The Adversary

APPLE BOOKS REVIEW

Joseph’s made a contentious choice with this astonishing true-crime story, splitting opinion among our authors and raising intriguing questions about the relationship between writer and subject.

Joseph Knox’s review: “What begins as a conventional, if tragic, true crime story becomes a compulsive, read-it-in-one-sitting glimpse into the human capacity for self-deception. In 1993 Jean Claude Romand murdered his wife and children. The residents of his small French town didn’t believe it until they discovered that the respected doctor they had known for years had never really existed. Combining his investigation with interviews and even correspondence with the killer, Carrère traces the origin of Romand’s ‘monstrous deception’ and begins to understand why he thought murder was his only way out.”

Val McDermid’s review: “The set-up sounds like something out of a Ruth Rendell novel rooted in twisted psychological damage. A respected doctor shoots his parents dead, murders his wife and children, takes an overdose and sets the house on fire. Oh, and he’s previously tried to strangle his mistress. Unfortunately, the style doesn’t live up to the substance. It’s not a novel based on a true case, but it assumes too much to be valid narrative non-fiction. There’s too much faux-philosophising for my taste.”

Sarah Hilary’s review: “I found this an intriguing if frustrating read, a true crime account by an author who becomes entangled in the vanity of his subject. On the face of it, Romand is an interesting subject for a writer. He lived a life of lies which he justified, somewhat pettishly, by questioning whether truth even exists. Everyone around Romand, from psychiatrists to lawyers, seems intent on excusing or mythologising what he did. Carrère’s fascination with him starts to feel as pettish as Romand’s self-devotion.”