The Shadow Of The Mole

Review\nThe Shadow Of The Mole by Bob Van Laerhoven is an intense and powerful blend of mystery and history(...)The novel has dramatic depths that it displays effectively. After all, war can change any man. You can't help but feel anxious to learn The Mole's true identity (...)Bob Van Laerhoven never misses the opportunity to flesh out his characters, to give you insight as to who they are. Psychology as a discipline plays an important part in the plot and Laerhoven effectively embeds it in your consciousness through appropriate references. The Shadow of the Mole is as enigmatic as it is powerful. It is written with skill in the way it weaves scientific analysis with the inner lives of its characters. It's a must-read for anyone who enjoys a cerebral story with a great blend of mystery, history, and psychoanalysis." Five Stars
Vincent Dublado - Readers' Favorite -\nThis novel is interesting, it has depth in its many layers that construct the story. Sometimes it felt disjointed and I wondered how all the elements would come together, but that's the intriguing part. They do come together, in a surprising way. That, I suppose is what makes it different in structure from others. (...)The writing is sharp and to the point, we move from one moment to the next with The Mole's stories in-between. The depictions of the war as the backdrop to the story are haunting and felt very real. In parts of this story, you could imagine yourself there and pondered just how your own mind would react. The story is definitely a thriller, with the mystery of whom the Mole is, interlaced with the psychoanalysis from his physicians. Add in the stories The Mole writes with the backdrop of war and you've got one interesting story that will leave you pondering the why/ how war affects one's mind.
Hayley's Book Room:\n1916, Bois de Bolante, France. The battles in the trenches are raging fiercer than ever. In a deserted mineshaft, French sappeurs discover an unconscious man, and nickname him The Mole.
Claiming he has lost his memory, The Mole is convinced that he's dead, and that an Other has taken his place. The military brass considers him a deserter, but front physician and psychiatrist-in-training Michel Denis suspects that his patient's odd behavior is stemming from shellshock, and tries to save him from the firing squad.
The mystery deepens when The Mole begins to write a story in écriture automatique that takes place in Vienna, with Dr. Josef Breuer, Freud's teacher, in the leading role. Traumatized by the recent loss of an arm, Denis becomes obsessed with him, and is prepared to do everything he can to unravel the patient's secret.
Set against the staggering backdrop of the First World War, The Shadow Of The Mole is a thrilling tableau of loss, frustration, anger, madness, secrets and budding love. The most urgent question in this extraordinary story is: when, how, and why reality shifts into delusion?