Fear by Dirk Kurbjuweit #bookreview

About Fear

YOU'D DIE FOR YOUR FAMILY.

BUT WOULD YOU KILL FOR THEM?

Family is everything.

So what if yours was being terrorised by a neighbour – a man who doesn’t listen to reason, whose actions become more erratic and sinister with each passing day? And those you thought would help – the police, your lawyer – can’t help you.

You become afraid to leave your family at home alone. But there’s nothing more you can do to protect them.

Is there?

'FEAR shifts our moral codes. It makes us sympathetic to violent revenge, accessories to murder. Do we want the victim to survive? No, we don't' - HERMAN KOCH, bestselling author of THE DINNER

My review of Fear

Wow! Where do I start with this book review? I absolutely loved Fear for its originality, creeping sense of unease and that knowledge that everything that happened was completely believable, and could happen to any one of us. This really is a compelling and challenging psychological thriller.

Fear is the first novel by Dirk Kurbjuweit to be translated from his native German, but is the author's seventh novel. He writes with cutting clarity, having based the novel om real life vents, those of being stalked. This somehow makes the events of the novel even more chilling.

Dieter Tiberius is the stalker. He lives in the basement flat. A man of a different social class to the rest of the building, and to the Tiefenthaler family: Randolph and his wife, who have two small children. He is described as being different from the very beginning of the story. He looks different and he acts differently, he is an outsider. From the way that his character is displayed on the page, we should be fearful of him. Does he deserve the violent revenge that is bestowed upon him? This is where the novel is very clever, in that my moral compass shifted as I read through the pages.

We learn at the beginning of the story that Hermann Tiefenthaler, father to Randolph, is in prison for manslaughter. The victim is Dieter Tiberius, but the true nature io the crime, and exactly what happened are not revealed until the very end of the story. We read Randolph's thoughts about what has happened, his relationship with his father, past and present and how he perceives his relationship to be with his wife. This is very much a slow burning and dark read about revenge and the need to protect your family at all costs. To completely understand the  motives of the Tiefenthaler family, we need to understand them, their character, and this is what the author does beautifully, through the telling of stories, encounters and how life was for Randolph growing up in a household that was full of guns.

Fear tackles some serious issues. Those of gun ownership, child abuse, social inequality and social class. How we are raised and the social class we are elevated to, all have equal importance in this novel. For me though, the heart of this novel came down to the fact that because the police would bot protect Randolph and his family from the torrent of psychological abuse that they were receiving, they felt they had to take matters into their own hands. The law is powerless to protect them from psychological abuse. This is in itself an interesting concept, that of a psychological attack, the written word, one spoken word against another. Whose version of events do we really believe?

Fear is a challenging read. Do we believe Randolph? Do we empathise with the victim? The real question is, how far would you go to protect your family? It will leave you reeling. My thoughts kept coming back to this book, days after reading it. This book is not published until January next year and it already has a huge following on social media. This book is going to be huge, and for very good reasons.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy.

Fear is published January 25th 2018 by Orion Publishing Group. You can pre order the book on Amazon here.

About the author

Dirk Kurbjuweit is deputy editor-in-chief at Der Spiegel, where he has worked since 1999, and divides his time between Berlin and Hamburg. He has received numerous awards for his writing, including the Egon Erwin Kisch Prize for journalism, and is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels, many of which, including Fear, have been adapted for film, television and radio in Germany. Fear is the first of his works to be translated into English.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman #bookreview

About Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

 

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

 

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

 

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

 

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than… fine?

My review of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a book, that once read, is never forgotten. This book really touched me, it is about the kindness of strangers, the fact that life is for living and that we are all equal and deserving of love. At first glance you might be fooled into thinking that this is a kind of light, romantic read about a slightly quirky female in her early thirties, but you would be wrong. This book has incredibly deep roots. It makes you question what life is all about and our relationship with others. I loved this deeply dark and bittersweet tale.

When we first meet Eleanor, she is living her life to a strict structure doing the same things, day in, day out. Her social skills are somewhat lacking, and I did wonder if she had Asperger's syndrome, doe to her routines, lack of social awareness, special interests and difficulty with communicating with others. But as the book progressed as I was not sure if this was the case. I began to think that Eleanor had built a kind of self inflicted prison around herself, due to her upbringing and past circumstances. In essence she had chosen to isolate herself, believing that she was not worthy of love or even friendship.

