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    Dear Mr. M
    Dear Mr. M
    Dear Mr. M
    Audiobook12 hours

    Dear Mr. M

    Written by Herman Koch

    Narrated by Luke Daniels

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The tour-de-force, hair-raising new novel from Herman Koch, New York Times bestselling author of The Dinner and Summer House with Swimming Pool.

    Once a celebrated writer, M's greatest success came with a suspense novel based on a real-life, unsolved disappearance. It told the story of a history teacher who went missing one winter after his brief affair with a stunning pupil. Upon publication, M.'s novel was a bestseller, one that marked his international breakthrough.

    That was years ago, and now M.'s career is almost over as he fades increasingly into obscurity. But not when it comes to his bizarre, seemingly timid 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 M's novel, supposedly a work of fiction, everyone seems to be linked forever, until something unexpected spins the "story" off its rails.

    With racing tension, sardonic wit, and a world-renowned sharp eye for human failings, Herman Koch once again spares nothing and no one in his gripping new novel, a barbed tour de force suspending readers in the mysterious literary gray space between fact and fiction.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateSep 6, 2016
    ISBN9781501241178
    Dear Mr. M
    Author

    Herman Koch

    Herman Koch was born in 1953. He is the author of a number of novels - including The Dinner, Dear Mr. M and Summer House with Swimming Pool - short stories, has acted for radio, television, and film, and was a co-creator of the long-running Dutch TV comedy series Jiskefet (1990-2005). The Dinner has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide and spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list. Richard Gere, Steve Coogan, Laura Linney, and Chloë Sevigny also star in the film adaptation.

