Fear: A Novel

Written by Dirk Kurbjuweit

Narrated by John Glouchevitch

An acclaimed German writer makes his American debut with this gripping and sophisticated thriller reminiscent of The Dinner and the early novels of Ian McEwan, about the murder of a neighbor who had been harassing a middle-class family—and the relative imprisoned for the crime.

""I had always believed my father capable of a massacre. Whenever I heard on the news that there had been a killing spree, I would hold my breath, unable to relax until it was clear that it couldn't have been him.""

Randolph Tiefenthaler insists he had a normal childhood, though he grew up with a father who kept thirty loaded guns in the house. A modestly successful architect with a wonderful family and a beautiful home, he soon finds his life compromised when his father, a man Randolph loves yet has always feared, is imprisoned for murder.

Fear is the story of the twisted events leading up to his father’s incarceration. It begins when Randolph and his family move into a new building and meet their neighbor, Dieter Tiberius, the peculiar yet seemingly friendly man living in the basement apartment. As the Tiefenthalers settle into their home, they becoming increasingly disturbed as Dieter’s strange behavior turns malevolent. Randolph unravels the tale of Dieter’s harassment—the erotic letters he sends to Rebecca, his spying, his accusations of child abuse, the police reports he filed against them. Finally, Randolph admits his of own feelings of desperation and helplessness, which ultimately led to his father’s intervention.

As Randolph plumbs the depths of his own uncertainty surrounding the murder—pondering fundamental questions about masculinity, violence, and the rule of law—his reliability is slowly but irrevocably called into doubt. The result is an unsettling meditation on middle-class privilege and ""civilized life"" that builds to a shocking conclusion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Oct 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9780062742421

Dirk Kurbjuweit

Dirk Kurbjuweit is deputy editor in chief at Der Spiegel and a successful journalist who has been awarded several prestigious prizes, including the Egon Erwin Kisch Prize and the Roman Herzog Media Prize. He divides his time between Berlin and Hamburg.

Reviews for Fear

[hubblegal-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"I had always believed my father capable of a massacre. Whenever I heard on the news that there had been a killing spree, I would hold my breath, unable to relax until it was clear that it couldn't have been him." (Wording may not appear the same in final published edition).Randolph Tiefenthaler grew up with a father who had an extensive gun collection. Not only were the guns loaded but Randolph’s father had a bit of a temper. Randolph always had a fear that one night his father would come upstairs and kill him and/or his brother. Randolph is an adult now with a wife and children when his father is arrested for murder. It all started when Randolph moved his family to a new building where Dieter Tiberius is living in the basement apartment. Dieter is an odd character who turns into a menacing one when he starts to stalk Randolph and his family and accuses the parents of sexually abusing their children.This is an excellent psychological thriller with deep insight into family bonds and the fears implanted in us as children that we continue to live with throughout our adult life. I’ve seen other reviews saying the author lectures about issues but I thought the whole book was fascinating. I hung on every word and loved the buildup of suspense. No one seemed to be able to help this family – not their lawyer, not the police and not children’s services. At times I thought, just move away, but they hadn’t done anything wrong to lose their home, but since it involved children, I would have been out of there. Regardless, I was quite impressed by this author. Apparently, the book is loosely based on the author’s own experience with a stalker so he had firsthand knowledge of what this type of situation can do to a person.The author is from Germany and he has written 8 novels, many of which, including this book, have been adapted for film, television and radio in Germany. “Fear” is the first to be translated into English. I’ll be keeping an eye out for any others that will be translated in the future for sure.I don’t usually give thrillers 5 star reviews as I reserve 5 stars for books that really have a profound impact on me. But in a way I think the book did have a profound impact on me as I’m still thinking about it though I’m writing this review weeks after reading the book. This story showing how quickly our immediate world can become one that’s horribly distressful fills my thoughts throughout the days. If you’re looking for a thriller with psychological insight, I highly recommend this one.This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[jhullie-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well, it wasn't the suspenseful thriller I was expecting. I wasn't on the edge of my seat. The idea had promise but no oomph. I'm afraid if it were my family being threatened I would have pulled that trigger long before he did! Maybe it lost something in translation? I don't know.

[jeeps-4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 stars. I was going to give this one a much higher rating. But.

I know body horror is one of the bread and butters of this series, but Gaia and everything leading up to her "birth" was genuinely upsetting to me in a way that made me want to stop reading. I hate mystical pregnancies. I hate female bodies being violated and victimized in this way. It's this particular objectification of the female body as a potential incubator of evil beyond the mother's control or as punishment for her sins (and an argument could be made for both being in play here) that has no place in a series with such good female characters, which has continually impressed me with the richness and breadth of its girls. And the problem narratively is that it shifts the horror from being something that illuminates the humanity of the characters to a plot device that strips them of it entirely, in Diana's case, or that they react to without much of themselves invested in it in everyone else's. Which I guess is pretty ironic, considering what a problem the literal lack of light is in this book.

