review
Heathrow airport, the day after the November 2015 attacks in Paris. Caren, a journalist, is flying out to cover the aftermath. She has covered several terror attacks, most recently the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices, but in recent months has questioned the usefulness of her work. Her personal life, too, has suffered from the impact of witnessing so many tragedies. Sitting across from Caren is an older man reading Wittgenstein. The two strangers begin to talk. Their conversation is the centrepiece of Here Be Dragons. The central question: is it possible to tell a story that hasn’t been told before? Things take a dramatic turn when a bomb goes off at the airport, the old man suffers a heart attack, and Caren is taken in for questioning by the police…
Short and trim in structure, Here Be Dragons discusses burningly current topics. Lyrical descriptions, philosophical discussions and thriller elements make for a compelling, unusual novel. Josten combines a captivating plot of withheld identity and secret romance with an inquiry into our approach to reporting on terrorism.
All recommendations from Spring 2017