The Exception
Published on 10. August 2006
Book
Hardback
512 pages
978-0-297-85235-3 (ISBN)
Description
Four women work at the Danish Centre for Genocide Studies. When two of them start receiving death threats, they suspect they are being stalked by Mirko Zigic, a Bosnian torturer and war criminal. But perhaps he is not the person behind the threats - it could be someone in their very midst. Much of the drama created revolves not only around the scary sense of a killer prowling in the shadows but also around the manipulative games being played between the women in the office as they come under pressure and turn on each other. The irony is that these betrayals and persecutions are taking place amongst professionals who daily analyse cases of appalling cruelty. Now and again, the narrative is broken with extracts from 'articles' dealing with crimes against humanity and the pyschology of evil. Whilst the women apply this to their work with genocide (and the killer), there are parallels to their own behaviour. It's a fabulous pacy read - a real page-turner that resonates with deeper questions.
Reviews / Votes
'Wise and disturbing, Jungersen's grippingly intimate dissection of betrayal, paranoia and human atrocity heralds him as a brave and gifted observer of the psyche - and a masterful storyteller. But beware: after reading The Exception, you may never look at your colleagues in quite the same way again... ' Liz Jensen 'It's a wincingly nasty, brilliant piece of work.' -- Jessica Mann LITERARY REVIEW (August 2006) 'From the quiet, understated early chapters the story develops into a tense struggle for survival...it is a powerful yet disquieting study of the psychology of evil, and a tense thriller.' -- Susanna Yager SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (13.8.06) 'It's a taut book with a powerful hook...Terrific stuff.' -- Peter Guttridge OBSERVER (27.9.06) 'It's a murder mystery full of mental and physical cruelty...It reminded me of the novels of Patricia Highsmith, and even more of Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin, which asked the same question - how innate is evil?...A horribly vivid and fiendishly clever novel.' -- Carole Angier THE INDEPENDENT (25.8.06) '[a] disturbing and strongly written novel.' GOOD BOOK GUIDE 'A story of suspense, intrigue and fragile relationships...if you like your psychology, I'd highly recommend giving it a try.' IRISH NEWS (26.9.06) 'Plenty of books promise to change their readers' lives. Few succeed. Christian Jungersen's "The Exception" is truly an exception. Read it and you will never look at your work colleagues in quite the same way again...[a] highly original psychological thriller.' THE ECONOMIST (30.9.06) 'a powerful thriller...The Exception is a page-turning novel and an insight into some of the most evil people in the world...[it] will linger in the mind long after the last page has been turned.' -- Linda Maher SUNDAY BUSINESS POST (17.9.06) 'Christian Jungersen provides an excellent example of what we find admirable in Scandanavian crime writers...The Exception is an interesting novel with quite unexpected pace and a great deal to tell us about the psychological games we play with other people and with ourselves.' -- Natasha Cooper TLS (22&29 Dec 2006) '[an] original and brilliantly constructed thriller.' -- John Dugdale SUNDAY TIMES (7.1.07)More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 41 mm
Weight
863 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-297-85235-3 (9780297852353)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Christian Jungersen's first novel, Krat, won the Danish Best First Novel of the Year Award. The Exception is his second novel and has been a huge bestseller in Denmark with rights now across Europe. He lives in Dublin.