On paper this novel should read as a sad and slightly quirky story. A woman who eats alone, has no friends and who drinks a couple of bottles of vodka every weekend. But surprisingly this book is incredibly upbeat, inspiring and full of hope. This is due to a few factors. For starters the dialogue is fast, sharp and witty, and I found Eleanor hilarious. This is a woman who says things as she finds them, there is no filter (another reason I thought she might be on the autistic spectrum) and I loved this about her. You get the unvarnished truth from  her. This is one of the reasons that Eleanor does not have many friends, as she seems different, unapproachable, her colleagues do not know what to make of her. But, for me, her dialogue and ways of seeing the world were completely refreshing and I loved this aspect of her character.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is also rooted in normality. I loved the array of characters that Eleanor meets, the new IT guy at the office, Raymond, who becomes a friend, and the various other characters that she meets because of the 'one act of kindness' that changes everything. For me the interaction between her and Raymond is charming and poignant. Their dialogue is natural, almost raw, and I found myself willing their next interaction to see how their friendship would blossom.

This book is a dark, and at times, disturbing read. It does deal with some fairly serious issues including abuse and depression. But all of these issues are not in the novel to sensationalise, but rather to add depth and understanding to the characters, they are integral to the story, they are a part of Eleanor. But as I have already said, these issue for me did not dampen the fact that this book is incredibly uplifting and hopeful. It gave me the feeling that thee is good out there, and that there is a special someone for everyone.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a fresh, original and inspiring book about a woman who is afraid of change and who is chained to her past. But, with the help of others and by being brave, Eleanor learns that life is more than being 'fine'.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is published by HarperCollins on 18 May 2017. It can be found d on Amazon here.

This Much is True by Jane Sanderson

 

About This Much is True

After decades in a deeply unhappy marriage, Annie Doyle can barely bring herself to care that her husband Vince is finally about to die.

 

But as the family gathers to see out his final days, Vince utters a single word that will change everyone's lives forever:

 

'Martha.'

 

Who is Martha? And why is Annie so quick to dismiss the mention of her name?

 

As Annie's long-held secrets start to emerge, the lives of everyone she holds dear will be changed forever...

My Review of This Much is True

 

This Much is True is a story that I devoured in a few sittings. It is a tale of family, love and protecting everything that is most dear to you... at any cost. I loved this book, as it brought home to me the importance of family and friendship, as well as highlighting the strength and resilience of women. It was also an engaging and thought provoking read.

Annie Doyle is the narrator and protagonist of the story, it is her story, or rather her two stories that she shares with us. The Annie of the present day and, the Annie who she was when she first met her now husband, Vince. Both stories are fascinating, and it is as we learn about her past, that we come to understand why things are as they are in the present. We come to understand why she no longer loves Vince, so that the once cold appearing woman we meet at the beginning of the novel, is given perspective and meaning. We gradually understand why she acts and feels this way.

The book is full of wonderful characters, that I grew to know very well throughout the story. We meet the two sons, Michael and Andrew. Michael still lives at home with Annie and comes across a rude and dislikable character. However, through the chapters that describe Annie's past, we soon learn why he acts the way he does, and I thought that this part of the book was well written and well researched. In direct contrast, Andrew lives on the other side of the work, in Australia, with his wife and two young sons. He is the more likeable and caring of the two brothers, and there is certainly no love loss between them. The whole family dynamics between the brothers, plus Annie and Vince, fascinated me, as the way in which all families do. What was particularly fascinating was how they interacted with each other, and then, of how they all responded to the word, 'Martha' on Vince's deathbed. This is when the story really begins, as we watch how they all react to each other, and the resulting changes that are then set in motion between them.

This book is also about friendship, or rather lack of friendship, as Annie finds it difficult to confide in otters and to form friendships. It is through her dog, that she finds the friendship of two very different women, Josie and Sandra. Now, Josie I liked instantly, but Sandra took some getting used to, which just taught me that you need to really get to know someone before you judge them.

This book is very much about the ties that bind, the issue of making and keeping a family and ultimately a mother's love and the limits she will stretch to in order to keep her family together.

This Much is True is hugely enjoyable, with a wonderful twist at the end, that I never saw coming. If you love family dramas  and books that explore why people act the way they do, then this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Kindle edition is published by Orion on 20 April, paperback on 1 June. It is available for pre order on Amazon here.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy.

 

About the Author

Jane Sanderson was born in South Yorkshire. She studied English at Leicester University, then after graduating she became a journalist. After a series of jobs with local newspapers she joined the BBC where she worked as a producer for Radio 4, first on the World at One, and then on Woman's Hour. She lives with her husband, the Independent journalist and author Brian Viner, and their three children in rural Herefordshire.

Don't Look Behind You by Mel Sherratt

About Don't Look Behind You

The small city of Stockleigh is in shock as three women are brutally attacked within days of each other. Are they random acts of violence or is there a link between the victims? For Detective Eden Berrisford, it’s her most chilling case yet.

The investigation leads Eden to cross paths with Carla, a woman trying to rebuild her life after her marriage to a cruel and abusive man ended in unimaginable tragedy. Her husband Ryan was imprisoned for his crimes but, now he’s out and coming for her.

