Scan barcode
mimare's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
eliza_eperon's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cgrady_30's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
vandermeer's review against another edition
1.0
Schon nach den ersten drei Sätzen ein heftiges NOPE.
knygu_skaitytoja's review against another edition
3.0
Baimė? Baimė ... tikriausiai, kaip ir aš, visi esame turėję savo gyvenime keistų kambariokų ar kaimynų. Ir tikrai visi žino kiek tokie žmonės sukelia problemų ir priverčia jaustis nemaloniai. Ši knyga apie tai. Ši knyga – trikdantis romanas. Autorius kuria įtampą, priversdamas skaitytoją nuolat svarstyti, kas iš tikrųjų lėmė Tiberijaus nužudymą ir kaip elgtųsi kiekvienas iš mūsų, atsidūręs Tyfentalerio vietoje. Knyga yra parašyta iš Randolfo pusės, pasakojimas vyksta jo akimis. Nors knygoje kalbama apie tikrai nemalonius, erzinančius ir net baisius įvykius - pasakojimo tonas išlieka labai ramus. Knygos rašymo stilius bei formatas visai kitoks nei tikiesi gauti. Ši knyga patiks manau ne visiems, tačiau labiausiai turėtų patikti psichologinius veikėjų portretus mėgstančiam nagrinėti skaitytojui, tačiau tai ne lengvam vakaro pasiskaitymui.
bookwormbecky12's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. the story did have me hooked.
I am a twitchy curtain neighbour, do the thought of a neighbour putting a family through all this turmoil just makes my blood boil.
certainly give this book a read, it is thrilling, creepy and addictive
I am a twitchy curtain neighbour, do the thought of a neighbour putting a family through all this turmoil just makes my blood boil.
certainly give this book a read, it is thrilling, creepy and addictive
bushph's review against another edition
3.0
*** Review is now live on my blog! ***
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Books for providing me with an ARC! All opinions are honest and my own.
This wasn’t a bad book itself and I didn’t see the twist at the end of the book coming either. I enjoyed how it went on to explain how life after the stalking incident and twist is like and as mentioned, shows how much fear can affect you even when the threat of the fear has disappeared. I just didn’t enjoy the way this was written and how much backstory was involved which I didn’t feel was necessary. As this was a translation from the original language of German, maybe some of the flow of the main plot and back story was lost? Or maybe that’s how the Author intended it to be, who knows? Either way, the writing wasn’t for me, but I did enjoy the actual storyline.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Books for providing me with an ARC! All opinions are honest and my own.
This wasn’t a bad book itself and I didn’t see the twist at the end of the book coming either. I enjoyed how it went on to explain how life after the stalking incident and twist is like and as mentioned, shows how much fear can affect you even when the threat of the fear has disappeared. I just didn’t enjoy the way this was written and how much backstory was involved which I didn’t feel was necessary. As this was a translation from the original language of German, maybe some of the flow of the main plot and back story was lost? Or maybe that’s how the Author intended it to be, who knows? Either way, the writing wasn’t for me, but I did enjoy the actual storyline.
hanac's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
I have no idea why I persisted with this book. It is painfully slow. The main character is narcissistic and sexist. The plot is simple but dragged out until it's ready to snap. There are futile tangents everywhere. The actual story could be written in 50 pages or less and the writer makes you feel nothing but annoyance at wasting personal time on this stack of nothing. Avoid.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual assault, and War
ropey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.75
This is the kind of book that creeps up on you. Everything happens at the backdrop of what is being said. The entire time, I had the same feeling I get when cicadas ring at a distance in an open field. Eerie.
textpublishing's review
5.0
‘Fear shifts our moral codes. It makes us sympathetic to violent revenge, accessories to murder. Do we want the victim to survive? No, we don’t. Long after I had put this book down I still didn’t. A great achievement.’
Herman Koch
‘Dirk Kurbjuweit exposes the evil lurking just below the surface of civilised life.’
Stern
‘A subtle and engrossing psychological thriller that gives an intelligent, carefully considered response to thequestion of how much our liberal values are worth when we feel our lives are threatened.’
Brigitte
‘High-voltage and multi-layered.’
Frankfurter Neue Presse
‘Fear forces us to see just how thin the delicate veneer of civilisation really is, and thus confirms it: any one of us can become a murderer.’
Der Tagesspiegel
‘Gripping, suspenseful and unbelievably dark…As a thriller, Fear more than holds its own against the competition. It reminds one of Dutch author Herman Koch’s bestselling novels, and not only because of the moral question—How far will you go to protect your family?—at the heart of the story.’
Welt
‘Flawlessly translated from German by Imogen Taylor…a gripping and thought-provoking read.’
BookMooch
‘This is a murder story, a psychological thriller, and something more.’
