Dicker’s Formula for Success: How a Young Swiss Writer Conquered the Global Literary Scene (Video)

“The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair” by Swiss writer of Russian-French descent Joel Dicker became a worldwide bestseller. In 2023, the novel was published in Armenian by Newmag Publishing House and immediately topped sales charts. In Armenia alone, the book was reprinted twice, with total sales reaching one thousand copies.

This is a book that grips the reader completely. Many are astonished to find that nearly 700 pages can be read in a single sitting. The plot unfolds like a puzzle: a novel within a novel—Dicker’s signature literary device and one of his greatest creative triumphs.

Dicker did not part with his beloved protagonist, Marcus Goldman, after Harry Quebert. The central character returns in the author’s next novel, “The Baltimore Boys”. While the earlier story follows Goldman as he uncovers the dark secrets of his former professor, this time he turns inward, exploring the history of his own family. Through memories of a joyful and extraordinary childhood, Goldman gradually uncovers the shocking and tragic deaths of three people close to him.

Twist follows twist, with false endings and unexpected turns. Dicker is a master of literary misdirection: his novels are filled with plot twists that keep readers guessing until the very last line. He is also a virtuoso of time and space. His stories never unfold in a single place or period; instead, they move fluidly between past and present, layering new revelations and deepening the central mystery.

Above all, Dicker’s stories are simply compelling. The defining feature of his writing is its readability. A master of thrillers and detective fiction, he skillfully weaves complex plots with the intimate emotional lives of his characters. Dicker often writes about childhood, youth, and family ties - about how the past continues to shape the present.

Joel Dicker combines powerful storytelling talent, a distinctly 21st-century literary sensibility, and an instinctive understanding of how to captivate readers worldwide.