laura, Herman, and their friends. The students were an independent bunch who sometimes arranged 'teenager only' holidays at Laura's family cabin. Herman - who's described as skinny with crooked teeth and unfashionable clothes - exhibits a lot of snarky manipulative behavior at school and at the cabin - and is especially disrepectful (and even hateful) to teachers. It's hard to see what Laura sees in Herman (not that Mr. Landzaat, with his 'long teeth', is any prize either).
In current times, during conversations between the downstairs neighbor and Mr. M, it's clear the snoopy acquaintance resents Mr. M's writing a book about what happened among Laura, Herman, and Mr. Landzaat. It seems that - for some reason - the neighbor is very interested in these old-time events.
The major characters in the book are intriguing but not particularly likable. Herman, Mr. M, and Mr. Landzaat are flat out noxious; and Laura, while less unpleasant, wouldn't make a good BFF. The minor characters - including Mr. M's writer colleagues, various high school students, a wily journalist, Mrs. M, and several teachers - add color and interest to the story.
The book seems to be about the ethics of exploiting other people's lives for a book as well as how far an author would go to fulfill his/her vision.
Some parts of the book were a bit slow but it held my interest throughout. I speculated a lot about the 'real identity' of some of the characters and had various theories about what happened to Mr. Landzaat. I was right about some things and wrong about others.
I'd recommend the book to readers who enjoy literary fiction, particularly fans of Herman Koch.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/
July 27, 2016
“A reader reads a book. If it’s a good book, he forgets himself. That’s all a book has to do.”
So says the eponymous Mr. M, a respected yet fading novelist and one of the key characters in Herman Koch’s novel. And by that criterion, Dear Mr. M is a smashing success. Once I started reading it, I forgot myself and couldn't put it down.
Years ago, Mr. M wrote a bestseller entitled Payback, based on a widely-circulated news story of a teenage couple who may have been responsible for the killing of a teacher, after the teacher’s affair with the girl ended badly. The male teen, Herman, is now Mr. M’s downstairs neighbor…and he is watching him carefully.
Dear Mr. M functions partially as a satire. “In novels, characters never have the same first name. Never” says Mr. M. Yet puckishly, Herman Koch gives the teen his own name – Herman. There are delicious scenes of Mr. M doing the obligatory publicity tour and book signing, answering simplistic audience questions, and dealing with up-and-coming writers who confuse the esteem their book gets with their own sense of esteem.
But even more compellingly, Dear Mr. M is a study in two swaggering narcissists – Mr. M and his stalker, Herman – who may indeed be two peas in a pod. Each is a borderline sociopath who has made his way in the world. Each desires to craft the world through his own imagination and craft – Mr. M through his novels, Herman through his videos. Each is attuned to the conflict of freedom of expression versus demanding the right to offend anyone we please. And each is intricately connected to the other through the creation of Payback.
We view the backstory and the present through the lens of various people: Mr. M, Herman, the unfortunate teacher, former friends of Herman. What emerges is an unsettling tale of what really occurred during that fatal day, which is not totally clear until the very end. A big thanks to the publisher who provided me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
So says the eponymous Mr. M, a respected yet fading novelist and one of the key characters in Herman Koch’s novel. And by that criterion, Dear Mr. M is a smashing success. Once I started reading it, I forgot myself and couldn't put it down.
Years ago, Mr. M wrote a bestseller entitled Payback, based on a widely-circulated news story of a teenage couple who may have been responsible for the killing of a teacher, after the teacher’s affair with the girl ended badly. The male teen, Herman, is now Mr. M’s downstairs neighbor…and he is watching him carefully.
Dear Mr. M functions partially as a satire. “In novels, characters never have the same first name. Never” says Mr. M. Yet puckishly, Herman Koch gives the teen his own name – Herman. There are delicious scenes of Mr. M doing the obligatory publicity tour and book signing, answering simplistic audience questions, and dealing with up-and-coming writers who confuse the esteem their book gets with their own sense of esteem.
But even more compellingly, Dear Mr. M is a study in two swaggering narcissists – Mr. M and his stalker, Herman – who may indeed be two peas in a pod. Each is a borderline sociopath who has made his way in the world. Each desires to craft the world through his own imagination and craft – Mr. M through his novels, Herman through his videos. Each is attuned to the conflict of freedom of expression versus demanding the right to offend anyone we please. And each is intricately connected to the other through the creation of Payback.
We view the backstory and the present through the lens of various people: Mr. M, Herman, the unfortunate teacher, former friends of Herman. What emerges is an unsettling tale of what really occurred during that fatal day, which is not totally clear until the very end. A big thanks to the publisher who provided me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 10, 2016
I've found yet another author to admire.
This was my first foray into the dark world of Dutch writer Herman Koch, and I was not disappointed.
The story revolves around a writer, "Mr. M", who is in his eighties and whose fame is dwindling into "has-been" status. He is being stalked by an unnamed man who is also his neighbour. The watching neighbour has a bitter contempt for Mr. M, for writers and their process. Danger hovers in the air. I immediately relished the biting and critical voice.
But it's not a typical thriller-stalker book. This is a twisting tale that takes us back forty years, to the true life story that inspired Mr. M's most successful book - a disappearance involving teenagers and their teacher, obsessed with a female student with whom he had crossed the line. The onion layers peel back slowly. It requires your close attention.
It is a very self aware book, in that it is always mentioning writing: what goes into a book, the weaknesses and crutches of writers, how small and insecure they can be as people, and the lengths they will go to succeed. It is self-referential; two of the main characters share the same first name as Koch himself (which one character says, ironically, only happens in real life - in books, characters all have different names). It's also about reading, and readers. The experience a reader should have if a book is good. The innocence of reading for pleasure, which disappears when one reaches a level of awareness and sophistication. The guilt (and then regret) a reader experiences if they venture into a genre like thriller or mystery, as if they've scarfed down a couple greasy fast food burgers. The formulas in such genres, which give some of these books a predictability that cheapens the experience.
I love how readerly and writerly this book is, all at once. I love the razor sharp intelligence of Koch's structure and voice. It is literary but also poking holes in everything literary. It is a mystery but does not feel like fast food. And the ending is anything but formulaic.
This was my first foray into the dark world of Dutch writer Herman Koch, and I was not disappointed.
The story revolves around a writer, "Mr. M", who is in his eighties and whose fame is dwindling into "has-been" status. He is being stalked by an unnamed man who is also his neighbour. The watching neighbour has a bitter contempt for Mr. M, for writers and their process. Danger hovers in the air. I immediately relished the biting and critical voice.
But it's not a typical thriller-stalker book. This is a twisting tale that takes us back forty years, to the true life story that inspired Mr. M's most successful book - a disappearance involving teenagers and their teacher, obsessed with a female student with whom he had crossed the line. The onion layers peel back slowly. It requires your close attention.
It is a very self aware book, in that it is always mentioning writing: what goes into a book, the weaknesses and crutches of writers, how small and insecure they can be as people, and the lengths they will go to succeed. It is self-referential; two of the main characters share the same first name as Koch himself (which one character says, ironically, only happens in real life - in books, characters all have different names). It's also about reading, and readers. The experience a reader should have if a book is good. The innocence of reading for pleasure, which disappears when one reaches a level of awareness and sophistication. The guilt (and then regret) a reader experiences if they venture into a genre like thriller or mystery, as if they've scarfed down a couple greasy fast food burgers. The formulas in such genres, which give some of these books a predictability that cheapens the experience.
