The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer.
Launched in 2018, The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer It has been the most outstanding book of the author Joël Dicker. The young Swiss writer has once again demonstrated his own style, recognizable just by reading a couple of paragraphs. In a work as or more exciting than The truth about the Harry Quebert case, which, after the resounding success obtained, was a major challenge.
Therefore, The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer represents the confirmation of Dicker as the most prominent Francophone author of detective novels of the new millennium. It is a narrative genre that has been present since the time of Sophocles and his Oedipus Rex. Although its true "boom" began in the mid-nineteenth century at the hands of Edgar Allan Poe and, later, Agatha Christie.
About the author, Joël Dicker
Born in Geneva on June 16, 1985, Joël Dicker He is the son of a librarian and a French teacher. This - along with living in the French-speaking wing of Switzerland - conditioned his preference for "the language of love." His approach to writing came thanks to his passion for animals.
With 10 years he founded The Gazette des Animaux (The animal magazine); he directed it for seven years. Later, he entered a contest with a short story called El Tigre. According to the contest judges, it was impossible for such a well-crafted text to be authored by someone as young as 19 years old. Ultimately, the text about the feline was recognized with the International Prize for Young Francophone Authors.
The last days of our fathers y The truth about the Harry Quebert case
In 2009 he finished the manuscript of his first novel, The last days of our fathers. A spy story, with which, in 2010, he won the Prix de Écrivains Genevois (Geneva Writers Prize). The title finally went on sale in 2012. At the end of that same year, the “watershed” of Dicker's incipient career was published: The truth of the Harry Quebert case.
Translated in 33 languages, number one in various markets. The debut in detective storytelling by the Genevan writer brought fresh air to a subgenre that was orphaned of surprises for a long time. Also, it was the entry of a new detective within a list starred by names like Sherlock Holmes or Auguste Dupin, Marcus Goldman.
The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer, in a nutshell
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Two unsolved crimes, 20 years of distance between the two and a single policeman to clarify everything: Jesse Rosenberg. He has been a well-known New York Police officer since 1994, when, as a novice, he solved with his partner Derek Scott a singular crime in The Hamptons, Long Island.
Joel Dicker.
When you are about to retire, Stephanie Hailer, a sagacious journalist, confronts him to say that his first case went unsolved. Supposedly, he would have made many mistakes that led him to close the file without finding the (real) culprit. Although the veteran detective does not seem to be disturbed by these remarks, a voice inside him eats away at him.
A race against time
Finally, Rosenberg changes his mind, decides to investigate. But as soon as he made the decision, his accuser - who claims to have in his possession the evidence about the real perpetrator - disappears without leaving a trace. Then a race against time begins.
The police officer must solve two riddles before his credentials are taken away. For this reason, the narrative line runs in parallel between 1994 and 2014. Rosenberg wants to retire with his conscience in peace. Redeem yourself, no matter what maybe ... it's already too late.
Many secrets, before and after (or now)
An unmistakable characteristic of Dicker's crime novels are their characters: they all know some relevant information. Details unknown by the protagonist of the story and by the public. En The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer minutiae and cross references are part of two epochs with more things in common than meets the eye.
The frantic race faced by Rosenberg is the same route traced for readers to reach the end of all mysteries. To the last page, literally. Like the unsuspecting policeman, the "witnesses" to this plot must be careful not to confuse names, dates and places. Otherwise, it becomes impossible to solve all the tangles to unravel the mystery.
Reviews
A sublime work?
The success produced by The truth about the Harry Quebert case has affected, for better and for worse, the public's response to The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer. On the one hand, the publishers were extremely satisfied because, given the aforementioned background, this novel became an instant commercial hit. Even before its publication, the numbers were already in green.
Or a minor work?
But the response from a good part of the public ended up being rather negative. Dicker's fans recognized the traits of an author capable of being risky and entertaining in equal measure. However, within the "fandom" itself there were numerous voices of disappointment, which, branded the story of slow, dense and implausible.
Despite the opinions of unsatisfied readers with The disappearance of Stephanie MailerThe less traumatic the experience was for those who discovered the fashionable French-speaking writer with this novel. However, there are not many bombastic or highly enthusiastic reviews of the novel in literary forums.
Quote by Joël Dicker.
The dilemma of (just) entertaining
This is a dilemma that worries writers and readers alike. The question is, is there something wrong with entertaining? Should authors who only offer entertainment to their audience be despised? It is a subject without unanimous reactions where all the positions are legitimate. However, within art in general, getting the audience entertained is much more difficult than you think.
The "problem" is that the artistic manifestations are extremely pretentious. The "just amuse", from the time of Oedipus Rex, seems to be a discredited affair, of jesters. But many writers or artists would already like to have that capacity. And as in the case of Dicker, selling millions of copies in the process.