by Paul Murray
First published 2015
Claude works at an investment bank in Dublin, far from his native France. Love has passed him by despite coming from Paris, the supposed city of romance. His days blur together in corporate monotony until he notices something strange. A thin, pale man follows him around the city. The stranger introduces himself as Paul Murray and announces his intention to write a novel with Claude as the main character. Claude feels thrilled. Here is his chance to break free from office tedium and participate in real art, real literature. But Paul asks odd questions. He seems less interested in Claude's inner life than in the bank's security systems and vault locations. Claude begins to suspect that Paul Murray harbors motives beyond literary ambition. The would-be novelist may not be what he claims. Claude must figure out what Paul really wants before his dreams of artistic collaboration turn into something far more dangerous.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Dublin, France, Paris
Period: Contemporary
461 pages · Paperback · Penguin