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laurencehebberd's review
5.0
Brilliant! I love Niven’s way of writing, and this does not dissapoint. I finished it in about 24 hours, and that’s not a bad thing - I just couldn’t put it down! I almost cried, I covered my mouth in shock, and the twist stopped me in my tracks. This needs to be a movie, please!
whether's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Torture
Moderate: Bullying, Alcoholism, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual violence and Vomit
kirkw1972's review against another edition
4.0
Had a long journey so was able to read 3/4 of the book on the coach. Really gripping thriller I had to finish it as soon as I got home.
brightxmoon's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
raven88's review
4.0
John Niven is perhaps better known for darkly witty satires, ‘Kill Your Friends’, ‘The Amateurs’ and ‘The Second Coming’ so I was interested to read this, his first foray into the world of crime writing with the skilful insertion of a ‘J’ to differentiate this from his normal fare. And what a completely gripping, criminal smorgasbord of brilliant and blood-soaked delights it is as you find yourself, in the words of Irvine Welsh, “trampling through a moral minefield.”
Donnie Miller leads an unassuming life in a remote area of Canada in an absolutely beautiful house, with his upwardly mobile and loaded wife, his young son and whiles away his time as a film reviewer for the local newspaper, fortuitously part of the empire of his father-in -law. The only signs of strain in Donnie’s life is fitting into the influential circles his wife moves in but this is a minor problem as Donnie’s past will come back to haunt him with devastating consequences for himself and his family. By carefully interweaving the events of Donnie’s youth growing up in the relative poverty and social deprivation of Scotland, the story is punctuated throughout by positively Irvine Welsh-esque interludes depicting his cruel actions as a member of a gang intent on bullying and victimising a boy who epitomises everything they are not. Written in vernacular and in a blunt, brutal but ultimately quite affecting style, these interludes put the character of Donnie at odds with his portrayal now as a family man and this, for me, works perfectly within the structure of the book. There is also a very poignant portrayal of his would-be attacker as their world has been shattered by the event s of this childhood and we bear witness to them rebuilding their life, plotting and scheming to avenge the crimes of the past. It becomes obvious to the reader that Donnie’s peace will be shattered and yes, you do have to suspend your disbelief somewhat at this point, as the past violently catches up with him in an explosion of revenge and hatred from a very unlikely aggressor and you find your whole perception of Donnie as a good guy challenged at every turn. I liked the way that by depicting Donnie as a film reviewer, Niven then sets out to make the denouement of the novel descend into the most brilliant and unbelievable violence mirroring the ‘schlock horror’ of some of the best straight to DVD films, so that as a reader you are metaphorically looking through your fingers as the violence is ramped up further but remains as compulsive as it is unbelievable.
Therein lies my warning to the more sensitive reader that this is not one for the faint-hearted and if Danny Boyle is looking for a new film project after his Olympic shennanigans I think that he and Niven could have a great collaborative effort bringing this to the big-screen. Despite its slight faults this was a totally enjoyable although blood-soaked read and with the promise of another thriller or two appearing in the next couple of years I can’t wait to see what Niven comes up with next...
Donnie Miller leads an unassuming life in a remote area of Canada in an absolutely beautiful house, with his upwardly mobile and loaded wife, his young son and whiles away his time as a film reviewer for the local newspaper, fortuitously part of the empire of his father-in -law. The only signs of strain in Donnie’s life is fitting into the influential circles his wife moves in but this is a minor problem as Donnie’s past will come back to haunt him with devastating consequences for himself and his family. By carefully interweaving the events of Donnie’s youth growing up in the relative poverty and social deprivation of Scotland, the story is punctuated throughout by positively Irvine Welsh-esque interludes depicting his cruel actions as a member of a gang intent on bullying and victimising a boy who epitomises everything they are not. Written in vernacular and in a blunt, brutal but ultimately quite affecting style, these interludes put the character of Donnie at odds with his portrayal now as a family man and this, for me, works perfectly within the structure of the book. There is also a very poignant portrayal of his would-be attacker as their world has been shattered by the event s of this childhood and we bear witness to them rebuilding their life, plotting and scheming to avenge the crimes of the past. It becomes obvious to the reader that Donnie’s peace will be shattered and yes, you do have to suspend your disbelief somewhat at this point, as the past violently catches up with him in an explosion of revenge and hatred from a very unlikely aggressor and you find your whole perception of Donnie as a good guy challenged at every turn. I liked the way that by depicting Donnie as a film reviewer, Niven then sets out to make the denouement of the novel descend into the most brilliant and unbelievable violence mirroring the ‘schlock horror’ of some of the best straight to DVD films, so that as a reader you are metaphorically looking through your fingers as the violence is ramped up further but remains as compulsive as it is unbelievable.
Therein lies my warning to the more sensitive reader that this is not one for the faint-hearted and if Danny Boyle is looking for a new film project after his Olympic shennanigans I think that he and Niven could have a great collaborative effort bringing this to the big-screen. Despite its slight faults this was a totally enjoyable although blood-soaked read and with the promise of another thriller or two appearing in the next couple of years I can’t wait to see what Niven comes up with next...
mftaylor's review
4.0
Wow! Very good read! This is an action packed story that reads like a movie. Would make a great movie I think. Without giving too much away (as most book jackets do) it is a story of a man, living his life now which is pretty damn good. He has a wife and son and is living the good life having married into money; lots of it. The problem is he has a dark secret from his past and it looks like that past may be catching up to him. The action gets intense, making a great page-turner, and there is a lot of violence. It really pushed the limits. A great, entertaining read.
thepunktheory's review
3.0
This is the fourth John Niven book I read. When I bought it I didn't even check what it is about. To be honest, I was expecting something like "Kill Your Friends". I was quite surprised to find out that the book is actually a thriller.
However, John Niven did solid work on this one. Although I consider his other works as better, his first attempt on this genre is pretty good. Niven has a talent for describing the scenery. While reading the book I felt like I really am in Canada.
The story itself also seems well thought out. It does show a little bit that crime is not Niven's usual genre but there are definitely far worse crime books out there.
Although I missed Niven's black humor in this one, it's still a very good book. It very interesting how there are almost two separate stories. One taking place here and now and the second one informing the reader about the main character's past.
It's easy to see that John Niven put a lot of effort and thought into this book and it really paid off!
However, John Niven did solid work on this one. Although I consider his other works as better, his first attempt on this genre is pretty good. Niven has a talent for describing the scenery. While reading the book I felt like I really am in Canada.
The story itself also seems well thought out. It does show a little bit that crime is not Niven's usual genre but there are definitely far worse crime books out there.
Although I missed Niven's black humor in this one, it's still a very good book. It very interesting how there are almost two separate stories. One taking place here and now and the second one informing the reader about the main character's past.
It's easy to see that John Niven put a lot of effort and thought into this book and it really paid off!
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