Arnon Grunberg

Latex

Sorry

Tomorrow more about the book festival in Moscow, but now for something completely different: Eliane Engeler writes in the Tricity Herald about the trial against Cecile Brossard in Geneva.
'A woman charged with the murder of one of France's richest men during sex games begged his family's forgiveness Wednesday at the start of her trial in Switzerland.
Banker Edouard Stern was killed in 2005, his body found in his penthouse apartment in Geneva, clad in a latex suit and shot four times, authorities said.
His mistress Cecile Brossard, 40, was arrested two weeks later and confessed, according to Prosecutor Daniel Zappelli.
Brossard told Geneva's Court of Assizes that she was sorry. (…)
Brossard said Stern, 50, promised her $1 million to help her become financially independent, Zappelli said. Stern then deposited the sum in a special account for her, but the two quarreled over control of the money.
Brossard told the court, however, "It was not a question of money. It was a question of love."
Zappelli said that when the couple met for the last time they had "games of a sexual nature, consisting of her dominating him."
"Edouard Stern was sitting tied up on a chair in a submissive position," according to the prosecutor.
A police inspector told the court that Brossard had confessed to becoming enraged when Stern told her during their sexual games, "One million for a whore, that's expensive."
The prosecution says she then got one of Stern's guns and shot him once in the face, then in the chest and side. He fell to the floor, and she fired a fourth shot in the temple, killing him.
Brossard has been in prison since 2005.'

Of course it’s ridiculous to claim that a million is expensive for love, even when the love consists of nothing but sex games. But this doesn’t mean that Mr. Stern deserved to be killed.

It’s a warning to all of us: when you engage in a sex game, please be careful what you say.