Dear Child
by Hausmann, Romy
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Dear Child is the third novel by best-selling German author, Romy Hausmann. It's a hit-and-run car accident that brings unconscious Lena and her daughter, Hannah, to the hospital emergency department in Cham. As Lena is treated, Sister Ruth talks to Hannah. What she learns from this poised, controlled young girl sets off alarm bells: within a short time, a late-night call is made to parents in Munich.
Matthias Beck and his wife, Karin immediately set out for Cham, near the Czech border: even waiting until morning is too long to find out if the woman is their daughter, their Lena, missing for almost fourteen years. Police are searching for an isolated cabin in the woods, and a boy called Jonathan: Hannah's brother. Will Matthias and Karin finally have an answer?
There are three narrative strands: Matthias gives the perspective of the heart-broken father who has never stopped searching; Jasmin's is a second-person narrative addressed to Lena and details some of her ordeal; Hannah's words, with dictionary definitions, encyclopaedic facts, rules and schedules, but also glimpses of violence, succinctly illustrates the conditions under which Lena and her children lived in the cabin in the woods.
Of course, it quickly becomes apparent that Hannah is an unreliable narrator, including what are clearly fantasies, and not revealing all she knows. Some of what she says will leave the reader gasping. Nor can Matthias be completely relied upon, while Jasmin's mental state after her escape also affects her perceptions.
What a brilliantly-plotted, twisty tale Hausmann gives the reader! There are plenty of red herrings keep the reader guessing until the final chapters, and even after the dramatic denouement, there are more surprises in store. Hausmann describes the power of the media to colour the public perception of an incident by questioning the virtue of the victim, and also demonstrates how powerlessness can drastically influence the choices one makes. A gripping and thought-provoking read. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Quercus
Dear Child is the third novel by best-selling German author, Romy Hausmann. It's a hit-and-run car accident that brings unconscious Lena and her daughter, Hannah, to the hospital emergency department in Cham. As Lena is treated, Sister Ruth talks to Hannah. What she learns from this poised, controlled young girl sets off alarm bells: within a short time, a late-night call is made to parents in Munich.
Matthias Beck and his wife, Karin immediately set out for Cham, near the Czech border: even waiting until morning is too long to find out if the woman is their daughter, their Lena, missing for almost fourteen years. Police are searching for an isolated cabin in the woods, and a boy called Jonathan: Hannah's brother. Will Matthias and Karin finally have an answer?
There are three narrative strands: Matthias gives the perspective of the heart-broken father who has never stopped searching; Jasmin's is a second-person narrative addressed to Lena and details some of her ordeal; Hannah's words, with dictionary definitions, encyclopaedic facts, rules and schedules, but also glimpses of violence, succinctly illustrates the conditions under which Lena and her children lived in the cabin in the woods.
Of course, it quickly becomes apparent that Hannah is an unreliable narrator, including what are clearly fantasies, and not revealing all she knows. Some of what she says will leave the reader gasping. Nor can Matthias be completely relied upon, while Jasmin's mental state after her escape also affects her perceptions.
What a brilliantly-plotted, twisty tale Hausmann gives the reader! There are plenty of red herrings keep the reader guessing until the final chapters, and even after the dramatic denouement, there are more surprises in store. Hausmann describes the power of the media to colour the public perception of an incident by questioning the virtue of the victim, and also demonstrates how powerlessness can drastically influence the choices one makes. A gripping and thought-provoking read. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Quercus
Available Copies
Dear Child: The twisty thriller that starts where others end
by Hausmann, Romy
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
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- Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781529401448
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GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
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Dear Child
by Hausmann, Romy
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- Used - Good
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- First UK Trade Paperback Edition
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- 2019
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- 9781529401424
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Buttaba, New South Wales, AUS
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Dear Child (UK Double Signed & Numbered Copy)
by Romy Hausmann
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- Used - Very Fine
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- Very Fine
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- First Edition, First Printing
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- 2020
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- 9781529401448
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Hull, GBR
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Dear Child: A Novel
by Hausmann, Romy
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- Used - Very Good
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- 2020-10-05
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- 9781250768537
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Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
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Dear Child: A Novel
by Romy Hausmann
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- April 2022
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- 9781250845931
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APPLETON, Wisconsin, USA
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Dear Child
by Hausmann, Romy
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- 2020
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- 9781250768537
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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Dear Child
by Hausmann, Romy
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- 2020
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- 9781250768537
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Dear Child : A Novel
by Romy Hausmann
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- Used - Good
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- 2020
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- Hardcover
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- 9781250768537
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Dear Child
by Hausmann, Romy
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- 9781250845931
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Dear Child: A Novel
by Hausmann, Romy
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- Used - Fine
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- 2020
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Dear Child
by Romy Hausmann
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- 2022
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- ISBN
- 9781250845931
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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Dear Child
by Hausmann, Romy
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- 2021
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Dear Child
by Romy Hausmann
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- 2021
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- 9781250768551
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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Dear Child: A Novel
by Hausmann, Romy
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- 2020
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- 9781250768537
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Leland, North Carolina, USA
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Dear Child: A Novel
by Hausmann, Romy
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- 2020
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Dear Child
by Romy Hausmann
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- August 2021
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APPLETON, Wisconsin, USA
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Dear Child: The twisty thriller that starts where others end
by Hausmann, Romy
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- Used; Very Good
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- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781529401448
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Milton Keynes , Buckinghamshire, GBR
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Dear Child
by Hausmann, Romy
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Published
- 2020
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781250768537
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- 1
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Seattle, Washington, USA
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NZ$9.99
Show Details
Dear Child : A Novel
by Romy Hausmann
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2020
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781250768537
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, USA
- Item Price
-
NZ$9.99
Show Details
Dear Child
by Hausmann, Romy
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2020
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9781250768537
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, USA
- Item Price
-
NZ$9.99