Joël Dicker in Barcelona to present new thriller ahead of Sant Jordi 

Swiss writer Joël Dicker presented his newest book 'A Wild Animal' to media outlets in Barcelona on Wednesday morning.

His newest thriller has burglars carrying out a jewelry heist in Geneva as the crime at the center of the book. A surprising choice for the writer who is known for writing thrillers about murder cases. 

"I wanted to express that suspense can come in many different ways, not just from a murder," Joël Dicker said. 

The title of the book stands for "the instinct everyone has within themselves." 

"The wild animal is the symbol of our instinct. We all have this wild animal inside us, it is our instinct. It is this absolute knowledge of ourselves. We live in a world where we often forget our instincts," Dicker explained. 

"Each of the characters is torn between their instincts and what they are, what they should do, what is right for them and what others expect of them. In that sense we are all 'a wild animal,' the writer added. 

Playing with time 

The book starts with a timer of seven minutes. "The chronometer has started for the burglars doing the heist, but also for the reader," Dicker said. 

Every chapter situated in the present time has a timestamp so readers know exactly when the events are happening. 

"When I started this book, I wanted to create a temporary dynamic for the reader. I wanted them to feel pressured, as if they're trying to catch the time", Dicker explained 

Trying to create a book that is realistic in time comes with great difficulties.

"If it takes you four hours to read it then the events happen within four hours. But that's not possible because everyone reads at a different speed. I then had to go back to my original idea of trying to follow the time instead of trying to catch it," Dicker said.

Like his previous thrillers, 'A Wild Animal', is full of flashbacks and time jumps. Joël Dicker denies that the timelines make the storyline complicated.

"The complexity isn't in the flashbacks, it's in the storyline. The flashbacks serve the story, they're a medium," he explained.

"Writing the flashbacks is quite easy for me, I use it to explain who the characters are and who they aren't. It's more difficult for me to construct a storyline and give the reader the feeling the book is worth it at the end," he added.

Pressure for success 

Joël Dicker rose to fame with his 2012 novel 'The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair.'

"With that novel it might've been that I didn't think many people would read it, so there was no pressure. But I was also writing for 12 hours a day not really knowing if it would work out, that was also not easy," the writer said, looking back on writing his first big success.

With his seventh book, Joël Dicker isn't looking back on what he wrote in the past.

"It's like looking at old pictures of myself, not agreeing with a haircut or outfit I wore, but at the time it was good. You need to accept how you were. It's the same for books, I had an idea back then that fit who I was," he detailed.

Releasing a new book always brings many opinions from readers.

"You need to listen to yourself as an author. When you make a book that looks like the previous one, they'll say it's the same. If you make a different one, they'll say they like the previous one more," Dicker said. 

Presenting a new suspenseful book comes with the promise of a revelation or twist at the end. 

"A novel is a game. The author and the reader are playing the game. It's a work by the author but also a work by the reader because they need to imagine the characters that the author has developed," Dicker explained 

After his newest release, the thriller author is not looking too far into the future, "I go book by book, I'm not looking 30 years into the future." 

"I'm always writing and working on ideas but whether they will become a next novel, I don't know yet. I like not knowing yet until it's clear that my ideas can become a novel, so I won't speak on my next work yet," Dicker responded when asked about a potential next novel. 

Even though Joël Dicker will not be present on Sant Jordi day, he presented his book to the public on Wednesday evening.