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Unknown
Martin Harris returns home after a short absence to find that his wife doesn't know him and another man is living in his house under his name. The imposter shares all of Martin's memories, experiences, and knowledge down to the last detail. Is it conspiracy? Amnesia? An elaborate hoax or his own paranoid delusion? Part moral fable, part thriller, Unknown is a fast-paced tale of one man's desperate attempt to reclaim his existence-even at the cost of his own life.
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164 pages, Paperback
First published April 9, 2003
14 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
Didier van Cauwelaert
112 books105 followersDidier van Cauwelaert est un romancier et dramaturge français, né d'une famille d'origine belge.
Didier van Cauwelaert is a French novelist and playwright with Belgian roots.
Well-known French writer Didier van CAUWELAERT has some very big literary successes in his portfolio.
From the age of 8 he dreamed of taking up a pen to become independent and feed his family.
After devoting several years to theatre, to playing Sartre and directing Beckett, Anouilh, Ionesco, and after a brief career as a children's book critic, a chance meeting with a certain Greta GARBO got his foot in the door.
In 1982 he published (at last) his first book “Vingt ans et des poussières” with Editions du Seuil, just after his 22nd birthday. He would reach an ever wider public with every new book.
Awarded the Prix Goncourt in 1994 for “Un aller simple” (One way) this voracious writer let his imagination run rife and arrived at the pinnacle of his career.
An extraordinary author, Didier van CAUWELAERT has sold over 5 million copies and been translated into 30 different languages.
Films have been made of several of his books: “Un aller simple”, “Hors de moi” adapted for film as “Sans identité” and “J’ai perdu Albert” taken from his novel of the same name.
His latest work “La bienveillance est une arme absolue” (goodwill is the ultimate weapon) takes the mind to new horizons.
The ultimate weapon, a weapon to shock, to create joy, goodwill is the only answer to the moral crisis in which society finds itself.
Source : https://wtca-brussels.org/en/classes/...
Didier van Cauwelaert is a French novelist and playwright with Belgian roots.
Well-known French writer Didier van CAUWELAERT has some very big literary successes in his portfolio.
From the age of 8 he dreamed of taking up a pen to become independent and feed his family.
After devoting several years to theatre, to playing Sartre and directing Beckett, Anouilh, Ionesco, and after a brief career as a children's book critic, a chance meeting with a certain Greta GARBO got his foot in the door.
In 1982 he published (at last) his first book “Vingt ans et des poussières” with Editions du Seuil, just after his 22nd birthday. He would reach an ever wider public with every new book.
Awarded the Prix Goncourt in 1994 for “Un aller simple” (One way) this voracious writer let his imagination run rife and arrived at the pinnacle of his career.
An extraordinary author, Didier van CAUWELAERT has sold over 5 million copies and been translated into 30 different languages.
Films have been made of several of his books: “Un aller simple”, “Hors de moi” adapted for film as “Sans identité” and “J’ai perdu Albert” taken from his novel of the same name.
His latest work “La bienveillance est une arme absolue” (goodwill is the ultimate weapon) takes the mind to new horizons.
The ultimate weapon, a weapon to shock, to create joy, goodwill is the only answer to the moral crisis in which society finds itself.
Source : https://wtca-brussels.org/en/classes/...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
December 5, 2018
کتاب جالبی بود.معمایی بود و خوندنش هیجان داشت.پایان کتاب هم برام اصلا" قابل پیش بینی نبود.یه فیلم هم سال ۲۰۱۱ ازش ساخته شده که یادم باشه ببینمش
January 5, 2015
I do not include synopses with my goodreads reviews. Read what the professionals wrote. It's better than my mumbo jumbo.
Actual rating: 4 stars
Okay, okay, okay, the first step is admitting, so here goes: I am addicted to reading made-into-movie books...after I watch the movie. I know, I know - I'm a disgrace to readers everywhere. I am also a Liam Neeson freak, like most other warm-blooded women out there. So it goes without saying that when I saw the previews for "Unknown" I had my schedule cleared within minutes.
