The Guard

The Guard is the latest novel from Belgian author Peter Terrin, translated by David Colmer. At once dark and sinister, it explores the lives of Harry and narrator Michel, guards in the underground car park of a luxury apartment block. With almost no contact with the outside world, the pair clings to the dream of promotion to the elite guards of the myserious 'organisation.' As the residents all leave with no explanation, paranoia, illusion and extreme boredom begin to take over.

This is a rare and engrossing novel that brilliantly captures an atmosphere of constant fear and unknowing. The paranoid deductions of the two guards are the only key to a potential warfare that may or may not be raging outside. As a result, the realities around their situation are constantly shifting, as dreams and delusion intersperse with their immaculate daily routine. Maintaining an undercurrent of deep mistrust and suspicion, the novel builds with a horrifying intensity that explores the power of the mind under extreme circumstance.

The Guard is a superbly written novel, and a great read; part horror, part science fiction, but always original. Its seductive style has that power to make you as uncomfortable as you are fascinated, and thoroughly intrigued to the end.