I love how readerly and writerly this book is, all at once. I love the razor sharp intelligence of Koch's structure and voice. It is literary but also poking holes in everything literary. It is a mystery but does not feel like fast food. And the ending is anything but formulaic.
September 18, 2016
4.5 Stars. Definitely his best.
July 25, 2017
Koch Grows as a Novelist, but Loses Impact
Herman Koch's three novels have gradually been getting more complex, but they all revolve around similar themes. I am not sure whether the greater complexity speaks to an increased maturity and assurance on the part of the author, or merely dilutes the power of his raw ideas. Personally, I felt there were far too many things going on in this latest of his books, to the detriment of its effectiveness overall. But this is still the same Herman Koch; those who like him for his willingness to defy conventional politeness will not be disappointed:
But then the viewpoint changes to the author's perspective. And—surprise—he emerges a lot more sympathetic, although the texture of his life is a lot duller, as he moves from cafe to book-signing to home again. The change in tone showed Koch as less of a shock-meister and more of a straight novelist; I wasn't sure whether to applaud or regret the loss in tension.
But as the book went on, and the narrative pull became weaker and weaker, I found I could no longer sustain a five- or even four-star rating. The case that M had fictionalized in Payback was that of the disappearance of a high school teacher, who had had an affair with one of his students, then stalked her when she took up with a new boyfriend. Already in The Dinner, Koch had introduced the idea that even nice children from good families could turn out to be monsters, and Summer House With Swimming Pool also includes an older man preying on underage girls. But too much of this section of the novel is about the more or less normal lives of the kids, the shifting allegiances within their group, and so on; the various elements of weirdness, such as the bizarre movies made by one of their number, are not enough to sustain the atmosphere with which the book began. Though I did like the evocation of the physical atmosphere of Zeeland-Flanders, especially when I looked up a map and some online photos.
Near Retranchement, Zeeland-Flanders
Het Zwin, bird sanctuary
When we return to the life of Mr. M once more, the subject matter becomes the rivalries between writers and the dirty laundry of the publishing world—which is just about the least interesting thing that an author could write about. In the last few dozen pages, however, Koch does pull it all together in much the clever way that Ian McEwan might, with a twist that gives new meaning to the title. It was enough for a fourth star on Amazon, but not, I'm afraid, on Goodreads.
Herman Koch's three novels have gradually been getting more complex, but they all revolve around similar themes. I am not sure whether the greater complexity speaks to an increased maturity and assurance on the part of the author, or merely dilutes the power of his raw ideas. Personally, I felt there were far too many things going on in this latest of his books, to the detriment of its effectiveness overall. But this is still the same Herman Koch; those who like him for his willingness to defy conventional politeness will not be disappointed:
In her opinion, it was the women whose shelf life had expired long ago who sported the deepest décolletés. The same went for women who were to fat, for women who smoked, for the redheads. The women with faces on which two packs of Gauloises and two bottles of red wine a day for twenty years had left their mark. Pits and craters and stretches of dead skin—a face like a polluted river in which the last fish had bobbed to the surface years ago. [tr. Sam Garrett]Both The Dinner and Summer House with Swimming Pool had featured fat cats (a politician, an actor, a surgeon) who, in the course of the novel, will get their come-uppance. In Dear Mr. M, the M of the title is a famous novelist, rather past his prime. The novel begins as a letter to him from his downstairs neighbor who does not hide his opinion that the great man has feet of clay and the breath of a compost pile. When he starts stalking not only the author but also his much younger wife, things become sinister in the best Koch fashion—especially when it is hinted that he may have been involved in a murder that took place forty years before, which M used as the subject for his most successful novel, Payback. So far, I was absolutely in five-star territory.
But then the viewpoint changes to the author's perspective. And—surprise—he emerges a lot more sympathetic, although the texture of his life is a lot duller, as he moves from cafe to book-signing to home again. The change in tone showed Koch as less of a shock-meister and more of a straight novelist; I wasn't sure whether to applaud or regret the loss in tension.
But as the book went on, and the narrative pull became weaker and weaker, I found I could no longer sustain a five- or even four-star rating. The case that M had fictionalized in Payback was that of the disappearance of a high school teacher, who had had an affair with one of his students, then stalked her when she took up with a new boyfriend. Already in The Dinner, Koch had introduced the idea that even nice children from good families could turn out to be monsters, and Summer House With Swimming Pool also includes an older man preying on underage girls. But too much of this section of the novel is about the more or less normal lives of the kids, the shifting allegiances within their group, and so on; the various elements of weirdness, such as the bizarre movies made by one of their number, are not enough to sustain the atmosphere with which the book began. Though I did like the evocation of the physical atmosphere of Zeeland-Flanders, especially when I looked up a map and some online photos.
Near Retranchement, Zeeland-Flanders
Het Zwin, bird sanctuary
When we return to the life of Mr. M once more, the subject matter becomes the rivalries between writers and the dirty laundry of the publishing world—which is just about the least interesting thing that an author could write about. In the last few dozen pages, however, Koch does pull it all together in much the clever way that Ian McEwan might, with a twist that gives new meaning to the title. It was enough for a fourth star on Amazon, but not, I'm afraid, on Goodreads.
July 5, 2017
“A reader reads a book. If it’s a good book, he forgets himself. That’s all a book has to do. When the reader can’t forget himself and keeps having to think about the writer the whole time, the book is a failure. That has nothing to do with fun. If it’s fun you’re after, buy a ticket for a roller coaster.”
I finished Herman Koch’s newest, perhaps bestselling novel quite a few weeks ago. I absolutely loved The Dinner, which I read for a Narrative Theory class I was taking a few months back because of Koch’s mastery of elements which render an event a story. So logically, wandering through the aisles at my locial bookstore and coming across more from Koch, I expected to be once again swept away my his intricate, stellar writing. Sadly mistaken. I have been putting off writing my review for this book mainly because I was not quite sure on how to approach an honest review without influencing my review by my overall perceptions and feelings of the book as a whole. But since I’ve been receiving quite a few requests lately to share my thoughts on Dear Mr. M lets jump straight to the babble…
This novel is masterfully crafted in a way that causes the reader to often pause for the moment of epiphany to come to them when everything suddenly makes sense. Koch tactfully weaves together a narrative surrounding a history teacher, Jan Landzaat’s disappearance, possible murder, that takes place not long after he leaves a young couples cottage. Laura and her new, buck-teeth, scrawny, and disturbed boyfriend, Herman are staying spending the winter holidays together in the suburbs and all seems timeless until Jan shows up at their front door. And what is this hip, young teacher pursuing? Laura. Only a few weeks ago he and Laura were having an affair, up until Herman enters the picture to "sweep Laura off her feet". Jan hopes to win Laura back, but fails. He puts together a master plan that results his being "stuck" with the seventeen-year-old couple overnight due to his car having sunk below feet of snow. The next morning Herman braves the chilling, Dutch cold to walk with Herman to the village to seek after help so Jan can finally be on his way. Durning this trek, somewhere between the moment Herman and Jan leave Laura and their journey to town, Herman and Jan become separated. That same night Herman returns to the the house. Laura rushes into his arms and, noticing that Jan is no where to be seen, questions Herman. "I lost him," is all Herman can reply…
Years later we have an aging, once notably acclaimed writer, Mr. M who uses this story for his own benefit. He produces Payback which retraces the logic of the disappearance/murder, adding some romance here, and removing some characters there, all under different names. Now, Mr. M still writes and often reluctantly gives interviews and does readings at the local library, but not with the same vivacity and prestige as he once had.