With that being said, I have to be honest, this is one of the very few books that I liked a little less than the movie. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it quite a bit (which says a lot about the movie, huh?). There are a number of differences between the two, but the names and the basic premise remain the same for both.
First, the positives. The book is written well. The author shows an obvious knack for keeping readers entertained and on the edge of their seat. It's an easy one-day reader that is hard to put down and is guaranteed to keep you confused for the rest of the day. The idea for this book was outstanding and took an enviable amount of creativity to come up with. Now with that being said...
The negatives. Cauwelaert's idea for this book WAS outstanding, however I don't feel as if he spent enough time on it and the development of the story itself was poor. The distribution of this book was a little off, and I know how confusing that might sound so let me explain: You know those books where you read countless numbers of pages that consist of nothing but build-up just for a few pages of resolution? This is one of those, and this is one of the most annoying cases of it. That fact alone kept me from giving the book five stars. Cauwelaert had it in him to stretch this out, distribute the suspense with the explanation evenly, but he didn't. Thankfully, that is the only negative thing I could pinpoint about this book. One negative from me means you're doing pretty good!
Actual rating: 4 stars
Okay, okay, okay, the first step is admitting, so here goes: I am addicted to reading made-into-movie books...after I watch the movie. I know, I know - I'm a disgrace to readers everywhere. I am also a Liam Neeson freak, like most other warm-blooded women out there. So it goes without saying that when I saw the previews for "Unknown" I had my schedule cleared within minutes.
With that being said, I have to be honest, this is one of the very few books that I liked a little less than the movie. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it quite a bit (which says a lot about the movie, huh?). There are a number of differences between the two, but the names and the basic premise remain the same for both.
First, the positives. The book is written well. The author shows an obvious knack for keeping readers entertained and on the edge of their seat. It's an easy one-day reader that is hard to put down and is guaranteed to keep you confused for the rest of the day. The idea for this book was outstanding and took an enviable amount of creativity to come up with. Now with that being said...
The negatives. Cauwelaert's idea for this book WAS outstanding, however I don't feel as if he spent enough time on it and the development of the story itself was poor. The distribution of this book was a little off, and I know how confusing that might sound so let me explain: You know those books where you read countless numbers of pages that consist of nothing but build-up just for a few pages of resolution? This is one of those, and this is one of the most annoying cases of it. That fact alone kept me from giving the book five stars. Cauwelaert had it in him to stretch this out, distribute the suspense with the explanation evenly, but he didn't. Thankfully, that is the only negative thing I could pinpoint about this book. One negative from me means you're doing pretty good!
May 2, 2023
well… that sucked.
couldn’t get into the story and severly disliked the characters . the first 100 pages were alright, the rest was superfluous and confusing.not a fan, but i still have some hope that my opinion will change once we finish discussing the book in class (it probably won’t).
couldn’t get into the story and severly disliked the characters . the first 100 pages were alright, the rest was superfluous and confusing.not a fan, but i still have some hope that my opinion will change once we finish discussing the book in class (it probably won’t).
August 21, 2011
Pretty good read here. Only thing that I believe kept this from being a 5 star review was the fact that I had started watching the movie and was a good 45 minutes in before I decided to stop and read the book before going through the rest of the film. I should have made that decision a hell of a lot earlier though, because there are SOOOO many differences in what I saw as compared to what I read that I just kept having this battle in my mind, saying "Wait, that didnt happen like this" or "Where the hell did they come up with this?"...just random questions like that spawned simply because I saw enough of the movie to come out with a preconceived notion of what I imagined the book would be like. Despite all this, it is definitely an awesome book and I would highly recommend it. He certainly jumps around a lot which had me scratching my head at certain parts, but it all came together. I think though if it is one of those books that needs a second read through just to fully close the gaps. Really awesome storyline and the only thing I can say is, do yourself a favor and either JUST watch the movie and do not read the book or vice versa only because of the mass amount of differences that can leave you feeling angry...OR you can take what I say and do both at least knowing that there are significant differences and you can take it as it is.
