Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Petra Hammesfahr, Bitter Lemon Press, $17.99.
It’s been described as instantly gripping’, this psychological thriller by German author is the basis for an acclaimed Netflix series starring Jessica Biel and Bill Pullman.
Relayed largely in flashback, the opening is arresting. Why did Cora Bender kill a man on a sunny summer afternoon in full view of her family and friends?
There’s a quick recap, you get a quick snapshot of Cora’s life and then you’re thrown into the thick of it … and Cora is murdering a man.
What could have caused this quiet, lovable young mother to stab a stranger in the throat, again and again, until she was pulled off his body? For the local police it was an open-and-shut case. However, Police Commissioner Rudolf Grovian refused to close the file and started his own maverick investigation.
So begins the slow unraveling of Cora’s past, a harrowing descent into a woman’s private hell. She’s a seemingly normal mother and housewife, who bizarrely stabs a man to death while on a beach picnic with her family. Cora confesses readily and claims to have no idea why she just committed homicide.
However, one policeman is unconvinced. He’s patient and thinks there’s more to the story, and slowly goes about unearthing the truth. Now begins the slow disentanglement of Cora’s past, a disturbing descent into a woman’s private hell.
It’s a dark, spellbinding novel where the truth is questioned at every turn. Awkward, inexplicable and haunting in its intensity, the impact will linger long after the reality shock.
