Unknown

by Didier van Cauwelaert

Book Overview

Martin Harris returns home after a short absence to find that his wife doesn't know him and another man is living in his house under his name. The imposter shares all of Martin's memories, experiences, and knowledge down to the last detail. Is it conspiracy? Amnesia? An elaborate hoax or his own paranoid delusion? Part moral fable, part thriller, Unknown is a fast-paced tale of one man's desperate attempt to reclaim his existence-even at the cost...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014311901X
• ISBN13: 9780143119012
• Release Date: January 2011
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Fun, Gripping Psychological Thriller

Out of My Head is an entertaining and gripping psychological thriller. The premise is simple: Martin Harris, an American man who has just moved to Paris wakes up from a coma and heads towards the new apartment he shares with his wife. He gets there to find another man living there, claiming to be him. Harris then embarks on a Kafkaesque quest to regain his identity, where he ponders the nature of identity itself, with the help of a lonely neurologist and an enthusiastic cab driver. This is a slim, clever novel; Van Cauwelaert will have you fooled. Enjoy this engrossing novel.

Great premise, interesting presentation

While a weak ending hurts somewhat the overall impression one might get from this book, it's still a thought-provoking (and brief!) read. After awakening from a coma, Martin Harris discovers that he has been "replaced" by someone else with his name, and that nobody from his former life recognizes or acknowledges him. Martin spends the novel doing 2 things - trying to prove to others who he really is, and questioning his own existence. While he may not be breaking any new ground, Van Cauweleart definitely makes the reader think about the value and meaning of memories and self-awareness. A great book, one that would likely be worthy of 5 stars if not for the poor finish.