Cherrypicker | Literature
Is the truth worth five million?

In Ursula Poznanski's new thriller, 100 people fight against a lie detector and for five million euros in prize money. The condition: Always tell the truth.

“The truth can make you rich, the lie makes your worst fears come true.” In her new thriller Scandor, Ursula Poznanski not only scrutinises the morals of her main characters, but also those of her readers. Because what does truth mean in her sophisticated plot, in which she transfers the computer game world of a battle royal from the screen to reality? In this reality, the company VeriTech is looking for 100 people to test its new lie detector called Scandor, derived from Candor – honesty, openness. The device, attached to the wrist, listens to the wearer and appears to be constantly monitoring them. And it can correspond with the wearer via mobile phone. Those who succeed in surviving a certain period of time without lying will receive 5 million euros as a prize. But all those who fail – and there will be 99 participants – will be penalised. They will have to overcome an event that they fear the most in their lives.

There are two main protagonists among the 100 seemingly randomly selected participants who come to the VeriTech introductory event. Philipp, the student, is taking part because his girlfriend Rafaela asked him to. Now he wants to impress her. And Tessa is there, who keeps her head above water with odd jobs as a waitress and in a call centre. If she wins, she wants to ensure that her family finally becomes financially independent from a hard-hearted and tyrannical uncle.

All participants are given a number and a code name, and a big, mean and underhand dance for money begins. It's not just about avoiding deliberate lies, but also about telling the truth in a normal conversation. Number 04 – Sporty, a fitness trainer – is eliminated on the very first day when she tries to convince a course participant that she will look like her in no time. All she has to do is work harder.  Lie!!! Or number 40, Nebelfuchs, is eliminated because he steps on someone's foot in the underground and apologises with “I'm sorry”, which is only meant as a phrase.

Master of the Psychological Thriller

Tessa, who has realised very clearly that this is not just about deliberate lies, but about her honest thoughts and feelings, immediately loses her job in a restaurant when she tells the truth to assaulting male guests. And Philipp becomes more and more estranged from Rafaela because he is not allowed to answer her questions about the game and, if they become too personal, he doesn't want to answer them either. The most difficult tests are the challenges ordered by the organisation, in which the participants are forced to reveal personal secrets.

In Scandor, Ursula Poznanski once again demonstrates her skills as a master of the psychological thriller. Up to halfway through the story, she repeatedly presents short episodes that show how participants stumble because they turn out to be stupid, greedy or mean. After that, the plot increasingly develops from the encounters between Philipp and Tessa, who approach each other very cautiously, partly because they tell each other the truth. And now they go on the final hunt together, as the few remaining participants are finally set against each other. It all ends in a thrilling showdown with a completely surprising twist.