John Tesarschs second novel is a highly accomplished story of family dynamics, the inescapability of the past, grief and remorse, and how trauma resonates across generations.
John Tesarschs second novel is a highly accomplished story of family dynamics, the inescapability of the past, grief and remorse, and how trauma resonates across generations.
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF HENRY HOFFMAN follows three brilliant and unconventional siblings - Eleanor, Robbie and Sarah - whose lives are upended when their reclusive German father, Henry, shoots himself. After the funeral, Eleanor finds a will in which her father has left his entire estate to a woman she's never heard of. Hiding this information from her brother and sister, Eleanor is determined to solve this mystery, in turn uncovering shocking details about her father's past life.
However, Henry is not the only Hoffman with secrets to hide. In the days and weeks that follow, as the siblings fall out over their inheritances, they learn things about each other that they could never have imagined to be true.
Set largely in rural Victoria - but also encompassing contemporary San Francisco and wartime Vienna.
John Tesarsch is a writer and barrister. He used to be a professional cellist based in Vienna, but had to give up music due to a debilitating allergy to the rosin used on cello bows. He returned to Melbourne to study Law and became a barrister, then was diagnosed with tongue cancer and spent a year undergoing extensive treatments. His first novel, The Philanthropist, was published in 2010 and received much critical acclaim.
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF HENRY HOFFMAN follows three brilliant and unconventional siblings - Eleanor, Robbie and Sarah - whose lives are upended when their reclusive German father, Henry, shoots himself. After the funeral, Eleanor finds a will in which her father has left his entire estate to a woman she's never heard of. Hiding this information from her brother and sister, Eleanor is determined to solve this mystery, in turn uncovering shocking details about her father's past life.However, Henry is not the only Hoffman with secrets to hide. In the days and weeks that follow, as the siblings fall out over their inheritances, they learn things about each other that they could never have imagined to be true.Set largely in rural Victoria - but also encompassing contemporary San Francisco and wartime Vienna.
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