A review by caitlinxreads
Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch

3.0

I picked this up on a whim while on vacation. It was in the boat's library and I figured I would give it a shot. I went into this expecting something dark and creepy due to the description and the fact that it was called a 'European Gone Girl' on the back. I have not read that book but have heard it is really good and it's on my TBR. This started out creepy. The first few chapters made me uncomfortable in the best possible way but unfortunately, that did not last. The book switches between the perspectives of a few characters but it often isn't clear immediately which perspective a chapter/part is focusing on which took me out of the story while I tried to figure out where I was.

This book centers on Mr. M. He wrote a book called Payback which was based on a real (in the story) case of an obsessive teacher gone missing and the suspects of his disappearance. This story centers on the life of this writer as his neighbor becomes obsessed with watching him and 'giving him more information'. The premise seemed interesting enough, but I wasn't a fan of the execution.

Things I loved: surprising ending, twists, dual timeline, Amsterdam (the setting was done well), the main character is a writer

Things I didn't love: the ending was not the best, most of the characters (theme lately in the books I have read), too long

I am happy that I read this one but also could have lived without it.