Mr. M’s movements, outings, and actions are all followed by his sinister downstairs neighbor who we later find out, is indeed the Herman of forty years ago. This section of the novel is told in the second person, so we get the feeling that Herman is indeed speaking to us readers. His tone is confrontational and utterly troublesome, for we get the sense that while the world and all its inhabitants may seem out of sorts to him, he isn’t too "all up there" himself.
I enjoyed how Koch satirically brings together the lives of separate characters across diverging time frames, which initially appear incongruent until the final pages. These characters are all psychologically twisted and are in no way relatable. The dialogue that occurs between them and the events that they partake in causes the reader to question and critique the workings of the mind: What does it mean to hive to die ?
The reason for my three stars is the dismissiveness I felt that went to the plot development and the characters. There is much description and meditations that cause one to self reflect on writing as a medium and all the obstacles involved in writing a book and sending it off for publishing (hence the multiple scenes where Mr. M groans and whines about his writer colleagues and friends). There were several instances that I felt Koch went off on a tangent to the basic storyline such as in the events following and leading up to the death of Lodewijk’s mother. Herman remains a perverted and curious character throughout the novel who doesn’t seem to undergo any actual transformation - he remains completely static, aside from the passing of time. As readers, we never truly find out what actually happened between Jan and Herman - whether Jan really did disappear into thin air, or Herman had murdered him.
A greater portion of the novel surrounded literary techniques and evocative imagery that would portray Herman as an unlikable, yet intriguing figure. However, this was belittled by all of the asides and tricks that Koch superimposed within the text. I definitely would have enjoyed Dear. Mr. M a lot more if there was less of the ramblings and more of a thrilling suspense. Suspense for Dear. Mr. M is limited to build-up, but never climax, which is the reason for a whopping three stars.
I finished Herman Koch’s newest, perhaps bestselling novel quite a few weeks ago. I absolutely loved The Dinner, which I read for a Narrative Theory class I was taking a few months back because of Koch’s mastery of elements which render an event a story. So logically, wandering through the aisles at my locial bookstore and coming across more from Koch, I expected to be once again swept away my his intricate, stellar writing. Sadly mistaken. I have been putting off writing my review for this book mainly because I was not quite sure on how to approach an honest review without influencing my review by my overall perceptions and feelings of the book as a whole. But since I’ve been receiving quite a few requests lately to share my thoughts on Dear Mr. M lets jump straight to the babble…
This novel is masterfully crafted in a way that causes the reader to often pause for the moment of epiphany to come to them when everything suddenly makes sense. Koch tactfully weaves together a narrative surrounding a history teacher, Jan Landzaat’s disappearance, possible murder, that takes place not long after he leaves a young couples cottage. Laura and her new, buck-teeth, scrawny, and disturbed boyfriend, Herman are staying spending the winter holidays together in the suburbs and all seems timeless until Jan shows up at their front door. And what is this hip, young teacher pursuing? Laura. Only a few weeks ago he and Laura were having an affair, up until Herman enters the picture to "sweep Laura off her feet". Jan hopes to win Laura back, but fails. He puts together a master plan that results his being "stuck" with the seventeen-year-old couple overnight due to his car having sunk below feet of snow. The next morning Herman braves the chilling, Dutch cold to walk with Herman to the village to seek after help so Jan can finally be on his way. Durning this trek, somewhere between the moment Herman and Jan leave Laura and their journey to town, Herman and Jan become separated. That same night Herman returns to the the house. Laura rushes into his arms and, noticing that Jan is no where to be seen, questions Herman. "I lost him," is all Herman can reply…
Years later we have an aging, once notably acclaimed writer, Mr. M who uses this story for his own benefit. He produces Payback which retraces the logic of the disappearance/murder, adding some romance here, and removing some characters there, all under different names. Now, Mr. M still writes and often reluctantly gives interviews and does readings at the local library, but not with the same vivacity and prestige as he once had.
Mr. M’s movements, outings, and actions are all followed by his sinister downstairs neighbor who we later find out, is indeed the Herman of forty years ago. This section of the novel is told in the second person, so we get the feeling that Herman is indeed speaking to us readers. His tone is confrontational and utterly troublesome, for we get the sense that while the world and all its inhabitants may seem out of sorts to him, he isn’t too "all up there" himself.
I enjoyed how Koch satirically brings together the lives of separate characters across diverging time frames, which initially appear incongruent until the final pages. These characters are all psychologically twisted and are in no way relatable. The dialogue that occurs between them and the events that they partake in causes the reader to question and critique the workings of the mind: What does it mean to hive to die ?
The reason for my three stars is the dismissiveness I felt that went to the plot development and the characters. There is much description and meditations that cause one to self reflect on writing as a medium and all the obstacles involved in writing a book and sending it off for publishing (hence the multiple scenes where Mr. M groans and whines about his writer colleagues and friends). There were several instances that I felt Koch went off on a tangent to the basic storyline such as in the events following and leading up to the death of Lodewijk’s mother. Herman remains a perverted and curious character throughout the novel who doesn’t seem to undergo any actual transformation - he remains completely static, aside from the passing of time. As readers, we never truly find out what actually happened between Jan and Herman - whether Jan really did disappear into thin air, or Herman had murdered him.
A greater portion of the novel surrounded literary techniques and evocative imagery that would portray Herman as an unlikable, yet intriguing figure. However, this was belittled by all of the asides and tricks that Koch superimposed within the text. I definitely would have enjoyed Dear. Mr. M a lot more if there was less of the ramblings and more of a thrilling suspense. Suspense for Dear. Mr. M is limited to build-up, but never climax, which is the reason for a whopping three stars.
August 31, 2016
Review to follow...when I wrap my head around this!
Read
August 28, 2017Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this at all. Koch's books are usually so readable, despite being filled with despicable characters. I'll have to give this one a miss, even though it's always a tiny struggle to shelve a book DNF:-(
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
August 19, 2016
Dutch writer Herman Koch is a master of literary mystery, a lean, cool, sardonic writer that tends to stay a step ahead of his readers, and is genius at looking behind abhorrent behaviors. His murder mysteries are less whodunit (although that is there, also), and are more psychological and psychopathological. Motive is the last thing we generally learn, which can be more thrilling than the culprit who did it. In this case, we ask ourselves if there WAS a murder.
Aging writer M, who is troubled by his current loss of relevance, was made famous several decades ago, primarily by writing a novel, Payback, that was inspired by a true news story about the disappearance of a high school history teacher in Amsterdam. The case was never solved, but M decided to solve it in his imaginative, creative way. By making it fiction, it gave him carte blanche to add his own “facts” and finale. Decades later, his newest book is tepidly received, his latest young wife is losing interest, and his daughter is mostly a prop to him.
Alternating with the writer is a motley group of teenagers in high school. Koch kept me off balance with the circumspect nature of the narrative and the characters. Just as I thought I “knew” a character, a fact would be revealed ambiguously and casually, just enough to make me stop in my tracks and read the passage again, looking for a clue I may have missed. The adolescents weren’t vanilla cutouts—they lived and breathed on the pages, and all had flaws and a dark side, some more than others. There’s even a teen named Herman, who I imagine Koch to have looked like as a 17 year-old. I even googled him to see if his teeth were as unattractive as the character’s, but all the pictures of Herman Koch online are close-mouthed!
Step inside the pages of this Koch mystery, and I suspect you will be engrossed. It’s about writers, publication, the life of the mind, identity, lust, secrets, and the lines we cross. Some are between fact and fiction, and some are between fact and desire. And others are the territory of memory, between the past and the present. “…you cross a line, and all that’s left is before and after. With each day that you move further away from that line, the things that happened before become more important. Become clearer, take on more portent.”