October 10, 2019
Very disappointing...honestly the movie was way better.
February 5, 2017
This book was about 4 stars until it reached the end. It wasn't anything we haven't seen before but it did have some suspense and made you wonder what was going on. The ending though seemed like the author was in a rush to end it. All this suspense leading up to pretty much nothing. They don't even tell the events of the end except for the MC's brief recap of what happened. I don't think I've seen the movie adaptation but I probably will watch it.
June 28, 2025
"Hors de Moi" aborde les questions de l'identité de la personne et de la nature de la réalité. Comme tel il ressemble énormément au "City of Glass / Cité de Verre" le premier tome de la "La Trilogie new-yorkaise " le grand classique du postmodernisme de Paul Auster. Malheureusement, van Cauwelaert qui est un très petit talent n'ajoute rien à la réflexions d'Auster. Lire "Hors de moi" c'est perdre son temps.
October 2, 2021
A good idea, that needed more work doing to it. The character struggles for a long time, but the resolution is so quick and unsatisfying. It is almost as if the author became bored and decided to end it quickly.
January 29, 2022
Histoire terrifiante, captivante tout est vraiment cool sauf la fin..
February 16, 2024
de plot is zooo goed maar was een beetje te langdradig voor maar zo een kort boek te zijn
February 23, 2021
Je l'ai dévoré.
Bien écrit, rythme rapide.
Le sujet est surprenant, je me suis prise au jeu me demandant bien comment l'auteur allait se sortir de ce piège dans lequel il nous avait entraîné.
Et bien la pirouette d'une fin surprenante, m'a scotchée!
Bravo
Bien écrit, rythme rapide.
Le sujet est surprenant, je me suis prise au jeu me demandant bien comment l'auteur allait se sortir de ce piège dans lequel il nous avait entraîné.
Et bien la pirouette d'une fin surprenante, m'a scotchée!
Bravo
August 3, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
June 20, 2024
Overall ok, but I wanted to throw the book out of the window halfway through because (cis) men cannot be normal when writing books apparently? Like stop writing weird and sexualising stuff about women? Stuff that is completetly unnecessary and unrelated to the plot as well?
April 30, 2023
Weer zo'n boekje dat ik uit de bibruilkast gevist heb.
En alzo komt een mens nog eens uit zijn/haar comfortzone, nietwaar?
Een thriller.
Het verhaal van een biowetenschapper wiens identiteit gestolen wordt na een coma.
En dat is méér dan entertainend.
Die ganse, wat gezochte plot was zelfs niet nodig geweest.
Een meer dan fijn tussendoortje.
Schreeuwt om verfilmd te worden ook.
Als dat niet gebeurd is al.
En alzo komt een mens nog eens uit zijn/haar comfortzone, nietwaar?
Een thriller.
Het verhaal van een biowetenschapper wiens identiteit gestolen wordt na een coma.
En dat is méér dan entertainend.
Die ganse, wat gezochte plot was zelfs niet nodig geweest.
Een meer dan fijn tussendoortje.
Schreeuwt om verfilmd te worden ook.
Als dat niet gebeurd is al.
April 24, 2013
(Really this should be 3.5 stars.)
Botanist Martin Harris and his wife Liz arrive in Paris. As they're on their way to the apartment loaned to them by unorthodox botanical theorist Paul de Kermeur, Martin realizes he left his laptop at the airport; he hails a passing cab, driven by middle-aged divorcee Muriel. But the journey's cut short when a stolen lorry forces the cab off a bridge and into the Seine. Muriel saves Martin's life but he's in a coma for a few days. When he recovers he finds that Liz doesn't recognize him and that another "Martin Harris" has taken his place -- worse still, that the impostor is so well trained and convincing that Martin himself would believe him the real one if he didn't know better. Martin, Muriel and a genial old psychologist set out to establish the truth of what's going on.
The book was filmed moderately well as Unknown (2011), although with a number of changes, some justifiable, some needless, and one -- the replacement of the dowdy Muriel as cabdriver by a gorgeous babe -- downright annoying.
