“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.
My Thoughts: From the shocking first pages of Unraveling Oliver to the gradually unfolding multi-layered tale brought from alternating narrators, we learn how a monster was created. I could not stop turning the pages.
As much as I felt like hating Oliver, I started to see how his circumstances, starting with the way his father treated him, set him up to become a person who could do the things he did.
Understanding him did not mean liking him or even forgiving him. I felt sad for the people he mistreated, although, in the end, I could also feel some empathy for him.
Could Oliver have risen from his circumstances and created a better life? A more honest life? Definitely others have done so, despite their own horrific beginnings.
Some of the secrets that Oliver learned about himself and his origins contributed to who he became. A final secret at the end of the book, one that would fill in some blanks about his previous lover Laura, shone some light on the mysteries of this man and some moments of unexpected selflessness that were possible from him. A 5 star read for me.
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SERENDIPITY 
I’m so intrigued by all the reviews I’ve read for this one and your comment about the final secret has me sold. I just requested the audio from my library. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks, Mary, I didn’t see that last secret coming. This book was truly fascinating!
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What a tough read and kudos to you on soldiering through that. I wouldn’t be able to. I know someone who had married into the family who bravely shared with me how in her first marriage she was physically abused. What a brave and resilient woman she is to have escaped that with her three kids and I’m glad she and my relative found one another.
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Thanks for stopping by, Stefanie, I have seen domestic violence up close in my work over the years…it is hard for women to extricate themselves from that dynamic.
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I can’t quite make up my mind about this book. In some ways it doesn’t appeal to me at all but then the concept is so unusual and intriguing I can’t help but want to read it. Your review really put this one on my To Read list. It sounds to complicated and fascinating to pass up.
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Thanks, Katherine, the beginning makes the MC sound really horrible…and he does a lot of very bad things. But as the book goes alone, we realize and understand how he became that person.
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