Aging writer M, who is troubled by his current loss of relevance, was made famous several decades ago, primarily by writing a novel, Payback, that was inspired by a true news story about the disappearance of a high school history teacher in Amsterdam. The case was never solved, but M decided to solve it in his imaginative, creative way. By making it fiction, it gave him carte blanche to add his own “facts” and finale. Decades later, his newest book is tepidly received, his latest young wife is losing interest, and his daughter is mostly a prop to him.
Alternating with the writer is a motley group of teenagers in high school. Koch kept me off balance with the circumspect nature of the narrative and the characters. Just as I thought I “knew” a character, a fact would be revealed ambiguously and casually, just enough to make me stop in my tracks and read the passage again, looking for a clue I may have missed. The adolescents weren’t vanilla cutouts—they lived and breathed on the pages, and all had flaws and a dark side, some more than others. There’s even a teen named Herman, who I imagine Koch to have looked like as a 17 year-old. I even googled him to see if his teeth were as unattractive as the character’s, but all the pictures of Herman Koch online are close-mouthed!
Step inside the pages of this Koch mystery, and I suspect you will be engrossed. It’s about writers, publication, the life of the mind, identity, lust, secrets, and the lines we cross. Some are between fact and fiction, and some are between fact and desire. And others are the territory of memory, between the past and the present. “…you cross a line, and all that’s left is before and after. With each day that you move further away from that line, the things that happened before become more important. Become clearer, take on more portent.”
June 22, 2016
Hmm, you know when you start to wonder if the effort is worth it? I did finish this book but I thought it was way too long and the answer to my question was 'no'.
November 7, 2017
Quite the mindfuck (pardon my French, but I can't think of a more apt descriptor).
Having appreciated The Dinner, I was curious about the latest novel from Herman Koch.
Dear Mr. M was brilliant and perverse, or brilliantly perverse, with quite a few themes and plots demanding our attention. At times, voices, subplots changed abruptly, which I found jarring, but after a little while, I understood what was happening. Somewhere in the middle, it got a bit tedious, as there were too many details about the teenagers and their friendships and relationships, it went on and on. That's not to say that there weren't some great observations to take in. I just wanted a little less of that. The diversionary tactic was too obvious.
Koch does psycho very well. Actually, he's terrific at showing people's worst sides, including the unpalatable, the unuttered. I dig that. At times it gets uncomfortable, but sometimes uncomfortable is good.
The bits about the ageing writer, with his way-too-young wife and very young daughter were the most interesting for me. Koch allots a lot of time to bring to our attention aspects about the writing process and all the hoo-ha that goes with readings, going to awards ceremonies and publishers' parties, the rivalries between writers and so on. There's philosophising about literary vs bestsellers.
As I've said, there are many themes to get your head around.
A big chunk of the book is dedicated to the group of high school friends, which had a large cast of characters. While the names were familiar, at times I had trouble remembering who was paired with whom, and who loved whom, because, as always, things are complicated. Then there's a youngish history teacher who falls head-over-heels with one of his seventeen-year-old students, Laura, who plays with him and then breaks it off. This is one of the main plots, because of the teacher's disappearance.
That disappearance was the subject of one Mr M's bestsellers. That's what connects the different parts of the novel.
The ending came out of nowhere, as you'd expect.
Sorry for the long drivel. While this novel was imperfect and it could have done with some trimming, it was nevertheless fascinating and compelling. Koch is one hell of a writer.
Having appreciated The Dinner, I was curious about the latest novel from Herman Koch.
Dear Mr. M was brilliant and perverse, or brilliantly perverse, with quite a few themes and plots demanding our attention. At times, voices, subplots changed abruptly, which I found jarring, but after a little while, I understood what was happening. Somewhere in the middle, it got a bit tedious, as there were too many details about the teenagers and their friendships and relationships, it went on and on. That's not to say that there weren't some great observations to take in. I just wanted a little less of that. The diversionary tactic was too obvious.
Koch does psycho very well. Actually, he's terrific at showing people's worst sides, including the unpalatable, the unuttered. I dig that. At times it gets uncomfortable, but sometimes uncomfortable is good.
The bits about the ageing writer, with his way-too-young wife and very young daughter were the most interesting for me. Koch allots a lot of time to bring to our attention aspects about the writing process and all the hoo-ha that goes with readings, going to awards ceremonies and publishers' parties, the rivalries between writers and so on. There's philosophising about literary vs bestsellers.
As I've said, there are many themes to get your head around.
A big chunk of the book is dedicated to the group of high school friends, which had a large cast of characters. While the names were familiar, at times I had trouble remembering who was paired with whom, and who loved whom, because, as always, things are complicated. Then there's a youngish history teacher who falls head-over-heels with one of his seventeen-year-old students, Laura, who plays with him and then breaks it off. This is one of the main plots, because of the teacher's disappearance.
That disappearance was the subject of one Mr M's bestsellers. That's what connects the different parts of the novel.
The ending came out of nowhere, as you'd expect.
Sorry for the long drivel. While this novel was imperfect and it could have done with some trimming, it was nevertheless fascinating and compelling. Koch is one hell of a writer.
September 16, 2016
In "Dear Mr. M." Koch continues with the general theme that has permeated his other novels, an unmasking of evil found in seemingly normal, productive members of society. He shocked me with "The Dinner", I never saw its conclusion coming. However, because of that novel, I was ready for his next one "Summer House with Swimming Pool." I wondered, with the release of "Dear Mr. M." if his signature, cynical take on human nature could possibly hold any surprises. It did. Not only that, but it manages to be a much more complicated novel than either of the other two mentioned above.
Mr. M is an aging author, slowly being forgotten by younger readers and having settled into a pattern of writing that is increasingly boring all but his staunchest fans. There is one man however, who has a seemingly sinister interest in Mr. M, and who appears to know intimate details about his life that no average person would. The narrative of the novel shifts between M, this other obsessed soul, and a few other characters and it requires some attention from you, the reader to keep things straight as the story bounces forward and backward in time.
Much of the novel focuses on M's most successful book, "Payback" a fictionalized account of the real life disappearance of a high school teacher who had been sexually involved with a student. It flashes back to the real life characters on which that novel was based and the reader is gradually filled in on the actual occurrences. An increasingly clearer picture of what happened, who was likely at fault, and who the obsessed man narrating much of the book actually is.
Clearer pictures don't always mean truth however. There is a scene in the book where M admits to enjoying murder mysteries somewhat guiltily, comparing them to fast food versus the literary fiction he knows is better. He admits that having read so many over the years, he cannot watch a mystery on TV without spoiling it for his wife, barely suppressing a smile when he's proven correct at show's end. I'll admit I felt much the same as I approached the end of this novel, and what was ultimately most satisfying about the experience is that I was completely wrong.
Is there a formula to a Herman Koch novel? It certainly feels like there's a conspicuous thread running across all 3 of the novels I've read. But in the end, what mattered to me was whether or not the experience felt unique and for me it ultimately did. The novel may irritate some who find his outlook on human nature to be unfairly negative, but for me, Dear Mr. M was a satisfying read and has ensured I'll read Koch's next offering.
Note: ARC received free from publisher via NetGalley
Mr. M is an aging author, slowly being forgotten by younger readers and having settled into a pattern of writing that is increasingly boring all but his staunchest fans. There is one man however, who has a seemingly sinister interest in Mr. M, and who appears to know intimate details about his life that no average person would. The narrative of the novel shifts between M, this other obsessed soul, and a few other characters and it requires some attention from you, the reader to keep things straight as the story bounces forward and backward in time.
