Scan barcode
A review by oknazareth
Knives + Forks by Lorcan Volkov
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This little book reads like a fever dream—the kind where you hover between reality and something else entirely.
“On June summer mornings in Ireland there’s a feeling of magic in the air. It’s a time when the unexpected can happen. Sometimes the unexpected can be good, which is great. But sometimes the unexpected can be fabulously bad, which can be even better.”
That’s exactly what this book feels like.
I enjoyed the story very much. The author’s voice and style reminded me of Great Expectations by Dickens. I’m not saying it has the same literary greatness, but it made me smile, laugh, and reflect on life in a similar way.
Brendan is a self-assured, middle aged doctor from Cork, Ireland—a successful family man who thinks highly of himself. Trevor, on the surface, is a copy of Brendan with more money but less successful, with only a wife and no other real achievements—at least, according to Brendan’s perspective.
I enjoyed the story very much. The author’s voice and style reminded me of Great Expectations by Dickens. I’m not saying it has the same literary greatness, but it made me smile, laugh, and reflect on life in a similar way.
Brendan is a self-assured, middle aged doctor from Cork, Ireland—a successful family man who thinks highly of himself. Trevor, on the surface, is a copy of Brendan with more money but less successful, with only a wife and no other real achievements—at least, according to Brendan’s perspective.
“Trevor was one of those people who was good at all the wrong things.”
A year after their one-night stand, everything spirals into the strangest of endings. I’m still not sure what truly happened. Who played who? Who planned it all? Was any of it real, or just a creation of Brendan’s mind? I fear we’ll never know—and that’s okay.
Read this book for the fun of it. Don’t expect flowery prose or a grand, satisfying resolution. It simply is—and I believe that’s exactly what the author intended. What that ‘is’ might be? I still don’t know. But I read it, and I liked it.
*Thank you NetGalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.