Review – Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent @lizzienugent #newrelease #family #dysfunction #psychological

StoreyBook Reviews 

 

 

Synopsis

 

This story begins with a funeral. One of three brothers is dead, mourned by his siblings. But which one? And how? And, most importantly: why?

William, Brian, and Luke are each born a year apart in a lower middle class Catholic family in 1960s Dublin. William, the eldest, rises to the top of the heap in the film industry as a successful movie producer. Luke, the baby of the family, surprises everyone by morphing into a worldwide pop star. Brian, the compliant middle son, is the eternal adult in the room: the helpful, steady one, the manager of finances and careers.

But none of them is actually quite what he seems. Wounded by childhood, they have betrayed one another in myriad ways, hiding behind little lies that have developed into full blown treachery. With an unnerving eye for the complexities of families, Nugent delves into the secret life of a deeply troubled household and provides stunning insights into the many forces that shape us from childhood.

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo

 

 

Review

 

I have seen dysfunctional families but this one takes the cake. Three brothers that seem to despise each other, a self-absorbed mother and a father that doesn’t stand up for much of anything makes for an interesting family dynamic.

This book has sections for each brother and flips from year to year, and not in order. The saying that there is always more than one side to a story could not be any truer in this book. Each incident is told from each brother’s point of view and how they interpreted what was happening at the time. William is first, then Brian, and then Luke. Each brother’s story tends to paint them in a better light, but what is the real truth to the events that occurred? Perhaps there is a little bit of truth to each side with reality somewhere in the middle.

I was intrigued when the story started because I had no idea which brother was in the coffin. You get some hints, but are they reliable? I suspected two of the brothers at different points based on the text, but I was quite surprised by how the story unfolded. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect that ending.

I don’t think I liked any of the brothers but at times they each redeemed themselves, at least for a moment. They each have their own struggles that have to be dealt with and how they handle them is unique to each of their personalities. Sadly, this family could have used some counseling when they were younger.

This book covers so many hot topics such as the #metoo movement, marriage equality, alcoholism, drug use, various diseases (1 could be a spoiler so no specifics here!), narcissism, and possibly even child abuse or neglect. I had a hard time putting this book down. It was a train wreck waiting to happen. But that is what makes this book work in my eyes.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Liz Nugent worked as a stage manager in theatres in Ireland and toured internationally before writing extensively for radio and television drama.

Unravelling Oliver was published in 2014, hit the number 1 spot for several weeks and won Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.

Lying in Wait, published in 2016, went straight to number 1 and was chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club. It won the Radio 1 Ryan Tubridy Listeners Choice Award at the Irish Book Awards.

In October 2017, Liz won the Irish Tatler Woman of the Year Award in Literature.

Skin Deep was published in 2018. It also went straight to number 1 in the bestsellers charts and scooped two awards at the An Post Irish Book Awards in Nov ’18: Crime Novel of the Year AND the Radio 1 Ryan Tubridy Listener’s Choice Award.

 

Website * Twitter

Recommended Posts

Children christmas excerpt

Excerpt – Princess Sophie and the Christmas Elixir by Mike Martin

    Synopsis Princess Sophie and the Magic Elixir is the story of a young girl who loves Christmas. When she sees that the people of Melodica are losing their Christmas spirit, she sets out to help them rekindle their magic. At the end she finds that all we really need is to believe in […]

StoreyBook Reviews 
Cozy Giveaway Guest Post LGBTQ+ mystery

Guest Post & Giveaway – Plausible Deception by Dwain Lee

    Plausible Deception Mystery/Detective/LGBT/Quozy Setting: Primarily Los Angeles/Anaheim CA; Louisville KY; New York NY Publisher: Butler Books (October 15, 2024) Paperback: 332 pages ISBN 978-1-964530-02-4   Synopsis There’s only one Jackson Stradivarius. Welcome to the arcane world of handcrafted, professional violins. Master luthier Greg Zhu and his husband, Presbyterian minister Dan Randolph, travel to […]

StoreyBook Reviews 
4 paws fiction Review women

Review – Don’t Let Me Keep You by Kathie Giorgio

  Synopsis Motherhood is a symphony, from the first movement, through crescendo after crescendo, to the finale. Hildy Halverson, a genius in math and science, is pushed by her parents to step into a male-dominated field and change the world for women. But Hildy, enamored of the scientific force of the human body, and her […]

StoreyBook Reviews