- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson; 1st Edition edition (10 July 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0297852191
- ISBN-13: 978-0297852193
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.6 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 773,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Angel Maker
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Review
headline: A TALL TALE OF ANGELIC SONS AND LOFTY IDEALS "delivers explanations by - very brilliantly - juxtaposing Hoppe's early life with his ground breaking progress... The narrative is fast-paced with a sizeable cast, yet is it Dr Hoppe's own section which moves us most and reveals the author's deepest intentions." (THE INDEPENDENT )
"...has superglue-soaked covers; you can't put it down... compulsive reading... This is a great big clunking fist of a book. Prepare to be knocked speechless." (SFX MAGAZINE )
"the plot is interesting,... (indeed, the film rights have already been sold)." (SUNDAY BUSINESS POST )
"compelling... succeeds in immersing the reader in a chilling tale." (GLASGOW EVENING TIMES )
"a frightening portrait of a character whose terrifying behaviour spirals out of control" (EVENING EXPRESS (SCOTLAND) )
"shrouded in mystery" (EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS )
"poweful novel... an important message, and one which Brij's highly-individual approach conveys with powerful effect." (YORKSHIRE EVENING POST )
"...has superglue-soaked covers; you can't put it down... compulsive reading... This is a great big clunking fist of a book. Prepare to be knocked speechless." (SFX MAGAZINE )
"the plot is interesting,... (indeed, the film rights have already been sold)." (SUNDAY BUSINESS POST )
"compelling... succeeds in immersing the reader in a chilling tale." (GLASGOW EVENING TIMES )
"a frightening portrait of a character whose terrifying behaviour spirals out of control" (EVENING EXPRESS (SCOTLAND) )
"shrouded in mystery" (EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS )
"poweful novel... an important message, and one which Brij's highly-individual approach conveys with powerful effect." (YORKSHIRE EVENING POST )
SUNDAY BUSINESS POST
"the plot is interesting,... (indeed, the film rights have already been sold)."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Angel Maker is one of the few (only?) books I have read by a Belgian author, which is probably more to do with a lack of interest on the part of publishers in Flemish/English translations than any lack of talent in the Belgian publishing scene. Certainly, Stefan Brijs has produced a complex and engaging novel, which deservedly won the Golden Owl from the Royal Academy for Dutch Language and Literature in 2006. Hester Velmans has translated the book in a flowing style leaving no sense of "translation" in the finished work.
The book seems to be marketed by its publishers as thriller, but it is far much than that. The story concerns a doctor who returns to the small village of Wolfheim after many years, with three identical children in the back-seat of his car, all with a hare-lip. Dr Victor Hoppe lives a secluded life and keeps his children away from public view. The villagers view him with suspicion but he soon wins their trust by performing some notable cures.
It is almost impossible to review this book without spoiling it for other readers, for the doctor has a complex background as a medical researcher and the children are not what they seem. The author slowly reveals the doctor's past, from childhood on through medical training and into genetic research. The themes are many, but all wholly topical, from advanced fertility treatment through to the character traits accompanying Aspergers Syndrome.
The reader is drawn through a richly complex story which develops many subjects including religious intolerance, society's treatment of disability and "difference", genetic research, autism and its effect on personality. Stefan Brijs reveals an in-depth understanding of his subject matter and a search through Wikipedia shows how well-grounded he is in the background science. Underlying the whole book are questions about medical ethics which are in many cases sill unresolved by most European governments.
I would recommend this book firstly to those who have an interest in contemporary European writing and secondly to anyone who would enjoy a challenging but exiting book on a difficult subject, with many twists and turns along the way.
The book seems to be marketed by its publishers as thriller, but it is far much than that. The story concerns a doctor who returns to the small village of Wolfheim after many years, with three identical children in the back-seat of his car, all with a hare-lip. Dr Victor Hoppe lives a secluded life and keeps his children away from public view. The villagers view him with suspicion but he soon wins their trust by performing some notable cures.
It is almost impossible to review this book without spoiling it for other readers, for the doctor has a complex background as a medical researcher and the children are not what they seem. The author slowly reveals the doctor's past, from childhood on through medical training and into genetic research. The themes are many, but all wholly topical, from advanced fertility treatment through to the character traits accompanying Aspergers Syndrome.
The reader is drawn through a richly complex story which develops many subjects including religious intolerance, society's treatment of disability and "difference", genetic research, autism and its effect on personality. Stefan Brijs reveals an in-depth understanding of his subject matter and a search through Wikipedia shows how well-grounded he is in the background science. Underlying the whole book are questions about medical ethics which are in many cases sill unresolved by most European governments.
I would recommend this book firstly to those who have an interest in contemporary European writing and secondly to anyone who would enjoy a challenging but exiting book on a difficult subject, with many twists and turns along the way.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I must confess to never having read a novel by a Belgian author before despite being aware of Georges Simenon and almost reading an Amelie Nothomb novel once but I have been very impressed by my first foray into Belgian literary territory with this novel by Flemish writer Stefan Brijs, superbly translated by Hester Velmans.
The cover would have you believe this is a thriller but it is so much more than that - granted there is a gripping plot with many twists and turns but this novel raises so many questions about how we regard disability, both those seen and unseen, cloning, our attitude to religion.
The novel opens with the return of Doctor Victor Hoppe to the small village of Wolfheim accompanied by baby triplets who share both his red hair and hare lip. At first there is much suspicion amongst this tight knit community but gradually they grow to accept the Doctor and his curious offspring although we readers are made aware of a more sinister backdrop. Victor has Aspergers, a condition which makes it even more difficult for him to convey the objective of his disturbing experiments as he becomes a modern day Dr Frankenstein aiming to beat God at his own game. Indeed it is the rigidity of his Aspergian mind which prevents him from seeing the immorality of his actions. However, it is not just the Doctor who behaves inappropriately as his fellow scientists strive to recreate human life and the villagers become enmeshed in their own gossip laden, superstitious web.
This is a cracking read and one which will keep you up all night - highly recommended.
The cover would have you believe this is a thriller but it is so much more than that - granted there is a gripping plot with many twists and turns but this novel raises so many questions about how we regard disability, both those seen and unseen, cloning, our attitude to religion.
The novel opens with the return of Doctor Victor Hoppe to the small village of Wolfheim accompanied by baby triplets who share both his red hair and hare lip. At first there is much suspicion amongst this tight knit community but gradually they grow to accept the Doctor and his curious offspring although we readers are made aware of a more sinister backdrop. Victor has Aspergers, a condition which makes it even more difficult for him to convey the objective of his disturbing experiments as he becomes a modern day Dr Frankenstein aiming to beat God at his own game. Indeed it is the rigidity of his Aspergian mind which prevents him from seeing the immorality of his actions. However, it is not just the Doctor who behaves inappropriately as his fellow scientists strive to recreate human life and the villagers become enmeshed in their own gossip laden, superstitious web.
This is a cracking read and one which will keep you up all night - highly recommended.
Format:Kindle Edition
I picked this book up in the library because I was attracted to the cover, and within a few pages I was hooked. Do not be fooled by the fairly simplistic style of the opening chapters. Brijs uses different narrative styles for different sections of the book, and they combine to make a deeply thought-through and thought-provoking book. Whilst the basic premise of the book becomes clear almost immediately, Brijs uses it to explore other issues such as organised religion and attitudes to mental health with skill but also great readability. I just wish that other of his books were available in translation.
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