Stevie‘s review of Cruise: A Thriller by Suzanne Vermeer
Suspense/Thriller published by A.W. Bruna 13 May 14
The tricky thing with reviewing a book originally published in a different language is differentiating between issues with the original story and issues that creep in when the words are translated. With this novel, I spent about two thirds of my reading time trying to decide whether it was a good story let down by a less than stellar translation or an average story that’s held together by the mostly adequately translation.
Heleen and Frank have a long, and seemingly happy, marriage; however we know from the outset that Frank is planning to leave – which is more than Heleen knows. Frank has a well-paid job for a travel firm, which frequently takes him away from home for days at a time, while Heleen works part-time more for the stimulation and social aspects rather than because they need the money. Frank surprises Heleen by suggesting they go on a Mediterranean cruise to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and Heleen goes along with the idea, even though it’s not what they would normally do.
On the cruise, things seem to be going well, other than a little friction with the couple they share a dinner table with – Dutch like Heleen and Frank, but swingers as opposed to our protagonist’s more conventional marriage – and then Frank disappears one night while the ship is far from shore. Heleen is devastated, especially when the search is called off after only a few hours and she is left ashore while the cruise continues to its next destination.
Back in the Netherlands, she tries to piece her life together, but then receives two further pieces of shocking news – Frank had taken out a huge loan without telling her well in advance of his death, and a life insurance company has agreed a pay-out on a policy taken out by someone Heleen had never heard of, but who had apparently been in a long-term relationship with Frank in France. Heleen decides to set off in search of the truth, but the more she finds out, the more danger her life appears to be in.
This book has some highly unexpected twists and turns but is at times let down by the language, especially during the action scenes. There are points when Heleen and some of the characters she meets along the way make decisions verging on the Too Stupid To Live trope. Also, the pacing feels a little off in some chapters, with long stretches in which little happens and then rather disconcerting jumps forward in time after which the reader is told rather than shown how characters have developed since we last saw them. I’d still consider picking up another book by the author – if only to get a completely fresh look at the world compared to thrillers written in English and set within an Anglocentric view of the world.
Grade: C
Summary:
A woman learns that her husband has been living a secret life she could never have imagined
Frank and Helen’s anniversary cruise is going perfectly, until the unthinkable happens and Frank disappears. Helen does everything she can to find her husband, but is ultimately forced to return home, alone and distraught.
After spending the next few months searching, Helen hears from someone who has news of her husband. But not the news she hoped for: Helen learns that Frank was leading a double life. It becomes increasingly apparent that the man she married had a dark side Helen could never have imagined. Suzanne Vermeer, the bestselling mystery writer in the Netherlands, spins this story with unparalleled suspense.
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