Unraveling Oliver
Ratings6
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings6
Average rating3.8
"In this "compelling, clever, and dark" (Heat magazine) thriller, a man's shocking act of savagery stuns a local community-and the revelations that follow will keep you gripped until the very last page. This work of psychological suspense, a #1 bestseller in Ireland, is perfect for fans of Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Ware. "I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her." So begins Liz Nugent's astonishing debut novel--a chilling, elegantly crafted, and psychologically astute exploration of the nature of evil. Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together they write and illustrate award-winning children's books; their life together one of enviable privilege and ease--until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma. In the aftermath of such an unthinkable event, as Alice hovers between life and death, the couple's friends, neighbors, and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act. As his story unfolds, layers are peeled away to reveal a life of shame, envy, deception, and masterful manipulation. With its alternating points of view and deft prose, Unraveling Oliver is "a page-turning, one-sitting read from a brand new master of psychological suspense" (Sunday Independent) that details how an ordinary man can transform into a sociopath"--
"A brilliant, compulsively readable debut novel -- and a #1 bestseller in the author's native Ireland -- about the truth behind a shocking act of savagery, and the profound lies and deceptions that come to light in its wake"--
Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together they write and illustrate award-winning children's books; their life one of privilege and ease-- until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma. As Alice hovers between life and death, the couple's friends, neighbors, and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act.
Reviews with the most likes.
The book starts off with Oliver confessing that he has hit his wife Alice so badly that she has gone into a coma and might never come out of it. After that, we get to know their story through multiple POVs and timelines – young and teenage Oliver, Alice's first boyfriend, their neighbor, Oliver's old friends, Alice's mentally challenged brother and the details of the summer of 1973.
I really had high expectations from this book and I was disappointed. We are told that Oliver is a psychopath in the beginning itself and the book is supposed to unravel the truth about him, but I did not get that. The story is well written, multiple timelines are managed quite smoothly, and overall it was a good read. It never got boring and I really enjoyed a couple of the side characters. I also especially liked the subplot in France. But the book promised so much more, so I am a little dissatisfied.
I read this right on the tails of finishing The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronsen. Though not planned, it felt like the perfect warmup read before encountering Oliver. I appreciated how the author focused this story on the slow makings of a psychopath, how nature and nurture contribute to corrode human empathy.
