Original Title: La Vérité sur l'affaire Harry Quebert.
First Edition: 2012 (France, Éditions de Fallois / LGF).
Italian Edition: 2013, Bompiani
Setting: Mainly in Aurora (New Hampshire, USA) and New York
It’s the summer of 1975 when a young 15‑year‑old girl, Nola Kellergan, disappears in Aurora, New Hampshire.Thirty‑three years later, writer Marcus Goldman discovers that his mentor Harry Quebert, a highly successful author and former university professor, is accused of the girl’s murder. Marcus, who at that time is in the midst of the so‑called “writer’s block”, decides to investigate the matter in depth to help his friend, bringing back to light events that had long been buried together with young Kellergan.
This book of about eight hundred pages is anything but heavy, contrary to what one might imagine. La verità sul caso Harry Quebert is a book about appearances, illusions, and the gossip of a small town. It highlights how, especially in confined places where people know each other and it's hard to go unnoticed, it's paradoxically difficult to grasp the truth behind every dynamic—and we often let ourselves be deceived by appearances.
When the writer Harry Quebert is accused of murder, the assumptions and accusations constantly shift. His guilt seems almost certain, but to Marcus's eyes, no piece of the puzzle fits into place. It also underscores the difficulty of objectivity, the inability to truly be objective when the crux of the problem is someone dear to us. When can we really be objective? Is everything truly as it seems or as someone wants us to believe? Are we the ones refusing to see the truth because it hurts, or are we clouded by our emotions?
Marcus's character teeters on the edge between selfishness and altruism. On one hand, he wants to defend his friend; on the other, his predicament trapped in "writer's block" sees a light at the end of the tunnel when he realizes he can publish a work that serves both purpose and pleasure. The work that will bring the truth to light and exonerate his friend. But at what cost? The pieces that emerge prompt reflection on whether it's truly right to reveal the truth or whether it's right to respect a friend's privacy and wishes. This story makes you ponder how thin the line is between what is "right" and what is "useful," even when masked as affection or friendship.
