Der Fremde am Strand

Single mum Alice takes in a man she meets on the beach near her home. He has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Bit by bit, Alice and “Frank” – as her children start calling him – begin to piece together the fragments of his past. Alongside Frank’s story, there are two other strands that gradually weave into his own. Thanks to Lisa Jewell’s writing style, it feels as though we’re right there with each of the characters, experiencing their lives up close. I’m a big fan of her multi-layered, interwoven and emotionally complex built novels, but unfortunately ‘I Found You’ didn’t draw me in as much as her other books. The whole story idea felt a bit thin for my taste: While the hook was great, the resolution felt unispired. The clever shifts between narrative perspectives do help maintain momentum, but the book still dragged in places. It could easily have been a quarter shorter. I don’t really regret reading it, but I wouldn’t recommend it without reservation.

Die Geschichte eines Mannes, der nach einem traumatischen Ereignis in seiner Jugend sein Gedächtnis verloren hat und nun mit Hilfe einer Fremden versucht Licht ins Dunkel seiner Vergangenheit zu bringen.