Much of the novel focuses on M's most successful book, "Payback" a fictionalized account of the real life disappearance of a high school teacher who had been sexually involved with a student. It flashes back to the real life characters on which that novel was based and the reader is gradually filled in on the actual occurrences. An increasingly clearer picture of what happened, who was likely at fault, and who the obsessed man narrating much of the book actually is.
Clearer pictures don't always mean truth however. There is a scene in the book where M admits to enjoying murder mysteries somewhat guiltily, comparing them to fast food versus the literary fiction he knows is better. He admits that having read so many over the years, he cannot watch a mystery on TV without spoiling it for his wife, barely suppressing a smile when he's proven correct at show's end. I'll admit I felt much the same as I approached the end of this novel, and what was ultimately most satisfying about the experience is that I was completely wrong.
Is there a formula to a Herman Koch novel? It certainly feels like there's a conspicuous thread running across all 3 of the novels I've read. But in the end, what mattered to me was whether or not the experience felt unique and for me it ultimately did. The novel may irritate some who find his outlook on human nature to be unfairly negative, but for me, Dear Mr. M was a satisfying read and has ensured I'll read Koch's next offering.
Note: ARC received free from publisher via NetGalley
September 21, 2019
Un Koch-omero (non del tutto) tondo tondo
Uno psicopatico? Uno stalker? Chi è colui che prende la parola fin dalla prima pagina? Mi vien da pensare che possa essere la cattiva coscienza dello scrittore la materializzazione di che cosa immagina gli altri pensino di lui. È lui che scende in cantina affrontando quelle scale che lo intimoriscono e lo affascinano? Messo nero su bianco ciò che di peggio possiamo pensare di noi, cos’altro c’è da temere?
È un meta romanzo in cui lo scrittore gioca con il romanzesco fingendo di rivelarne i trucchi e i retroscena con lo scopo di tenere incollato il lettore alle pagine, procrastinando la spiegazione degli eventi?
Si rimane spiazzati quando da un capitolo all’altro il narratore cambia e diventa lo scrittore che veniva pedinato, sbeffeggiato, odiato. Koch per altre cinquanta pagine porterà avanti la storia su più fronti, si avvarrà del fumo scenografico, di alcune bocce di whisky, delle già dimostrate (La cena) capacità di tenere sulla corda il lettore, la porterà avanti fino ad un pantano scolastico da cui farà fatica a farla uscire.
Io non son riuscito a capire in quali anni si svolgesse l’adolescenza dei protagonisti, se ne parla a lungo, ma quali anni erano? Salta agli occhi che uno di essi si chiami Herman, come l’autore e come
Herman Koch (1903-1978) a cui il libro è dedicato.
La dedica è estesa a Cootje Koch-Lap (1914-1971).
Saranno forse i genitori dell’autore? Il pantano è rappresentato da un centinaio di pagine artefatte, spinte al limite, contenenti teorie sociologiche che sembrano enunciate per stupire, per suscitare una reazione nel lettore, forse la sua indignazione. I personaggi usciranno melmosi da quel pantano, la doccia (fredda) finale non basterà a risciacquare la storia. Le ultime parole spese da Koch lasciano interdetti ricollegandole alla dedica iniziale.
Colonna sonora:
Juliette Gréco - "Sous le ciel de Paris"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNBO0...
Un Koch-omero tondo tondo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDmHD...
Uno psicopatico? Uno stalker? Chi è colui che prende la parola fin dalla prima pagina? Mi vien da pensare che possa essere la cattiva coscienza dello scrittore la materializzazione di che cosa immagina gli altri pensino di lui. È lui che scende in cantina affrontando quelle scale che lo intimoriscono e lo affascinano? Messo nero su bianco ciò che di peggio possiamo pensare di noi, cos’altro c’è da temere?
È un meta romanzo in cui lo scrittore gioca con il romanzesco fingendo di rivelarne i trucchi e i retroscena con lo scopo di tenere incollato il lettore alle pagine, procrastinando la spiegazione degli eventi?
Si rimane spiazzati quando da un capitolo all’altro il narratore cambia e diventa lo scrittore che veniva pedinato, sbeffeggiato, odiato. Koch per altre cinquanta pagine porterà avanti la storia su più fronti, si avvarrà del fumo scenografico, di alcune bocce di whisky, delle già dimostrate (La cena) capacità di tenere sulla corda il lettore, la porterà avanti fino ad un pantano scolastico da cui farà fatica a farla uscire.
Io non son riuscito a capire in quali anni si svolgesse l’adolescenza dei protagonisti, se ne parla a lungo, ma quali anni erano? Salta agli occhi che uno di essi si chiami Herman, come l’autore e come
Herman Koch (1903-1978) a cui il libro è dedicato.
La dedica è estesa a Cootje Koch-Lap (1914-1971).
Saranno forse i genitori dell’autore? Il pantano è rappresentato da un centinaio di pagine artefatte, spinte al limite, contenenti teorie sociologiche che sembrano enunciate per stupire, per suscitare una reazione nel lettore, forse la sua indignazione. I personaggi usciranno melmosi da quel pantano, la doccia (fredda) finale non basterà a risciacquare la storia. Le ultime parole spese da Koch lasciano interdetti ricollegandole alla dedica iniziale.
Colonna sonora:
Juliette Gréco - "Sous le ciel de Paris"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNBO0...
Un Koch-omero tondo tondo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDmHD...
June 23, 2021
Защо ли бях останала с погрешното впечатление, че този роман на Кох е по-слаб от "Вечерята" и "Вила с басейн"? Нищо подобно, това е Кох в най-добрата му форма. Дори този му роман има по-сложна структура от другите, които съм чела: прескача се между различни и убедително предадени гледни точки, които предават различна част от сюжета, и докато историято постепенно се навързва, героите разгръщат своите характери. Отново този гъст психологизъм. Напрежението, което се натрупва. Краят – изненадващ и силен. Истинска читателска (слушателска) наслада. Да, романът е достъпен в Сторител.
November 13, 2016
I started reading Dear Mr M about 6 weeks ago and only finished it this morning; I only finished it, to be honest, because I'd slowly worked my way through about 90% of the book and then got a notification that it was due at the library today and I couldn't renew it anymore. I figured it would be a shame to not finish it, and it would be too much work to go through the whole requesting-it-from-a-different-library thing, so I forced myself to read it.
As you'd guess, "forced myself to read it" doesn't imply a very good book, and Dear Mr M isn't very good. It's so far below the caliber of The Dinner and Summer House With Swimming Pool that I suspected it of being the kind of filler Gillian Flynn foisted off on people after Gone Girl.
The problems with Dear Mr M are twofold, as I see it: first, Koch tries to cram a bit too much in, without bothering to give much of it any development or context; and second, Koch relies too much on his formula, which he has to pull out of his butt at the end like a poor man's M. Night Shymalan (or a poorer man's M. Night, since M. Night himself is a poor man's version of himself.)
There's spoilers here, but since you shouldn't read it don't worry about them. The basic story involves an author, Mr. M, who wrote a long time ago a true-crime book based on a teacher who had an affair with a student and then disappeared; the book implied that the students had killed the teacher.
