I'm in sort of a weird reading mood at the moment. Although I'm reading lots, I am not finishing many books. I'm doing the equivalent of 'grazing', but with books. Reading a little bit here, a little bit there, enjoying most everything but not settling down with anything specific. But I find myself thinking about or picking up mysteries and crime novels more than anything else.
After enjoying my first Bitter Lemon Press novel (see yesterday's post) I decided to pick up Petra Hammesfahr's The Lie (which came as an ARE and is due to be published in April). She must be quite popular in her native Germany--she's written over twenty crime novels and has won a variety of literary prizes for her work. I love books about doppelgängers. There's something creepy about them to begin with, but in a crime novel there's an added layer of mysteriousness. In The Lie Nadia and Susanne look uncannily alike, though their lives couldn't be more different. Susanne agrees to take her place while Nadia goes off with a lover for a weekend. Will Susanne be able to trick Nadia's husband into believing she's Nadia?
"She stared at the woman in the pin stripe suit who, for her part, looked her up and down in stunned astonishment. People pushed past them, grumbling or with irritated expressions because they were in the way. No one seemed to notice that by the lift two women were facing each other who looked more alike than some pairs of identical twins. Perhaps the difference in the way they were turned out meant it wasn't so obvious to others as it was to them."
"For, despite her painful experiences, Susanne well remembered the way she looked when she had still been in regular employment, suitably dressed with unobtrusive make-up. And presumably Nadia Trenkler would have sen her own face in the mirror when she was going through a bad time herself."
"Nadia was the first to recover her composure. With an exclamation of disbelief and a muttered, 'That's impossible,' she introduced herself and said, smiling, 'We must have a coffee and find out which of our fathers is responsible."
I've already raided my library's shelves for more Bitter Lemon titles and have a couple at home and a few others on my 'virtual list' for later. Bitter Lemon is a British publisher, but I'm happy their books are also slowly being released over here as well.
Good teaser! I liked what Daphne du Maurier did with this premise in The Scapegoat, where it's two men who change places.
My teaser this week is from a historical novel, When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman.
http://misadventuresofmoppet.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/teaser-tuesday-when-christ-and-his-saints-slept-by-sharon-kay-penman/
Posted by: Miss Moppet | January 26, 2010 at 06:26 PM
Danielle, I too seem to be in a weird reading mood. I just read more than half of a book before giving up and even though I want to read, I can't seem to pick anything up. The Lie sounds delicious though and I am going to check out my library database now. Thanks for the teaser!
Posted by: Kristie | January 26, 2010 at 07:36 PM
Miss Moppet--I've not yet read DDM's Scapegoat--I had forgotten the premise, but there is another set of doppelgangers! She's wonderful. Thanks for the link--I like Sharon Kay Penman, but this is one book I've not yet read.
Kristie--I think my problem is too many choices and not enough reading time. I was spoiled by a nice break from work over the holidays and then a long weekend for MLK Day. Now it's back to a routine, which means not as much reading time! Oh well, I'll get used to it again. I hope you find a good book to settle down with, too.
Posted by: Danielle | January 26, 2010 at 09:16 PM
That is a good teaser and I must now check out this new press. They should give you a job, Danielle, or at least a cut of the profits for all the readers you are bringing their way!
Posted by: litlove | January 27, 2010 at 02:46 AM
Litlove--I have wanted to try some of their books for a while and now I think I am hooked! I'm glad they are now listed on Amazon over here as well. Wouldn't it be fun to work on a small press like that?! I hope they do get lots of readers so they can publish lots more books.
Posted by: Danielle | January 27, 2010 at 09:22 PM
That sounds like fun! I'm in a weird reading moment too -- reading a good number of things but it feels like it's taking forever to finish anything. I did finish the Stevie Smith last night, though, so maybe starting something new will help me feel better about things. I now have the fun of choosing something!
Posted by: Dorothy W. | January 28, 2010 at 10:42 AM
This is a good teaser..I'm already trying to imagine the shape of the plot :) I haven't read any books on doppelgangers so hoping to pick this one up when i can find it.
Posted by: zoya | January 28, 2010 at 02:15 PM
Dorothy--I'm not sure what my problem is. I'm nearly done with a couple, so maybe that will get me more motivated. It is fun choosing something new to read--I'm bad as I am already thinking ahead without actually finishing anything yet!
Zoya--It's an interesting book--I'm curious to see if the women can pull the switch off. Like the other crime novel I just read, it's almost more psychological than mystery-ish. I've read a couple good doppleganger novels--one by Josephine Tey called Brat Farrar, a novel that's similar by Mary Stewart called The Ivy Tree and one by Sebastien Japrisot--though I forget the title (maybe Trap for Cinderella) that is also a crime novel.
Posted by: Danielle | January 28, 2010 at 09:47 PM