Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall
Publication date 3rd May 2018
368 pages
Century
Book Description:
This is a love story. Mike’s love story.
Mike Hayes fought his way out of a brutal childhood and into a quiet, if lonely life, before he met Verity Metcalf. V taught him about love, and in return, Mike has dedicated his life to making her happy. He’s found the perfect home, the perfect job, he’s sculpted himself into the physical ideal V has always wanted. He knows they’ll be blissfully happy together.
It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t been returning his emails or phone calls.
It doesn’t matter that she says she’s marrying Angus.
It’s all just part of the secret game they used to play. If Mike watches V closely, he’ll see the signs. If he keeps track of her every move he’ll know just when to come to her rescue…
A spellbinding, darkly twisted novel about desire and obsession, and the complicated lines between truth and perception, Our Kind of Cruelty introduces Araminta Hall, a chilling new voice in psychological suspense.
Mike Hayes fought his way out of a brutal childhood and into a quiet, if lonely life, before he met Verity Metcalf. V taught him about love, and in return, Mike has dedicated his life to making her happy. He’s found the perfect home, the perfect job, he’s sculpted himself into the physical ideal V has always wanted. He knows they’ll be blissfully happy together.
It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t been returning his emails or phone calls.
It doesn’t matter that she says she’s marrying Angus.
It’s all just part of the secret game they used to play. If Mike watches V closely, he’ll see the signs. If he keeps track of her every move he’ll know just when to come to her rescue…
A spellbinding, darkly twisted novel about desire and obsession, and the complicated lines between truth and perception, Our Kind of Cruelty introduces Araminta Hall, a chilling new voice in psychological suspense.
My Thoughts:
I have to admit that I struggled with the first 50% of this book, but all of a sudden things picked up and I was hooked.
Mike and Verity are a strange couple and I couldn't decide whether MIke was delusional or whether there was more to Verity than we are allowed to see. The whole book is narrated from Mike's obsessional point of view. After a horrendous childhood with an absent father and an alcoholic mother Mike struggles to trust anyone and finds making friends and any social interaction particularly difficult. This therefore influences his relationship with Verity greatly, so when they split up he really cannot believe that she has moved on with her life and is getting married.
No matter who tries to tell him that the relationship is over he continues to believe that Verity still loves him and there are hidden messages in everything she says or does, even after he attends hers and Angus Wedding.
Things come to a violent head with tragic results but even as he stands in the dock with evidence being presented to the judge and jury he still cannot compute that the relationship is over and continues to make plans for their future together.
I found this quite a disturbing book to read as every situation is completely credible from Mike's point of view and hence has you asking question after question as to what the reality of the story is.
As a debut this is an absolutely brilliant example of a psychological thriller, with layer upon layer of deceit within each of the main characters. How much is truth and how much is in Mike's mind will have you puzzling over for hours after you finish the book.
Mike and Verity are a strange couple and I couldn't decide whether MIke was delusional or whether there was more to Verity than we are allowed to see. The whole book is narrated from Mike's obsessional point of view. After a horrendous childhood with an absent father and an alcoholic mother Mike struggles to trust anyone and finds making friends and any social interaction particularly difficult. This therefore influences his relationship with Verity greatly, so when they split up he really cannot believe that she has moved on with her life and is getting married.
No matter who tries to tell him that the relationship is over he continues to believe that Verity still loves him and there are hidden messages in everything she says or does, even after he attends hers and Angus Wedding.
Things come to a violent head with tragic results but even as he stands in the dock with evidence being presented to the judge and jury he still cannot compute that the relationship is over and continues to make plans for their future together.
I found this quite a disturbing book to read as every situation is completely credible from Mike's point of view and hence has you asking question after question as to what the reality of the story is.
As a debut this is an absolutely brilliant example of a psychological thriller, with layer upon layer of deceit within each of the main characters. How much is truth and how much is in Mike's mind will have you puzzling over for hours after you finish the book.
My thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
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