Fault

The novel rejects the idea that any one person can ever be at fault for anything. The story turns the traditional who-done-it-novel on its head by asserting that no one single person is ever entirely responsible for their actions. The end result is unsettling and deeply disturbing. If none of us are guilty, can any of us truly be innocent?

The novel introduces half a dozen characters with their own stories, and constantly has one character hurting another character, but no character is ever made to be at fault for hurting another character. Theo hurts Miriam by stealing her memoir, but he does this because he is suffering from the trauma of his son’s death. Miriam hurts Theo by killing his dog, but she does this because she is suffering from the trauma of being abducted and having her best friend killed and then having...