One of the students, Herman, is now Mr M's downstairs neighbor, and the first part of (as well as much of the book in general) is told from Herman's perspective, telling Mr M what 'really' happened, it seems, and also creepily following Mr M's wife and daughter on vacation and sort of stalking Mr M. Mr M, meanwhile, is an elderly writer now with a much younger wife, and has just written a new book about 'the war' which apparently means WWII, a book that is getting only a small amount of publicity.
That is what passes for a plot, although there's a lot more hinted at or brushed over. A large part of the book deals with the students, Laura and Herman, and three trips they take to Laura's parent's vacation home, including the last one when it's just Laura and Herman and the teacher stops by and then disappears; this is, I suppose, intended to give us the background for the rest of the book? It felt, though, like a completely separate book, like it was completely unconnected with Mr M's present-day story.
That present-day story in the 2nd 2/3ds of the book focuses more on Mr M and what he thinks, and what he thinks is apparently some revisionist type of Nazi-sympathy thoughts; I have to say 'apparently' because at best Mr. M's seemingly-shocking thoughts are only ever hinted at: there is an interview in which he may have said some shocking things, and a TV blurb in which he may have said them, and there is a sort of revelation at one point that Mr M's dad was in the Nazi army as a Dutch collaborationist or something. It's all very murky and intended to set up the final twist in the plot, but it utterly fails to set up anything, which makes that final twist seem not shocking and obvious in retrospect, but glommed-on and hammy.
There are long distractions from the story that feel like there was possibly a whole other book here: there is a lengthy bit about one of the students whose mother dies in between two of the trips the students take. There is a lot about Laura's father, who has a TV job and is maybe sort of weird himself? There is a whole chapter of Mr. M's wife opting to stay home from a dinner with all the authors and watch a movie with their daughter instead. All of these feel like they're filler; they add nothing to the story and don't feel connected at all. It's like Koch is just taking a bunch of sort-of ideas he's had and thrown them into the story.
Then there's the fact that the story is about a writer, who has written a book about a murder, and then run into the murderers themselves. It's apparently supposed to be 'meta,' but it feels tired. Much like American writers using 9/11 in any way, it feels like there should be a rule: Nobody uses a writer as a main character. It's just too tough to do and when it doesn't work it distracts from the book. Here, it especially doesn't work. The idea that Mr M has somehow stumbled on the solution to the mystery of the missing teacher and that Herman is in some way threatening him disappears in a haze of red herrings and character sketches and long ruminations about what it is that writers do, so in the end it doesn't even matter if Mr M is a writer or wrote the story of the murder. It feels like mostly Mr M is a writer so Koch can talk about how writers write. It gets boring.
The final twist is this: It turns out that the teacher is going to frame Herman for his own murder; he visits the kids to set them up, with plans that he will bash his own head with a rock and freeze to death, so that the world will blame Herman. Only then, in like the last 5 pages, there's a twist on a twist! Mr M, in the process of writing the book about the murder, gets a letter -- titled Dear Mr M!
-- and learns that the teacher has, in fact, framed Herman for the murder by disappearing, and that he's alive and well and is going to come back and pretend to have amnesia so that Herman gets blamed for maybe trying to kill him but he will be famous, so Mr M goes to see the teacher in Paris, where the teacher has been living under a bridge for several weeks. Mr M then shoves the teacher into the river and the teacher drowns. Just like that.
There's no real motive for it: Mr M sort of thinks about how he hates when people give him ideas for stories, and sort of thinks about how it would mess up his story, but he's already a famous author and has had other famous books. It's sort of hinted that maybe Mr M himself is a sociopath but we don't get much info about that other than a late-in-the-book fistfight between two old men. It's just a twist that existed for no reason than to be a twist.
The final few pages of the book seem to encapsulate the problems with the book in a nutshell: Mr M, having gotten a concussion in the fight, is dying on his couch. We get to see his thoughts, a maudlin short ramble about how he loved his mom more than his dad, but he doesn't want to see either of them and how would he explain the bruises on his face in Heaven and he's glad that there's nothing there, really.
I, as a reader, was disappointed that there was nothing there really. Like Umberto Eco's Numero Zero nonsense or Flynn's The Grown-Up throwaway cash grab, Dear Mr M was bad enough that it will make me at the least hesitate before reading the next Koch novel, which is a shame: after his first two, I was so eager to get this that I was ready to buy it when it came out. I'm glad I waited; the only thing that would have been more disappointing than this book would have been paying ten bucks to read it. I'm 99.9% certain that it was sitting around on Koch's shelf and published (or maybe re-published, or translated and published) only The Dinner made it big.
I had a whole other paragraph here that expressed my ongoing dismay with humanity, but I deleted it. Just don't read this book. And, hell, don't go read Koch's other books, either. Don't let him get away with dumping trash on you and forcing you to read it. Authors should respect their readers, and publishers should, too. Obviously Koch doesn't. We've got to start holding people responsible for the crap they foist off on us.
As you'd guess, "forced myself to read it" doesn't imply a very good book, and Dear Mr M isn't very good. It's so far below the caliber of The Dinner and Summer House With Swimming Pool that I suspected it of being the kind of filler Gillian Flynn foisted off on people after Gone Girl.
The problems with Dear Mr M are twofold, as I see it: first, Koch tries to cram a bit too much in, without bothering to give much of it any development or context; and second, Koch relies too much on his formula, which he has to pull out of his butt at the end like a poor man's M. Night Shymalan (or a poorer man's M. Night, since M. Night himself is a poor man's version of himself.)
There's spoilers here, but since you shouldn't read it don't worry about them. The basic story involves an author, Mr. M, who wrote a long time ago a true-crime book based on a teacher who had an affair with a student and then disappeared; the book implied that the students had killed the teacher.
One of the students, Herman, is now Mr M's downstairs neighbor, and the first part of (as well as much of the book in general) is told from Herman's perspective, telling Mr M what 'really' happened, it seems, and also creepily following Mr M's wife and daughter on vacation and sort of stalking Mr M. Mr M, meanwhile, is an elderly writer now with a much younger wife, and has just written a new book about 'the war' which apparently means WWII, a book that is getting only a small amount of publicity.
That is what passes for a plot, although there's a lot more hinted at or brushed over. A large part of the book deals with the students, Laura and Herman, and three trips they take to Laura's parent's vacation home, including the last one when it's just Laura and Herman and the teacher stops by and then disappears; this is, I suppose, intended to give us the background for the rest of the book? It felt, though, like a completely separate book, like it was completely unconnected with Mr M's present-day story.
That present-day story in the 2nd 2/3ds of the book focuses more on Mr M and what he thinks, and what he thinks is apparently some revisionist type of Nazi-sympathy thoughts; I have to say 'apparently' because at best Mr. M's seemingly-shocking thoughts are only ever hinted at: there is an interview in which he may have said some shocking things, and a TV blurb in which he may have said them, and there is a sort of revelation at one point that Mr M's dad was in the Nazi army as a Dutch collaborationist or something. It's all very murky and intended to set up the final twist in the plot, but it utterly fails to set up anything, which makes that final twist seem not shocking and obvious in retrospect, but glommed-on and hammy.
There are long distractions from the story that feel like there was possibly a whole other book here: there is a lengthy bit about one of the students whose mother dies in between two of the trips the students take. There is a lot about Laura's father, who has a TV job and is maybe sort of weird himself? There is a whole chapter of Mr. M's wife opting to stay home from a dinner with all the authors and watch a movie with their daughter instead. All of these feel like they're filler; they add nothing to the story and don't feel connected at all. It's like Koch is just taking a bunch of sort-of ideas he's had and thrown them into the story.
