The 18th Century poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, once asked readers of his fantastical poems for ‘poetic faith’, what he described as ‘ ... the willing suspension of disbelief.’ Essentially he wanted his readers to accept the basic premise of his work as having its own inner logic so that they could allow themselves to simply accept as true what they were reading about and therefore fully enjoy the experience.
I was forcibly reminded of Coleridge’s plea for ‘poetic faith’ when I read Disorder by M.J.T Meijer. The key point is that a work of fiction doesn’t necessarily have to be rooted in real life, but it does have to be internally consistent. That allows the readers to accept the story’s logic so that they can immerse themselves in that particular world. Think Superman, The Terminator, The Exorcist.
I mention this because Meijer’s novel relies heavily on links to the afterlife, karma, reincarnation, evil spirits. But given the world she creates, the inner logic of it is, indeed, entirely consistent and therefore easy to accept. If you can set ‘disbelief’ aside and simply accept the natural elements of this story’s world, then you are in for a treat.
Meijer is a great writer – professional, skilled, a born story-teller. In this book she begins with an unusual Prologue, ending it with a clever twist that hooks the reader and won’t let go until all questions are answered. Two killers are leaving dead bodies all over the world. There is a motive behind the killings but what is it? And one killer seems to be stalking the other. Why? Many pointers towards an answer are found by psychic, Ben Smit, in the drawings of a young boy who appears to have psychic abilities. His mother had brought him to the psychic because he keeps saying, “Daddy’s going to die’ But who is ‘daddy’ and where is he now? (Ky was born of a short, very passionate affair. His father disappeared immediately after.) Two detectives working on the case seek the help of Smit and the boy’s mother, unaware of the roller-coaster ride they were to experience over the next few weeks. Tension mounts as more questions arise, more murders take place, and danger lurks everywhere, as Smit fumbles towards some understanding of Ky’s mysterious drawings. All of this leads to an intense, stomach-churning climax that has the reader turning pages almost faster that he can read them.
Disorder is an exciting, thrilling, clever mystery, with a convoluted plot that keeps the brain constantly engaged, guessing and failing, and guessing some more. I was sure I knew who the mysterious female killer was, even encouraged to think so by the author’s sneaky red-herrings, but of course I got it completely wrong. I also discovered that, despite my earlier scepticism, the supernatural element does add an intriguing extra dimension to the story.
The characters are extremely well-drawn and are very real people with their own distinct personalities. The killers are particularly impressive ... psychotic, self-deluded, but extremely clever and utterly without empathy.
This is a great story. Anyone who enjoys reading will like it. But if you like thrillers, mysteries, and a touch of the supernatural, then you will absolutely love it.
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2020
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- professorReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2020
Superbly Written Supernatural Mystery Thriller
