The Mystery of the Sardine

[3] Justin Warshaw with the Times Literary Supplement noted that "the Mystery of the Sardine is never solved nor is it ever quite clear what it actually entails".

[4] In an appreciation of the Themersons published in 2015, Michael Caines noted that the TLS earlier praised the novel for its "many rum non sequiturs".

[7] Variety praised the film's technical qualities, but noted that it was unlikely to gain much traction outside of the Netherlands: "A large black dog with a sardine can around his neck is the unlikely suicide bomber apparently directed against philosophy lecturer Tim (Victor Low), who loses both legs in the blast.

The mystery deepens when his wife, Vera (Renee Fokker), discovers a freshly painted representation of the attack in a local church.

Embellishing the plot are absurdist side characters, notably a disheveled man often seen walking backwards.