Then there's the fact that the story is about a writer, who has written a book about a murder, and then run into the murderers themselves. It's apparently supposed to be 'meta,' but it feels tired. Much like American writers using 9/11 in any way, it feels like there should be a rule: Nobody uses a writer as a main character. It's just too tough to do and when it doesn't work it distracts from the book. Here, it especially doesn't work. The idea that Mr M has somehow stumbled on the solution to the mystery of the missing teacher and that Herman is in some way threatening him disappears in a haze of red herrings and character sketches and long ruminations about what it is that writers do, so in the end it doesn't even matter if Mr M is a writer or wrote the story of the murder. It feels like mostly Mr M is a writer so Koch can talk about how writers write. It gets boring.
The final twist is this: It turns out that the teacher is going to frame Herman for his own murder; he visits the kids to set them up, with plans that he will bash his own head with a rock and freeze to death, so that the world will blame Herman. Only then, in like the last 5 pages, there's a twist on a twist! Mr M, in the process of writing the book about the murder, gets a letter -- titled Dear Mr M!
-- and learns that the teacher has, in fact, framed Herman for the murder by disappearing, and that he's alive and well and is going to come back and pretend to have amnesia so that Herman gets blamed for maybe trying to kill him but he will be famous, so Mr M goes to see the teacher in Paris, where the teacher has been living under a bridge for several weeks. Mr M then shoves the teacher into the river and the teacher drowns. Just like that.
There's no real motive for it: Mr M sort of thinks about how he hates when people give him ideas for stories, and sort of thinks about how it would mess up his story, but he's already a famous author and has had other famous books. It's sort of hinted that maybe Mr M himself is a sociopath but we don't get much info about that other than a late-in-the-book fistfight between two old men. It's just a twist that existed for no reason than to be a twist.
The final few pages of the book seem to encapsulate the problems with the book in a nutshell: Mr M, having gotten a concussion in the fight, is dying on his couch. We get to see his thoughts, a maudlin short ramble about how he loved his mom more than his dad, but he doesn't want to see either of them and how would he explain the bruises on his face in Heaven and he's glad that there's nothing there, really.
I, as a reader, was disappointed that there was nothing there really. Like Umberto Eco's Numero Zero nonsense or Flynn's The Grown-Up throwaway cash grab, Dear Mr M was bad enough that it will make me at the least hesitate before reading the next Koch novel, which is a shame: after his first two, I was so eager to get this that I was ready to buy it when it came out. I'm glad I waited; the only thing that would have been more disappointing than this book would have been paying ten bucks to read it. I'm 99.9% certain that it was sitting around on Koch's shelf and published (or maybe re-published, or translated and published) only The Dinner made it big.
I had a whole other paragraph here that expressed my ongoing dismay with humanity, but I deleted it. Just don't read this book. And, hell, don't go read Koch's other books, either. Don't let him get away with dumping trash on you and forcing you to read it. Authors should respect their readers, and publishers should, too. Obviously Koch doesn't. We've got to start holding people responsible for the crap they foist off on us.
November 8, 2020
По принцип много харесвам книги, в които има персонажи писатели (по разбираеми за мен причини 😂), и от които могат да се научат редица интересни и любопитни неща за целия писателски процес. Та и „Уважаеми господин М.“ не ме разочарова в това отношение. Тук Кох е разгледал тъмната и мръсна страна на писателите, и му се е получило доста добре. Цялата история е много интригуваща. Измежду „Вечерята“, „Вила с басейн“ и „Уважаеми господин М.“, като че ли третата ми допадна най-силно. Определено има нещо много пристрастяващо в книгите на Кох, които като започнеш няма как да оставиш след това.
А ето и няколко момента, които ми се откроиха силно:
И малко по отношение на учителите.
4.4. звезди (Може би краят ми допадна с една идея малко по-малко, отколкото очаквах, затова и не поставям максимална оценка, но книгата безспорно е много добра).
А ето и няколко момента, които ми се откроиха силно:
И малко по отношение на учителите.
4.4. звезди (Може би краят ми допадна с една идея малко по-малко, отколкото очаквах, затова и не поставям максимална оценка, но книгата безспорно е много добра).
July 31, 2022
4 stars
A bait-and-switch, Dear Mr. M starts out as a gripping stalker-mystery, but switches gears halfway through to a meandering meta-fiction on authorship and the human condition. Depending on one's expectation, this novel can be either deeply fascinating or frustratingly boring.
Either way, there's no denying Herman Koch is a terrific storyteller, as I was thoroughly engaged in unpacking the psyche of its roster of unlikable characters. While I did learn to appreciate the lengthy character study, as well as details on the transactional aspect of publishing (promotion cycle, adaptation, etc.), it was off-putting for a self-claimed 'thriller' to completely ditch its mystery plot for almost half of its page count. The novel did eventually circle back and close the book with a few more twists and reveals, but for some readers it might be too little too late.
Dear Mr. M gets a cautious 4 stars from me—I was slightly underwhelmed immediately upon finishing, feeling like I only got half of what I signed up for (a streamlined, fast-paced thriller). But once I unpacked its plot and characters with a few friends, my appreciation for its complexity grew and agreed Dear Mr. M was razor-sharp on its theme and intent, even if I had some issues on the execution.
A bait-and-switch, Dear Mr. M starts out as a gripping stalker-mystery, but switches gears halfway through to a meandering meta-fiction on authorship and the human condition. Depending on one's expectation, this novel can be either deeply fascinating or frustratingly boring.
Either way, there's no denying Herman Koch is a terrific storyteller, as I was thoroughly engaged in unpacking the psyche of its roster of unlikable characters. While I did learn to appreciate the lengthy character study, as well as details on the transactional aspect of publishing (promotion cycle, adaptation, etc.), it was off-putting for a self-claimed 'thriller' to completely ditch its mystery plot for almost half of its page count. The novel did eventually circle back and close the book with a few more twists and reveals, but for some readers it might be too little too late.
Dear Mr. M gets a cautious 4 stars from me—I was slightly underwhelmed immediately upon finishing, feeling like I only got half of what I signed up for (a streamlined, fast-paced thriller). But once I unpacked its plot and characters with a few friends, my appreciation for its complexity grew and agreed Dear Mr. M was razor-sharp on its theme and intent, even if I had some issues on the execution.
November 28, 2019
Умело пише Кох. И си е все същият откровен циник. Две безспорни качества за съвременен писател.
В "Уважаеми господин М." са използвани редуващи се гледни точки и похватът "история, в историята, в историята". Всичко това може на моменти да Ви разтегли и на ме по едно време в средата ми се случи да се чудя "какво точно трябва да е интересното тук?". С това си признавам, че ме изгуби за известно количество параграфи, но успя да ме върне и към края ми беше истински интересно. Оригинално е. Героите на Кох са изтъкани от човешки емоции, желания и пороци и това ги прави не просто правдоподобни, а достоверни до степен на биография.
Искрено се забавлявах на сарказма и циничността относно писателския живот, а донякъде също и на учителския (донякъде, защото беше по-кратко застъпен). Добре, че имам и самоирония, иначе на едно изречение към края:
"Да четеш детективски романи е като да ходиш по проститутки"
и предшестващо сравненеи с Burger King, мислех да започна да му пиша писмо, започващо с "Уважаеми господин К." ... Както и да е, на война и в литературата всичко е позволено.
Темите тук са повече в ретроспекция, отколкото към насочени към бъдещето. Това е основната разлика, която установих, сравнено с "Вечерята". Тя ми беше една идея "по-гладка" за слушане, но като четиво не бих могъл да ги степенувам в GR звездички. За мен е същото качество на стил, изграждане и оригинални идеи - просто различна перспектива. Едното е борба за история, която предстои. Другото е борба за история, която вече е минала.