ArtsHub
‘Fear is a smart, psychologically complex and morally acute fable of modern German society decked out in the garb of an intricate thriller…This is a wry, complex, at times disturbing survey of middle-class German life in the decades since the end of World War II.’
Sydney Morning Herald
‘This psychologically acute novel examines the stresses parents feel when family members are under serious threat. Some readers might even cheer Randolph’s dad.’
New Zealand Listener
‘Kurbjuweit delivers an urban thriller and ethical minefield…[He] effectively builds the tension, while throwing barbs at classist attitudes that might be fuelling some of Randolph’s reactions. Though he never comes out and asks the question, this definitely will have readers thinking about the lengths they might go to in a similar situation.’
Pile by the Bed
‘An indelible examination of middle-class values, relationships, masculinity, identity, violence, history and fear that comes full circle to a conclusion as shocking as it is logical. A finely crafted and disturbing psychological thriller.’
Newtown Review of Books
‘An effective thriller…Though he never comes out and asks the question, this definitely will have the readers thinking about the lengths they might go to in a similar situation. And facing the realisation that no matter how strange Randolph’s upbringing that their reaction (if not their ultimate response) might be exactly the same.’
PS News
‘A compelling tale of perception and threat that reveals dark thoughts and a ripper twist.’
Townsville Eye
‘An exploration of maleness, beliefs and aggression.’
Otago Daily Times
‘I loved it. Such great writing, evoking a domestic landscape as creepy as the man in the basement downstairs. Cool in every sense of the word. Dirk conjures up such unsettling images - the woman at home trotting around in her Gucci high-heels with a husband who can't bear the sound of her voice - the scenes of Randolph eating alone in fancy restaurants—all so rich and claustrophobic—an unsettling tale of merciless self-scrutiny. Loved its honesty.’
Renee Knight
‘Its layers of paranoia and memories are brilliantly done to play on every parents' deepest fears—including mine’
Fiona Barton
‘A sophisticated psychological thriller.’
SA Weekend
Herman Koch
‘Dirk Kurbjuweit exposes the evil lurking just below the surface of civilised life.’
Stern
‘A subtle and engrossing psychological thriller that gives an intelligent, carefully considered response to thequestion of how much our liberal values are worth when we feel our lives are threatened.’
Brigitte
‘High-voltage and multi-layered.’
Frankfurter Neue Presse
‘Fear forces us to see just how thin the delicate veneer of civilisation really is, and thus confirms it: any one of us can become a murderer.’
Der Tagesspiegel
‘Gripping, suspenseful and unbelievably dark…As a thriller, Fear more than holds its own against the competition. It reminds one of Dutch author Herman Koch’s bestselling novels, and not only because of the moral question—How far will you go to protect your family?—at the heart of the story.’
Welt
‘Flawlessly translated from German by Imogen Taylor…a gripping and thought-provoking read.’
BookMooch
‘This is a murder story, a psychological thriller, and something more.’
ArtsHub
‘Fear is a smart, psychologically complex and morally acute fable of modern German society decked out in the garb of an intricate thriller…This is a wry, complex, at times disturbing survey of middle-class German life in the decades since the end of World War II.’
Sydney Morning Herald
‘This psychologically acute novel examines the stresses parents feel when family members are under serious threat. Some readers might even cheer Randolph’s dad.’
New Zealand Listener
‘Kurbjuweit delivers an urban thriller and ethical minefield…[He] effectively builds the tension, while throwing barbs at classist attitudes that might be fuelling some of Randolph’s reactions. Though he never comes out and asks the question, this definitely will have readers thinking about the lengths they might go to in a similar situation.’
Pile by the Bed
‘An indelible examination of middle-class values, relationships, masculinity, identity, violence, history and fear that comes full circle to a conclusion as shocking as it is logical. A finely crafted and disturbing psychological thriller.’
Newtown Review of Books
‘An effective thriller…Though he never comes out and asks the question, this definitely will have the readers thinking about the lengths they might go to in a similar situation. And facing the realisation that no matter how strange Randolph’s upbringing that their reaction (if not their ultimate response) might be exactly the same.’
PS News
‘A compelling tale of perception and threat that reveals dark thoughts and a ripper twist.’
Townsville Eye
‘An exploration of maleness, beliefs and aggression.’
Otago Daily Times
‘I loved it. Such great writing, evoking a domestic landscape as creepy as the man in the basement downstairs. Cool in every sense of the word. Dirk conjures up such unsettling images - the woman at home trotting around in her Gucci high-heels with a husband who can't bear the sound of her voice - the scenes of Randolph eating alone in fancy restaurants—all so rich and claustrophobic—an unsettling tale of merciless self-scrutiny. Loved its honesty.’
Renee Knight
‘Its layers of paranoia and memories are brilliantly done to play on every parents' deepest fears—including mine’
Fiona Barton
‘A sophisticated psychological thriller.’
SA Weekend