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    Reviews for Dear Mr. M

    3.5/5

    270 ratings61 reviews

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    • 4/5
      M. is a Dutch author of middling success. Most of his books have to do with Dutch life during WW II, suprising since his father was a Dutch facsist who volunteered for service on the Eastern Front. His most famous book was the story of a Dutch school teacher who disappeared in the midst of an affair with a female student. The body of the school teacher was never found and two students were suspected of foul play. A mysterious neighbor of M.'s pays great attention to the writer and his family. Did M. himself have anything to do with the teacher's demise?
    • 2/5
      The audio stopped 15 minutes before the end. Now I’ll never know “who dunnit.”
    • 3/5
      An odd sort of book, no real likable characters, but was interesting and engaging. :)
    • 2/5
      Now in his eighties, M, the Dutch novelist, is famous and respected despite the fact that his most significant literary triumphs are behind him. Best known for his novel, Payback, M continues to add to his literary legacy while leading a quiet existence with his daughter and much younger wife, Ana, in their urban apartment. But M is about to face an unpleasant reckoning. Payback, published several decades ago, was a best-selling fictional treatment of a notorious real-life incident: two high school students, Herman and Laura, were accused of murder after their teacher, Mr. Landzaat, vanished. Laura and Landzaat had been involved sexually, albeit briefly: after only a couple of weeks Laura decided to end the affair. But Landzaat was unable to accept rejection, and his subsequent behaviour became obsessive and irrational. Ultimately, he tracked Laura down at her family’s rural property and one snowy evening drove there to confront the two teenagers, who were staying at the house on their own. He was never seen again. However, since no body was ever found the police were unable to assemble a case and charge the two with a crime. In Payback, M fills in the blanks, imagining a sequence of events resulting in the teacher’s disappearance. As Koch’s novel opens, a neighbour in the apartment building is fixated on M and, using lies and subterfuge, insinuates his way into the novelist’s life. At this point, since we know nothing about his motives, we can only wonder, to what end? Koch’s narrative builds suspense as the neighbour finds ways to observe the novelist’s comings and goings and get ever closer to M and his family. But when the story switches gears to focus on Laura and Herman and their high school antics of forty years ago, much of this tension is frittered away. Indeed, Koch relies on a multitude of perspectives to tell a lurid tale that weaves an intricate web of deceit. The problem is not necessarily that none of the characters is likeable or admirable. In other of his works that have been made available to English readers—such as The Dinner and Summer House with Swimming Pool—Koch populates his story with deceivers and conniving manipulators to great effect. These are gripping novels in which little is as it seems, and everyone has something to hide. But in Dear Mr. M, Koch’s characters are not just despicable, they are tiresome and tediously loquacious. Koch spends far too much time with the teenagers, establishing that young Herman is a smart but calculating and narcissistic schemer and that Laura’s attraction to him is ill-advised. M is petty and arrogant and burns with envy at the successes of his literary colleagues and rivals. Throughout, Koch is having so much fun describing the bad behaviour of his characters that he forgets to give the reader any reason to care what happens to them, with the result that when the mystery of Landzaat’s disappearance—the novel’s central issue—is finally resolved, the reader, worn down by excessive detail and scene after pointless scene that fails to advance the plot, greets it with a shrug. No doubt this is a novel that would have benefitted from a ruthless and uncompromising edit because we sense that lurking somewhere within the glut of words is a powerful and lively drama. Though it’s also possible this might not have been enough to save it because, apart from the flaccid narrative, some elements of the story come across as ill-conceived and are not entirely persuasive. Readers approaching the works of Herman Koch for the first time will find their interest amply rewarded by the two titles mentioned above. But anyone who decides to take up Dear Mr. M is advised to lower their expectations.
    • 2/5
      M is a writer whose first bestseller was based on the involvement of a pair of teenagers in the disappearance of a teacher. Unbeknownst to M, his neighbor is obsessed by him, and is stalking him and his much younger wife and child. This novel begins with this very creepy setup, but then devolves into a lot of teenage angst that simply bored me. This one promised a lot more than it delivered.2 stars
    • 4/5
      Ein Schriftsteller hatte seinen größten Bestseller mit dem nach einer wahren Geschichte geschriebenen Roman über zwei Jugendliche, die ihren Lehrer töten. Der Schriftsteller hatte die Geschichte allerdings größtenteils erfunden, eine Leiche wurde nie gefunden. Im Buch geht es nun darum, dass der ehemalige Jugendliche mittlerweile unterhalb des Schriftstellers lebt und diesen nach und nach mit dieser Geschichte konfrontiert.Am besten an dem Buch gefielen mir die Rückblenden über die Jugendclique. Das war alles extrem authentisch und sehr glaubwürdig. Dieser Handlungsstrang ist mir sehr nahe gegangen. Etwas weniger authentisch und viel konstruierter war dagegen der Handlungsstrang in der Gegenwart. Ich fand das Buch sehr gut geschrieben, aber nichtsdestotrotz war vieles schon sehr konstruiert. Am Ende, als mir schlagartig klar wurde, wie es ausgehen wird, war das ein echter Schock der Erkenntnis. Sehr interessantes Ende und auch ein interessantes Buch!
    • 1/5
      It took me forever to finish this book. I kept having to start over because I'd lay it aside for too long and forget what had happened. At one point I misplaced it, but unfortunately, I found it. This novel about an over-the-hill writer, a teacher, an affair with a student, a story in a story, is too convoluted. It was hard to determine who was speaking, what was the point of view, whether it was the book or reality. It was pretty much a mishmash. I could have dealt with all of that if it had a plot I enjoyed or if I gave a flip about any of the characters. I didn't; I didn't. I felt like the author was trying to impress me with his cleverness. I wasn't.
    • 1/5
      In no way did this compare to his novel "The Dinner". Have recommended that one to others, but would not recommend this one. It just didn't seem to go anywhere and the characters seemed without nuance. Based on "The Dinner" I'd read another Koch, but if the next leaves me feeling like this one did would not read #4.
    • 2/5
      In the beginning, I was captivated by Koch's unique narrative style and the plot itself. Finding out that the novel is written from various perspectives just added to my excitement over this story. I wanted to see where the characters would go, what their connections were, and how it would all culminate. I could just feel the impending crash when all would be explained to the reader.

      And yet.... that didn't happen. Instead, the novel began to slow down. As the story began to show its many layers, I found it harder and harder to stay sucked in. The tension had started to dissipate, and I was just left with this slowness that was extremely difficult to push through. I wanted more wit, more humor, more of a thrill. But I got none of that. Soon, I just couldn't wait for the novel to end, and all I cared about was the one niggling question in everyone's mind: what happened to Jan? When that was revealed, it shocked me ... but only for a minute. It seemed quite bizarre in the context of the rest of the story and didn't have the desired effect.