There's probably a lot more I could say, but I'm just too disappointed.

[orkydd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Volume 5 of the 'Gone' series finds more ways to torture the teenagers of the FAYZ, this time by turning out the lights as the series builds to its climax.

[floratina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

READ IN ENGLISH

My library did a great job (!) by keeping me waiting on this book for over a year. Which is quite strange, as they bought all the other books in this series almost immediately after publication. Anyway, it made that I had somewhat lost the connection to the story, as I read Fear almost two years after Plague.



We're one year inside the FAYZ. Those lucky enough to survive this long, now get an entire new problem. Sunlight is fading, prepare for darkness/Darkness!



Like I said, I had (for the first time) some trouble to get into the series again, but after 50 pages or so, that was no longer a problem. So much happens in these books, that it is almost impossible to stop reading. I really enjoyed this series and this book as well, although for the first time, I thought it might be stretched a little too far, become a little too far fetched. Besides, even though there is more than enough happening in this book, you can feel it is building up for the finale in book six, which I believe will be some massive battle...

[fatimareadsbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“....Fear wasn’t about what made sense. Fear was about possibilities. Not things that happened. Things that might.” [p. 455] I must've sucked in the whole world's supply of oxygen by gasping at that ending. I'm emotionally drained. Fear is the second-to-last book of the page turning series called 'Gone'. I honestly don't know how Grant is going to wrap everything up in the last book. I feel like there's still too much still left unsolved. In this book, we have previously important characters who fade out, or in Albert's case, run away, and smaller characters who step up. It was interesting watching characters like Caine and Astrid evolve personality-wise. I was indifferent and mildly irritated by Astrid throughout the series but her character development really amazed me. I feel like Fear plays the role of connecting the events that will lead to the concluding book, Light.I absolutely adore Michael Grant's sense of humor. It's so sarcastic and light.We also get a perspective from the outside. It was interesting seeing how the families and adults outside coped with the 'Perdido Beach Anomaly'. I'd talk about all the characters, but there are too many. Even though Michael Grant keeps adding more characters, it feels like each character, no matter their self-worth, has a unique role to play. As a conclusion, I'd like to state that this book had me hooked every step of the way. It jumbled my emotions and affected my sleep pattern, but it was totally worth it. So eager to go and read the final book!!

[bookloverslife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow!! What an ending. I think things cant possibly get worse for the kids in this series and then Michael Grant throws something else into the mix. The next book cant come quick enough!!

[seldombites · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fear is definitely the best Gone book yet. A tentative peace has emerged between Caine in Perdido Beach and Sam in Lake Tramonto. Tensions between freaks and normals has faded. Food is plentiful and starvation is no longer an issue. Drake hasn't been spotted in ages.Suddenly, however, the barrier begins to turn black. Food once more becomes an issue. Astrid is back, but so is Drake and this time he must be faced in the dark.Each installment in this series is better than the last, and Fear is no exception. Alternating between Pete's spirit, those trapped in the FAYZ and those trapped without, this book is by far the most fascinating and the most frightening. With the children facing their greatest threat yet, under observation of those outside, this book surely lives up to it's name. As with the previous books, I highly recommend you read this.

[lemurkat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just when you were starting to wonder how things in the FAYZ could get any worse... Well, try Darkness. And Fear. I really feel for these poor kids, having to live this tortured, tormented existence without any real hope for their future and I am relieved, for there sakes, that this is the second to last instalment in the series. It's pretty damned bleak. But there are some lighter moments too, and even a few sweet moments as well. Real nail-biting, tense stuff that is well written and definitely intended for the more mature teen - probably ages 14 . Lots of death and destruction and an overall sense of helplessness paired off against hope. I'm keen to keep reading!

[ajwseven · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great Series. Well developed characters that continue to grow and mature book after book. Real moments like a group of kids watching a spongebob skit or someone being heartbroken about being rejected are interspersed with violent conflict, supernatural terror and frighteningly difficult choices. I do not think it really falls under the YA category but otherwise, it is definitely worth your time.

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the fifth installment of the series, after four months of relative peace in the FAYZ chaos starts again. The barrier is changing and it seems like the FAYZ is about to go dark. There's a stash of missiles, the gaiaphage's hunger for Diana's baby, and the evil that is Drake and Penny. An action packed read full of gore and trials.

[baystatera · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

These books about a town cut off from the rest of the world and run by teenagers with strange mutant powers are definitely addictive, but perhaps the story is getting stretched out a little longer than strictly necessary. Also, this one pretty much crossed the line from science fiction into horror; you need a strong stomach to read some of the scenes. Still, I'm going to want to find out what happens to this particular ragtag band of teens fighting against the evil presence in their midst in the next book.

[shellypya · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As the young residents of Perdido Beach begin to better comprehend the truths of who they are and their relationships to one another, the Darkness finds a new way to be born, bringing their understanding of fear to a new level.