What's not to like about the book? There's rather too much daft pseudoscience, mainly concerning plant telepathy; even though it's possible in hindsight to reckon this could well be a deliberate part of the setup, at the time one's reading it it has the effect of distancing at least this reader from Martin's plight. Other than that I have few complaints. The opening premise seems to owe more than a little to that of The Man without a Name (1977) by Martin Russell (another Martin!), which I reviewed a while ago (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...), although the explanation is somewhat different. This is, however, despite some lurches in the translation, by far the better written of the two; indeed, it reads like a rocket -- the fact that it's a pretty short novel (more like a long novella) is only one of the reasons why you're like to read it in a sitting. The prose is really quite terse, and van Cauwelaert has the happy knack of being able to create a sense of place and situation with, often, the briefest of description. All in all, this succeeds admirably in what it sets out to do, as both a psychological thriller and, to an extent, an exploration of what we mean by identity.
November 15, 2021
Picked up as a recommendation for the movie - because I realised that a book preceded it!
Martin Harris, returns home from a 3-day coma, only to find that his entire life has been taken over by an impostor. His identity, his job, his wife and his life are being enjoyed by a complete stranger.
Not the one to take things lying done, Martin is determined to leave no stones unturned in his quest for the truth.
One woman helps in his journey: Muriel - the taxi driver whose cab he was in, when the accident happened that led him into coma.
Can the two of them prove that he’s the real Martin Harris?
Started off quite fast-paced, however; things seemed to get a tad disjointed at places, with the pace varying and the plot going off tangentially.
Maybe it was to do with the translation, something which I won’t know.
The twist in the end - was quite something and redeemed the middle half of the book.
A short novella - worth one read.
3.5 ⭐️ for me
Martin Harris, returns home from a 3-day coma, only to find that his entire life has been taken over by an impostor. His identity, his job, his wife and his life are being enjoyed by a complete stranger.
Not the one to take things lying done, Martin is determined to leave no stones unturned in his quest for the truth.
One woman helps in his journey: Muriel - the taxi driver whose cab he was in, when the accident happened that led him into coma.
Can the two of them prove that he’s the real Martin Harris?
Started off quite fast-paced, however; things seemed to get a tad disjointed at places, with the pace varying and the plot going off tangentially.
Maybe it was to do with the translation, something which I won’t know.
The twist in the end - was quite something and redeemed the middle half of the book.
A short novella - worth one read.
3.5 ⭐️ for me
June 7, 2025
Résumé:
Un homme se réveille d’un accident, persuadé qu’on lui a volé sa vie : sa femme, son nom, son boulot. Il est le seul à se souvenir de qui il est vraiment… sauf que personne ne le croit. S’ensuit une enquête perso pour prouver son identité, qui l’amènera bien plus loin qu’il ne pensait. Entre thriller psychologique et science-fiction improbable, l’auteur tente de nous embarquer… mais j’ai décroché en route.
Commentaire :
Bon… je viens de le finir et je suis un peu hors de moi, justement. Dès les premières pages, je savais que pour s’en sortir l’auteur avait prévu un dénouement serait un peu cliché/prévisible. Et c’est exactement ce qui s’est passé, sauf que l’auteur a voulu “surprendre” avec un espion à qui on a injecté une autre personnalité. J’y ai pas cru une seconde... C’est long, ça traîne, ça tourne autour du pot pour finir en twist pas crédible du tout.
Verdict… je vais le sortir de ma bibliothèque. Prochain arrêt : la boîte à livres du coin.
Un homme se réveille d’un accident, persuadé qu’on lui a volé sa vie : sa femme, son nom, son boulot. Il est le seul à se souvenir de qui il est vraiment… sauf que personne ne le croit. S’ensuit une enquête perso pour prouver son identité, qui l’amènera bien plus loin qu’il ne pensait. Entre thriller psychologique et science-fiction improbable, l’auteur tente de nous embarquer… mais j’ai décroché en route.
