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thestucumminsreads 's review for:
Those People
by Louise Candlish
Powerful domestic suspense, with a devastating sting in its tail!
There’s a reason Louise Candlish’s name is synonymous with the domestic noir sub- genre of crime fiction and it’s because she’s simply the queen of turning the everyday into the horrific. Those People is a perfectly executed study in the escalation and spiralling out of control of a domestic situation that is scarily plausible. The power, suspense and gut-wrenching tension lies in the extreme reactions and measures that a host of very ordinary characters take in the face of a situation that anyone could be subjected to. We’ve all experienced neighbours who have had moments of being unquestionably inconsiderate, but Those People very cleverly puts readers into the shoes of a group of residents who are relentlessly tormented by the behaviour of a new neighbour. I spent much of my time wondering what I would do in the circumstances. This is one aspect that makes Those People such an enjoyably anxious read: we’re all only one monstrous neighbour away what the residents of Lowland Way face…
As well as being able to turn everyday life into a torturous nightmare, another part of Candlish’s books that I am drawn to is the social commentary. Those People takes some of the author’s familiar themes - such as privilege, wealth, class, property porn, misogyny and family friction - and weaves them through the narrative with a perfected skill. This book is very much about character and one of the reasons I am so fond of it is because of how complex and realistic they are. Candlish expertly blurs the lines between right and wrong, good and bad to create a cast of characters that are all simultaneously vile and sympathetic. There are so many layers to each and every one, all playing out beautifully with the overarching plot.
Listening to this as an audiobook this time (I have previously read the novel), I was in awe of how brilliantly Tuppence Middleton managed to embody all of the different characters. She brings each to life in a unique and distinctive way. She captures the various personality traits with aplomb. It is hard to believe that the narrator who brings vulnerability, sadness and a softness to Sissy, also brings the pompous bombast and irritatingly entitled confidence of Ralph to life. This novel worked really well in audio and I loved how the events being told from different perspectives (including snippets of police enquiries) translated all of the mystery and suspense that I recalled from when I first read the book.
If you’re a fan of audiobooks, this is definitely a must listen. If you’re a fan of addictive, frighteningly plausible crime fiction, then this book is for you in any format!
There’s a reason Louise Candlish’s name is synonymous with the domestic noir sub- genre of crime fiction and it’s because she’s simply the queen of turning the everyday into the horrific. Those People is a perfectly executed study in the escalation and spiralling out of control of a domestic situation that is scarily plausible. The power, suspense and gut-wrenching tension lies in the extreme reactions and measures that a host of very ordinary characters take in the face of a situation that anyone could be subjected to. We’ve all experienced neighbours who have had moments of being unquestionably inconsiderate, but Those People very cleverly puts readers into the shoes of a group of residents who are relentlessly tormented by the behaviour of a new neighbour. I spent much of my time wondering what I would do in the circumstances. This is one aspect that makes Those People such an enjoyably anxious read: we’re all only one monstrous neighbour away what the residents of Lowland Way face…
As well as being able to turn everyday life into a torturous nightmare, another part of Candlish’s books that I am drawn to is the social commentary. Those People takes some of the author’s familiar themes - such as privilege, wealth, class, property porn, misogyny and family friction - and weaves them through the narrative with a perfected skill. This book is very much about character and one of the reasons I am so fond of it is because of how complex and realistic they are. Candlish expertly blurs the lines between right and wrong, good and bad to create a cast of characters that are all simultaneously vile and sympathetic. There are so many layers to each and every one, all playing out beautifully with the overarching plot.
Listening to this as an audiobook this time (I have previously read the novel), I was in awe of how brilliantly Tuppence Middleton managed to embody all of the different characters. She brings each to life in a unique and distinctive way. She captures the various personality traits with aplomb. It is hard to believe that the narrator who brings vulnerability, sadness and a softness to Sissy, also brings the pompous bombast and irritatingly entitled confidence of Ralph to life. This novel worked really well in audio and I loved how the events being told from different perspectives (including snippets of police enquiries) translated all of the mystery and suspense that I recalled from when I first read the book.
If you’re a fan of audiobooks, this is definitely a must listen. If you’re a fan of addictive, frighteningly plausible crime fiction, then this book is for you in any format!