As Eden starts to close in on the attacker, she also puts herself in grave danger. Can she stop him before he strikes again? And can Carla, terrified for her life, save herself - before the past wreaks a terrible revenge?

An absolutely gripping and chilling police procedural which will hook fans of Angela Marsons and Rachel Abbott.

My review of Don't Look Behind You

Don't Look Behind You is the second book in the Detective Eden Berrisford series. I had read, and loved, the first book, The Girls Next Door, so was very much looking forward to reading this book. Well, I wasn't disappointed and thought that it was even more gripping than the first, with an even darker element to its core.

 

This book focusses upon the subject of domestic violence, so is not an easy, nor lighthearted read. It tackles the gritty reality of abuse and of how women feel trapped and of how they find it difficult to firstly escape, and to then build a new life for themselves. Ms Sherratt writes with both empathy and knowledge upon this subject, and the women are treated with dignity and respect.

 

So, the book focusses upon the sexual attacks of three women, in the same local area. The attacks become increasingly brutal in nature and Eden is certain that she is looking for the same attacker. The descriptions of the attacks are not graphic in nature, but the author writes in such a way that we understand what has happened. Greater importance is placed upon the time following the attack and how the attack impacts upon the woman. These passages were carefully and sensitively written.

 

As well as the burial attacks on lone women that are taking place, we are also introduced to several women who either live and/or work in the women's refuge. Although the book deals with domestic abuse, and the victimisation of women, the women in this book are not portrayed as victims, but rather survivors, who are tough and determined to carry on with their lives. We meet Carla, who is a counsellor at the refuge, and who has managed to build a new life for herself after her ex husband was imprisoned for violence. But has she managed to truly escape him? Will she be forever looking over her shoulder? This is the real question that we ask while reading her harrowing accounts of her past life.

 

Don't Look Behind You  is a story that is predominantly about the abuse and victimisation of women. But, the author helps to shed life on the taboo of domestic violence and to start a conversation. As I have already mentioned, these women are portrayed as strong and resourceful women, not victims, never victims, as they will not allow their abuser to dictate how they should live their lives, they are stronger than their abuser.

 

This novel is obviously a dark and difficult read. Eden herself has her own lie challenges with regards to her estranged husband, and these aspects of her life are interspersed within the story. However, although it is dark, it is an important book. To represent characters who come to life on the page, and who tell their own unique stories of their abuse, is a huge achievement. I had to know what would happen to them and who the brutal attacker was, and I was kept in the dark unit the very end.

 

Don't Look Behind You is an emotive roller coaster of a read, and one which I highly recommend.

 

Don't Look Behind You is published by Bookouture on Jan 31 and is available to buy from Amazon here.

 

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy.

Behind Closed Doors by B A Paris

About Behind Closed Doors - from Amazon

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do.

You’d like to get to know Grace better.

But it’s difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart.

Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows.

My review of Behind Closed Doors

After reading all of the hype surrounding Behind Closed Doors, I knew that I had to read it. With so many comparing it to Gone Girl (which I loved) I wondered if the book would live up to my expectations? The good news is that it did. I really enjoyed this book, although in my mind it was very different to Gone Girl, in that I think it was more of a psychological drama than a psychological suspense novel. From the very beginning we know what will happen (and the blurb pretty much gives it away) but the drama and fast pace of the book comes from the need to know of why things happen and what the conclusion will be. I found myself frantically turning the pages with the need to know what would happen next.

I found this book truly frightening because what happens could happen to anyone. It brings up the questions: how well do we know our friends? Do they really have a perfect marriage? It really makes us question what we see with our own eyes and the realty of what could actually be going on behind closed doors. The answer is, we will never know.

This book is incredibly difficult to review without giving the plot away. Told form Grace's point of view, we read present day chapters that are intermingled with chapters from a year ago. Together they help us to form a picture of what has happened, what is happening and how things will end. Much of this book's success is down to Grace and the fact that we empathise with her, we are with her every step of the way throughout her journey. I found that I walked in her shoes, and where I was standing was very uncomfortable indeed.

My favourite character in the book though was Millie. Grace's younger sister who has Down's syndrome. The bond that they share I found particularly heart-warming and the fact that Grace would do anything for her - and vice versa very humbling. I found Millie to be the strongest character in the book and I had a huge respect for her. Sadly, I felt a little let down regarding the social aspects of Millie's care and that certain statements in the book (that are central to the plot) were simply factually incorrect. Although this did not detract from the enjoyment of the book, it did make the central events surrounding Millie unbelievable, and this I felt was a shame. Perhaps with more research on Down's syndrome and how individuals are cared for and supported in the community, then this particular storyline within the novel could have been far tighter.

I really did enjoy Behind Closed Doors. It was a haunting and disturbing read, in that what happened to Grace could happen to any woman.

Behind Closed Doors can be bought from Amazon here