Commentaire :
Bon… je viens de le finir et je suis un peu hors de moi, justement. Dès les premières pages, je savais que pour s’en sortir l’auteur avait prévu un dénouement serait un peu cliché/prévisible. Et c’est exactement ce qui s’est passé, sauf que l’auteur a voulu “surprendre” avec un espion à qui on a injecté une autre personnalité. J’y ai pas cru une seconde... C’est long, ça traîne, ça tourne autour du pot pour finir en twist pas crédible du tout.
Verdict… je vais le sortir de ma bibliothèque. Prochain arrêt : la boîte à livres du coin.
July 9, 2017
Honnêtement, j'ai choisi ce livre un peu au hazard.
Et puis je l'ai commencé en étant un peu dubitative, et au bout de seulement 10 pages, j'était déjà complètement engagée!
J'ai adoré la partie scientifique du roman, on sent que l'auteur a vraiment fait un travail de recherche.
Le rythme soutenu, les personnages tellement authentiques et...humains, l'intrigue... bref un très bon roman.
La fin laisse un peu a désirer par contre. Pas au niveau du dénouement qui est vraiment excellent et inattendu, mais au niveau de la mise en place. La fin semble trop rapide et floue par rapport au detail et a la précision du reste du roman.
En somme un roman qui mérite d'être lu, je le recommande a ceux qui cherchent quoi lire pour faire passer le temps dans le train ou bien pour se changer les idées entre deux lectures plus intenses.
Et puis je l'ai commencé en étant un peu dubitative, et au bout de seulement 10 pages, j'était déjà complètement engagée!
J'ai adoré la partie scientifique du roman, on sent que l'auteur a vraiment fait un travail de recherche.
Le rythme soutenu, les personnages tellement authentiques et...humains, l'intrigue... bref un très bon roman.
La fin laisse un peu a désirer par contre. Pas au niveau du dénouement qui est vraiment excellent et inattendu, mais au niveau de la mise en place. La fin semble trop rapide et floue par rapport au detail et a la précision du reste du roman.
En somme un roman qui mérite d'être lu, je le recommande a ceux qui cherchent quoi lire pour faire passer le temps dans le train ou bien pour se changer les idées entre deux lectures plus intenses.
May 7, 2023
Martin Harris regresa a su casa y descubre que ahí nadie lo conoce y que de hecho hay un hombre que dice ser el verdadero Martin Harris. Este inicio de novela es desquiciante y te mantiene atrapado para enterarte qué está pasando.
Martin Harris emprende una búsqueda para saber si no está loco o si hay fuerzas oscuras que tratan de eliminarlo. Me encanta que ya encarrilados en esto, se mencionan las hipótesis más descabelladas que tienen que ver con la botánica.
Creo que mantiene muy bien el ritmo, uno acompaña a Martin en su tormento y aunque el autor usa los famosos cliffhangers no abusa de ellos y se disfrutan. La explicación final no es tan estrambótica como se llega a imaginar uno, pero queda bien resuelta la trama.
Se las recomiendo mucho si les gusta el misterio y los giros de tuerca.
Martin Harris emprende una búsqueda para saber si no está loco o si hay fuerzas oscuras que tratan de eliminarlo. Me encanta que ya encarrilados en esto, se mencionan las hipótesis más descabelladas que tienen que ver con la botánica.
Creo que mantiene muy bien el ritmo, uno acompaña a Martin en su tormento y aunque el autor usa los famosos cliffhangers no abusa de ellos y se disfrutan. La explicación final no es tan estrambótica como se llega a imaginar uno, pero queda bien resuelta la trama.
Se las recomiendo mucho si les gusta el misterio y los giros de tuerca.
January 6, 2019
This will go down as the book I read on New Years Eve 2018 in lieu of having a life and partying. It's of the French-amnesia-suspense genre, a genre I am for some reason a fan of, even though all the stories I can remember reading in the genre (I can remember only one other one) never reach a satisfying conclusion and always end disappointingly. When the secret is revealed at the end of this particular book, it feels like it's come from a Plot-O-Matic, as numerous explanation for the mystery could have easily worked just as well. As such, the amnesia plot element is thus not really earned, although I will admit it's a suspenseful read, however cheaply done it is. I read it in one day, and it probably made an okay movie.