В "Уважаеми господин М." са използвани редуващи се гледни точки и похватът "история, в историята, в историята". Всичко това може на моменти да Ви разтегли и на ме по едно време в средата ми се случи да се чудя "какво точно трябва да е интересното тук?". С това си признавам, че ме изгуби за известно количество параграфи, но успя да ме върне и към края ми беше истински интересно. Оригинално е. Героите на Кох са изтъкани от човешки емоции, желания и пороци и това ги прави не просто правдоподобни, а достоверни до степен на биография.
Искрено се забавлявах на сарказма и циничността относно писателския живот, а донякъде също и на учителския (донякъде, защото беше по-кратко застъпен). Добре, че имам и самоирония, иначе на едно изречение към края:
"Да четеш детективски романи е като да ходиш по проститутки"
и предшестващо сравненеи с Burger King, мислех да започна да му пиша писмо, започващо с "Уважаеми господин К." ... Както и да е, на война и в литературата всичко е позволено.
Темите тук са повече в ретроспекция, отколкото към насочени към бъдещето. Това е основната разлика, която установих, сравнено с "Вечерята". Тя ми беше една идея "по-гладка" за слушане, но като четиво не бих могъл да ги степенувам в GR звездички. За мен е същото качество на стил, изграждане и оригинални идеи - просто различна перспектива. Едното е борба за история, която предстои. Другото е борба за история, която вече е минала.
September 18, 2016
This is a complicated twisted literary mystery that left me scrambling back through it looking for clues I might have missed. Koch masterfully weaves together multiple storylines creating some despicable characters and horrifying situations.
My only complaint is that there is one part that is heavy on politics and it seems to serve little purpose. That section could have used some editing but overall this is highly readable and very enjoyable.
My only complaint is that there is one part that is heavy on politics and it seems to serve little purpose. That section could have used some editing but overall this is highly readable and very enjoyable.
September 25, 2016
“It’s not something that can simply be turned on and off, this constant observing of superabundant detail; he is a writer, he tells himself, but the vacuuming up of details is purely obsessive. Often, after a day in the city, or a meal in a crowded restaurant, he comes home exhausted by all those faces and their irregularities.”
Dear Mr M is the eighth novel by Dutch actor, television and radio producer, newspaper columnist and author, Herman Koch, and the third to be translated into English. “Dear Mr M” is the salutation that begins a long letter to the ageing and formerly best-selling author who has moved into a flat in Amsterdam, from the younger man who lives in the flat below. Mr M’s bestseller was a thriller about a high school history teacher who was murdered by two of his students after having an affair with one of them. It was based on actual events that occurred at Terhofstede in late December some forty years previous.
In real life, police never recovered the teacher’s body, the teenagers protested their innocence, and much of actually happened was unknown. M did what authors do best, and filled in the gaps with his imagination. But it seems the man writing to M knows the story much more intimately: wouldn’t M like to know what really happened?
The story is split between the present day and that eventful year forty years ago The first person narrative by Mr M’s downstairs neighbour is supplemented by third person narratives from the perspective of Mr M, his young wife, one of the students involved and the teacher. Koch’s characters are multi-faceted: few are quite what they first appear to be, none is entirely blameless and all possess some very human flaws.
Koch gives the reader highly original plot with plenty of twists, back-flips, red herrings and a conclusion that will leave the reader gasping; he manages to include a fist fight, book signings, a bit of stalking, and the making of home movies. There is quite a bit of satire, some irony and plenty of humour, some of which is rather black, some tongue-in-cheek, starting with the disclaimer: "Anyone who thinks he recognises himself or others in one or more characters in this book is probably right. Amsterdam is a real city in the Netherlands"
This novel is cleverly crafted to keep the reader constantly wondering about the truth; this keeps the pages turning as the facts about what happened at Terhofstede, and what led up to it, are gradually revealed. Koch’s commentary on authors, both best-selling and mediocre, on publishers, on librarians, on interviews and author events, is accorded authenticity from his obvious personal experience. Flawlessly translated from the original Dutch by Sam Garrett, this novel is Koch’s best yet. A brilliant read!
Dear Mr M is the eighth novel by Dutch actor, television and radio producer, newspaper columnist and author, Herman Koch, and the third to be translated into English. “Dear Mr M” is the salutation that begins a long letter to the ageing and formerly best-selling author who has moved into a flat in Amsterdam, from the younger man who lives in the flat below. Mr M’s bestseller was a thriller about a high school history teacher who was murdered by two of his students after having an affair with one of them. It was based on actual events that occurred at Terhofstede in late December some forty years previous.
In real life, police never recovered the teacher’s body, the teenagers protested their innocence, and much of actually happened was unknown. M did what authors do best, and filled in the gaps with his imagination. But it seems the man writing to M knows the story much more intimately: wouldn’t M like to know what really happened?
The story is split between the present day and that eventful year forty years ago The first person narrative by Mr M’s downstairs neighbour is supplemented by third person narratives from the perspective of Mr M, his young wife, one of the students involved and the teacher. Koch’s characters are multi-faceted: few are quite what they first appear to be, none is entirely blameless and all possess some very human flaws.
Koch gives the reader highly original plot with plenty of twists, back-flips, red herrings and a conclusion that will leave the reader gasping; he manages to include a fist fight, book signings, a bit of stalking, and the making of home movies. There is quite a bit of satire, some irony and plenty of humour, some of which is rather black, some tongue-in-cheek, starting with the disclaimer: "Anyone who thinks he recognises himself or others in one or more characters in this book is probably right. Amsterdam is a real city in the Netherlands"
This novel is cleverly crafted to keep the reader constantly wondering about the truth; this keeps the pages turning as the facts about what happened at Terhofstede, and what led up to it, are gradually revealed. Koch’s commentary on authors, both best-selling and mediocre, on publishers, on librarians, on interviews and author events, is accorded authenticity from his obvious personal experience. Flawlessly translated from the original Dutch by Sam Garrett, this novel is Koch’s best yet. A brilliant read!
July 7, 2014
De middelmatigheid waarvan Koch (zijn) leraren in het middelbaar onderwijs beticht (ooit een onterechte onvoldoende gehad, mr Koch?), geldt ook voor dit boek. De voor Koch kenmerkende cynische kijk op de wereld die doorspekt is van de nodige humor vind je slechts spaarzaam terug in Geachte heer M. De roman is dan wel bijzonder vlot leesbaar door Kochs heldere stijl zonder al te veel franjes, de minpunten overheersen. Er zijn de vlak uitgewerkte personages (de schrijver in de roman is een wandelend cliché en alhoewel de overeenkomsten met Mulisch in het begin nog wel grappig zijn, gaan ze op de duur flink vervelen). Er is de al bij al matige verhaallijn. Er is het middendeel waarin de roman meer weg heeft van een adolescentenroman. En er is het gebrek aan een diepere kijk op de werkelijkheid. Volgende keer hopelijk weer (veel) beter.
March 5, 2016
Онези, които харесват "Вечерята" и "Вила с басейн", спокойно могат да пропуснат тази книга и да останат с добрите впечатления от двата предходни романа.
Онези, които не харесват "Вечерята" и "Вила с басейн"... ами, те също спокойно могат да я пропуснат.
Онези, които не харесват "Вечерята" и "Вила с басейн"... ами, те също спокойно могат да я пропуснат.
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