      Overall, while I have enjoyed reading Koch's other works, this one was a pass for me.
    • 3/5
      It took me a looooong time to finish this book. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but I know a lot of people who love Koch's work. I've also read The Dinner by this author and I thought that book was okay too. I think my criticisms are more about me losing interest in literary fiction. Perhaps if this book had been faster paced, I would have enjoyed it more, but it lingers a bit. If you're into slow, winding mysterious books, definitely give this a go.
    • 4/5
      A high school senior and his girlfriend are accused (but never taken to court) for the disappearance of their teacher. A local author writes an "In Cold Blood"-style novel, loosely based on the true story and what the author imagines may have happened. Years pass and many people assume the book is the gospel truth. Intriguingly, the now aged author finds himself stalked by a mysterious man. Fans of Koch's "The Dinner" will find much here to enjoy. Solid writing with careful character development, shifts between those teen-aged years and now, from character to character, with the surprise twist at the end. As we delve into each main player's psyche, the tension ratchets up. I quite enjoyed this one, particularly the ending, I appreciated how it delves into what responsibility a writer has to his own creative process, and also to those actual people behind those Ripped From the Headlines stories. To what extent is it permissible to change significant portions to improve on plot? To add or remove characters? Lots to ponder here.
    • 5/5
      Fabulous fabulous book and so complicated. I always miss something in his books and need someone else to read it so we can discuss. However, maybe it was just a bit long so I lost the thread.
    • 3/5
      I received this book as an Early Reviewer, sorry, I only just finished reading it! I have read "The Dinner" by Herman Koch and was anxious to read this one. Since I just finished it a few minutes ago, I am still mulling it over in my mind. As I have heard others state in reviews, the ending really stirred things up and got the reader to thinking! And I will say that I felt that particular ending went a long way in making the book turn out as a worthwhile read. It seemed a little over-written to me. At 400 pages, I felt that there were parts that weren't needed and parts that were rather long and detailed that didn't really add to the story. However, some of that may have been a distraction tactic by the author, since it was hard to tell where the story was really going until the last 15 pages! So -- having said that, I didn't like it as much as "The Dinner" but I would definitely read something else by Herman Koch, and I would give this book a "medium" recommendation.
    • 4/5
      This book was something else. I was really intrigued by the plot -- a book about an author of a true crime novel and those who may have been involved. I feel like the tone of this book was too varied and it held my interest for chunks of pages at a time, but then slogged along other times. I enjoyed the suspense, but I think I was expecting it to be more gripping. It was still a good book, and I would recommend it to friends who enjoy that genre.
    • 2/5
      This was an interesting take on a crime novel wrapped around a mystery and I wanted to like it. However, Mr. M's point of view was often confusing and at times I was either bored or confused, so I did't give every page my full intention. After reading The Dinner, I thought this was would be little more suspenseful, but in the end left me questioning why I wanted to read it in the first place. I guess I expected more without being drowned by details, that at times were unnecessary.
    • 4/5
      Dear Mr M was the first book I have read by this author. I appreciated the writing, the slow burn of suspense as it built during the first half of the novel. This is the story of Mr M,an aging writer whose most popular book was a novel based on a true crime case. Turns out, a young man of interest in the case is Mr M's neighbor and seems to have a bone to pick as he stalks M and his young wife. We do eventually get the backstory of what happened between a group of young people and their teacher that lead to the alleged crime. This was a slow part for me, with what I now feel, in retrospect, was excessive detail. The book ends with M and the now grown young man interacting and eventually the mystery of the crime is revealed. After all the buildup, I felt like the tension between the two male protagonists petered out though I did appreciate the final reveal. Overall, I'm glad I read this book. I felt intrigued by it though it was often a slow read. I received this book from the publisher for review.
    • 3/5
      This book failed to meet expectations. It is about Mr. M, an aging writer, whose most successful book was based on a true crime. It is also about Herman and his friends who were high school students that may have been involved in the crime Mr. M writes about. The book moves along fairly well when from the point of view of Herman, but plods miserably when from that of the author Mr. M. I tired of the book long before it ended, but trudged on. By the time it wrapped up, I no longer cared how the mystery was resolved.
    • 3/5
      I requested this book in the early reviewers because I wanted to give this author another chance. I had read The Dinner and I really didn't like it. As with The Dinner, Dear Mr. M is heavy on the unnecessary detail. It isn't until your 95% done with the book that you get to the point where you can't put it down and really that was only because I just couldn't wait to get it finished so I could start another book. Koch likes to string along the reader for far too long with details that don't really lead to anything significant. There is a decent twist at the end but it doesn't make up for the 395 pages of filler you just read. I do think Koch has a very good imagination and produces stories that are unlike the usual books out there, but the way he tells the story just doesn't suit my reading preferences.
    • 1/5
      This is a mystery novel told in an unusual fashion, so I wanted to like it. I wanted it to suck me into the tale. But the frequency of casual misogyny in this novel -- unremarked on, not as a characterization strategy, just periodic casual reminders that women are less-than and meant mostly as eye candy -- made any enjoyment impossible. Not recommended. Also, sigh.
    • 3/5
      I'm not sure if this is a thriller or a mystery or what, but I enjoyed it. The story is told partly from the viewpoint of Mr. M, who wrote a murder mystery novel based on a true incident, and partly from the viewpoint of a stalker following Mr. M. Other sections tell the story of the incident on which Mr. M.'s novel was based. It kept me wondering how the storylines would be resolved. A good read!
    • 2/5
      Mr. M is a Dutch author most famous for his novel Payback, which stemmed from the real life disappearance of a local high school teacher. Although two of his students were suspected of killing Mr. M, the case was never solved and the body was never found. Many years later, an unnamed stalker initiates contact with Mr. M through a series of letters and real life contacts, for purposes not clear to the reader. Told from different perspectives and from the alternating viewpoints of Mr. M and the stalker, the motivation of the stalker is slowly revealed.Although the story had promise, this book is excruciatingly slow. There were multiple points where I almost gave up on it altogether. If it hadn't beent an early reviewer read, I almost certainly would have shelved it and moved on. Dear Mr. M is boring, slow, and never quite scary or creepy enough to create tension. The narrative was overly wordy and emotionally distant. I spent three weeks of my life plodding through this novel that I will never get back. Avoid this one.
    • 3/5
      I loved Koch's [The Dinner] when I read it earlier this year so I was excited to win this book through the Early Reviewers program. While I think it was an ok book, it didn't grab me like [The Dinner] did. This book explores the relationship between a real-life event of a teacher having an affair with a student and then going missing after visiting her and her new boyfriend at a secluded cabin with the same event as told by author, Mr. M, in a fictional thriller. I think the premise here was interesting, but the execution was lacking. I felt mainly that there were too many points of view and timelines being explored. It felt very unfocused. There was the voice of an anonymous adult who is obviously connected with the student/teacher affair (I thought this voice should have been the only voice), Mr. M's point of view, and the exploration of the students' relationships told in a sort of omniscient voice. It was all just too much. And it never got creepy enough - always just on the edge. It was a 400 page novel and on page 294 I seriously thought about abandoning it - not a good sign for a supposed thriller/page turner! I'd skip this and read [The Dinner] instead.
    • 3/5
      Mr. M is a famed author who is struggling with coming up with new best-seller books as he ages. He has a significantly younger wife and enjoys having her on his arm at events. His best-selling book, Payback, is based loosely on a true story of a vanishing of teacher Jan Landzaat. Landzaat had an affair with a student (Laura) who moved on with a fellow student (Herman) and left him behind with his marriage, career, and ego on the rocks.Herman is a tall, gangly, teen who is obsessed with making videos based on the human reaction to startling scenarios. For example: the reaction of a teacher when a student has a seizure at her desk. He also is patiently manipulative when he has a girlfriend in order to get closer to his heart’s true interest, Laura, which everyone in school knows is having an affair with Mr. Landzaat. Years later, he lives in an apartment above Mr. M, who based a best-selling novel on his and Laura’s story, and slowly sneaks into his life.Dear Mr. M is a novel heralded as a psychological thriller and it started off in that manner. This was the first novel by Herman Koch that I have had the opportunity to read. I have been familiar with his name and I had already learned that he is known for creating detestable characters. He did not disappoint in that aspect, nor did he disappoint with the surprising ending. The main characters (Herman and Mr. M) are both narcissistic, as is revealed through each of their narrations that switch several times throughout the book. Unfortunately, the speed from the launch of the book stalls as soon as the first perspective changes from “H” to “M”. The only time that it moved fairly quickly was in H’s perspective. The switching perspectives are further complicated by flashbacks. There were several times that I had to go back to previous chapters to be reminded of events or characters. The characters do have depth and the way in which all of the story lines finally connect is impressive. It would have been a 5-star book, in my opinion, had it not been for the slow and verbose pace when it is in M’s perspective.Items of potential sensitivity: there is foul language, stalking, and mild violence. Please note: an Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided for free from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      "M" is a famous writer whose best days are probably, if truth be told, behind him. He's best known for his novel, Payback, which tells the story of a high school history teacher, Mr. Landzaat, who went missing one winter after having an affair with one of his female students. That student, Laura, had moved on to a relationship with a boy her own age, Herman. The two were staying at a vacation cottage and were the last ones to see their teacher. Did they have something to do with his disappearance? Now, M lives with his beautiful (much younger) wife and little daughter in an apartment. They have a neighbor who seems to have a odd fascination with the couple, but why? The novel weaves together the tales of these disparate characters.

      I had heard a lot about Koch's novels and was excited to win this one via a Goodreads Giveaway. It was certainly interesting and definitely different than many novels I read. I have to admit that it was a rather slow read, especially the first three quarters or so. There was actually a point where I was considering giving up for a bit, but I soldiered on. Some characters in the novels never have names (just initials), and we don't really get insight into who our varying narrators are. While I understand why (and it adds to the drama of the novel), I'll confess that it gets a little confusing at times. You really have to stay on your toes as you read.

      Still, the novel is definitely more compelling toward the end, and I found myself staying up late to finish it. The twist at the end was certainly not what I expected. The varying viewpoints wind up working out well, as you really see the story unfold from everyone's perspective. Still, I found the story a bit diluted by a bit of a "meta" storyline about writers, as well as an odd insertion about M's father and his role in the resistance, as well as M's own views, which never really seemed to have a full role or point in the tale. I enjoyed the novel, but I didn't love it, and it (frankly) exhausted me a bit.

      I received a copy of this novel via a Goodreads Giveaway (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
    • 2/5
      Mr. M is an elderly writer in decline most well known for his bestseller about a teenage couple who, forty years ago, may or may not have murdered their teacher, who had had an affair with the girl. The boy--now a middle-aged man--is stalking Mr. M and his family decades after the fact for reasons that remain murky. This was a ponderous, sluggish, rudderless book, difficult to get through. None of the characters became real or relatable for me. It seemed to mostly be about the writing of a story based on real events with an unknown resolution, an exercise that was probably more interesting to the writer than to the reader. Compared with The Dinner, this novel seems more artificial, less shocking, and the "twist" more contrived and unsatisfying.
    • 3/5
      Ugh..I found this book to be a chore to get through. I liked the author 's other book [The Dinner] and that was why I requested this one from Early Reviewers on LibraryThing. However, I struggled through this one, just wanting it to end. Its meandering about an elderly writer often left me skimming over portions to just get to the end. It's told from the perspectives of 4 characters, Herman, Mr M., Mr. M's wife, and Laura, Herman's girlfriend. It just didn't live up to my expectation of a good mystery or of a story well told. It seemed to wreak of nothing more than an author's frustration.
    • 4/5
      A prominent aging writer lives upstairs and the man downstairs writes him oddly intimate letters, detailing how closely he follows the author's life. Because this is Herman Koch, you can trust that this book begins dark and only becomes more sinister as the novel proceeds. The stalker, Herman, has a connection to Mr. M, along with no small amount of resentment. For his part, Mr. M is not a sympathetic character. And while Koch keeps the reader guessing as to the final outcome of the men's encounters, there's no doubt that it will be satisfactorily horrific. The narration of Dear Mr. M passes between Herman, Mr. M and Herman's high school girlfriend, Laura, whose growing fascination with the odd and manipulative Herman will culminate with the disappearance of one of the teachers at their school. How they were involved, however, remains uncertain until the very end of this superbly plotted novel. If you need sympathetic characters, this isn't the book for you, but I found it gripping and impossible to put down.
    • 5/5
      After reading the first two of his books, The Dinner and Summer House with a Swimming Pool, I was excited, and not disappointed. It did start off slow and I did have a hard time keeping my interest, but in the end was time well spent.
    • 4/5
      I received this book for Early Reviewers.Good premise, but disappointing execution. What began as a mystery dragged on and petered out at the end. The plot concerns two teenagers and a teacher they may have or may have not killed. The plot is told through different perspectives including that of an author who has written a novel based on the supposed crime. An underlying theme involved reading and writing, which was my favorite aspect of the book.
    • 2/5
      I really wanted to like this book, but I found it difficult to get through. the story drags on and on before anything good happens, and is way too complex to keep straight.