May 2, 2019
not necessarily a page turner, but I looked forward to reading it quickly, it held my interest the entire time and kept me guessing, even going back and forth between "sides". I would call it a psychological mystery about a case of stolen or mistaken identity following a man's coma.
"my lips move without making a sound....the words spin around my head, sitkc together, nail me to the spot."
"I hug the plane tree to give it strength while absorbing some of its own."
"I must evactuate this tension."
"my lips move without making a sound....the words spin around my head, sitkc together, nail me to the spot."
"I hug the plane tree to give it strength while absorbing some of its own."
"I must evactuate this tension."
May 19, 2017
Après un terrible accident et un coma de quelques jours, Martin découvre qu'un double a pris sa place auprès de sa femme, de ses voisins et collègues de travail. Grâce à la gentillesse d'une chauffeuse de taxi et de son psychiatre, il va découvrir la vérité sur son identité dans un retournement de situation inhabituel chez cet auteur, cependant mené d'une main de maître.
Si l'ouvrage n'est pas excellent, il est agréable à lire.
Si l'ouvrage n'est pas excellent, il est agréable à lire.
November 9, 2019
I saw the movie first and liked it, so the novel was a bit anticlimactic for me. Great story, but told in a strange monotone, a la Camus. This is possibly because it's translated from the French, but it got on my nerves. The denouement is all the more surprising because it contrasts so sharply with the rest of the book. And there's way too much here about trees and plants! Martin Harris is a REAL tree-hugger!
May 26, 2020
The development is really interesting - not too slow or fast, it leaves the reader a lot of opportunity to decide for themselves what they think in this psuedo-mystery. But then when it becomes clear that there is in fact a mystery, it gets really crazy really quickly and then suddenly resolves into a very disatisfying conclusion.
October 12, 2020
Mmmmmmoui... bon... ça part super bien, on se demande vraiment qui est le faux, qui est le vrai, quelle formidable explication il pourrait bien y avoir derrière cette étonnante histoire de coma et d'usurpation d'identité, et puis finalement la fin retombe comme un soufflé un peu raté, presque bâclé... j'ai trouvé ça un peu dommage.
January 31, 2025
Someone’s identity appears stolen but they don’t even exist? As Martin pursues the proof of his identity he feels embedded in a conspiracy. Is his wife complicit in the identity thievery for revenge of his wandering eye?
The last two chapters neatly solve the mystery and it feels satisfying with complete closure. The novel is short & a quick read. Enjoyed it
The last two chapters neatly solve the mystery and it feels satisfying with complete closure. The novel is short & a quick read. Enjoyed it
January 11, 2018
Trascinante ed affascinante, ma rovinato da un finale che più banale non si può.
Una storia di terrorismo e killeraggio ben scritta e ben costruita e poi, a 10 pagine dalla fine puf!, la caduta rovinosa della chiusura. Peccato.
Una storia di terrorismo e killeraggio ben scritta e ben costruita e poi, a 10 pagine dalla fine puf!, la caduta rovinosa della chiusura. Peccato.
January 11, 2021
This is a translation and as such loses something in the translation. It was okay. Just okay. I actually have to admit I enjoyed the movie but only slightly better. It was fairly slow paced and quite confusing until more than halfway through.
March 8, 2022
Desperate to reclaim his identity, Martin Harris finds after awaking from a coma he has been replaced and someone else is Martin Harris.
Very good suspenseful and mysterious page turner and quick read. Highly recommended.
Very good suspenseful and mysterious page turner and quick read. Highly recommended.
October 29, 2023
Entretenido y liviano
El libro es entretenido y fácil de leer, se hace corto.
El final quizá me pareció un poco precipitado, aunque se agradece no caer en irrelevancias por dar más volumen al texto.
El libro es entretenido y fácil de leer, se hace corto.
El final quizá me pareció un poco precipitado, aunque se agradece no caer en irrelevancias por dar más volumen al texto.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews