Gripping tale of search for identity

The Match by Harlan Coben, Century, $37 .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Harlan Coben is an American thriller author with more than 70 million books in print worldwide, published in 43 different languages. His books have also been made into popular Netflix series.

The Match follows on his novel The Boy From the Woods, a novel about a 5-year-old boy found living a feral existence in the backwoods of New Jersey. He knew nothing of his family. He became friendly with a boy his age named David. For a long time David referred to the young boy as an invisible friend named Wilde when asked whom he was talking to.

But the inevitable happened and Wilde was discovered. He came to the attention of the authorities and was placed in the care of a family, close to where he was found.

Wilde grew up close to both his foster family and David’s family.

The Match is the story of a much older Wilde searching for his identity through DNA matches and ancestor sites. Through one of these he finally locates his father. This is a rather clandestine and hurried meeting. His father reveals that his mother was a one night stand after his returning from a stint in Vietnam. He reveals that Wilde has two sisters, but feels it would be too disturbing for the family to take it any further.

The Match then becomes Wilde’s search for his mother.

Wilde continues the search relying now on the internet, but in doing so becomes entangled in a group committed to exposing online trolls.

It appears that the closer he gets to finding the truth, the more harm he creates for others.

There is something about American thrillers that almost feels unreal to me. Perhaps it is the vastness of the country or the deranged characters that often appear.

This story is superbly told and definitely gripping, but relies on the reader being fairly cognisant with computer language, hashtags etc. I guess it is keeping up with the times and the use of technology rather than the good old brain power.

However Harlan Coben fans will not be disappointed and although The Match, as did The Boy in the Woods comes to a satisfactory conclusion there are one or two loose ends still not explained.

I can’t help feeling there may well be another Wilde novel before Coben finally retires him.

— Margaret Reilly