A Guardian Angel Recalls

Takes on the form of a thriller while having a deeper philosophical purpose, artfully brought out in David Colmer's word-perfect translation. Diabolical, but in a good way * The Times, best new thrillers *
Hermans realized his dark, existentialist vision in an idiosyncratic prose, here seen at its finest. David Colmer's superb translation is particularly effective when it comes to Hermans's portrayal of character -- Paul Binding * TLS *
Interweaves a bitter, occasionally darkly comic moral fable with an unforgettable account of the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands... This should establish Hermans as a modern Dostoyevsky * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
Reminiscent at times of Hans Fallada's Alone in Berlin, this [is an] accomplished metaphysical thriller... Almost flawless in its unpicking of the decay of empathy and the incremental nature of moral defeat * Irish Times *
A bold and blistering novel fronted by a grimly fascinating protagonist * Star Tribune *
A sly but scorching Dutch masterpiece * Kirkus (starred review) *
Praise for Hermans' novels -- .. * .. *
A shocking Dutch classic... remarkable... It takes an hour or two to read, but An Untouched House is the kind of book that stays with you for ever * Guardian *
Hermans is one of the most important European authors of the second half of the twentieth century * Cees Nooteboom *
Bleak, hilarious, angry, ruthless and plain. [Hermans is] as alarming as a snake in the breadbin. He's also hugely entertaining * Scotsman *
[The Darkroom of Damocles is] one of the best novels about the Second World War * Angus Wilson *
'Like a partisan's grenade tossed into the plushly preserved house of Western culture, Hermans' unrelenting tragicomedies leave no complacencies intact... They could hardly be more timely' -- Tim Parks * New York Review of Books *
I decided to politely read five pages. Next thing I knew, I was a hundred pages in... The story is part thriller, part family novel, part metaphysical investigation, and also, unexpectedly, part comedy... Hermans is considered one of the great Dutch writers of the 20th century. A Guardian Angel Recalls will give you an idea why -- Jonathan Franzen