False Note
False Note is a dark, intimate short story that explores the corrosive effects of an abusive, larger-than-life father on his son. William, a medical student, struggles to forge his own identity in the shadow of Knut, his famous opera-singer father. When Knut is murdered, William becomes the prime suspect amidst personal history that's all too complicated.
- William - Narrator
- Knut - William's father
- Ebba - William's girlfriend
- Martin - Ebba's brother
- William grows up watching his father abuse woman and William hates him for it.
- William vows to be a better man than his father and trains as a medical student, working with battered women.
- William begins a relationship with Ebba.
- William introduces Ebba to Knut.
- Ebba breaks up with William.
- Several weeks later Martin confronts William about bruises he sees on Ebba.
- William realizes Ebba is dating his father.
- Knut is murdered and William is the prime suspect.
- William has an alibi but won't tell his lawyer what it is.
- We learn at the time of the murder William was beating Ebba.
- Ebba says she will tell the police William's alibi but instead she tells them he confessed to the murder.
- William is arrested but he is not angry because he knows he is something worse than a murder, he's just like his father.
- William - Alive - Arrested for Knut's murder, which he did not commit
- Knut - Dead - Presumed murdered by someone Martin hired
- Ebba - Alive - No further details
- Martin - Alive - No further details
- Domestic abuse
- Physical abuse
- Alcoholism
- Murder
- Violence
Tragic
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
ISBN: 9781662530975
Publication Date: June 2, 2025
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
