Recently Read….

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Hater CoverSo maybe you remember a while back I mentioned picking up this book? I finished it like last week or week before last and I’ve been wanting to blog about it because reading it was really interesting.

You see, for the first 2/3 of the book, I hated the main protagonist. Haha I know funny right? Haters…Hated. BUt I did, he was a bitchy little whiner constantly going on and on about how shit never went right –in truth he struck me as a loser — but I was so fascinated by some of the stuff going on around him that I kept reading. Then about 2/3 of the way through, things changed. I almost can’t say without giving spoilers so my apologies but I liked the protagonist more once he became “infected”. Weird maybe but there you go. I can see where some readers might not have the patience to wait for the big payoff because for the most part, the book is a slow set-up, escalation to about that 2/3 point. Some peeps might have expected it, but I didn’t. And I def can see where this book might not be for everyone…..I know, not a great review but truly a fascinating book.

Here’s the blurb:

Originally self-published, Moody’s nail-biter of a debut plausibly creates a nightmare world. Danny McCoyne, an employee of the Parking Fine Processing office in an unnamed, possibly British city, barely manages to support his wife and children. Things get a lot worse after incidents of random violence escalate to a condition that threatens the social fabric of the country. Those afflicted with the violent impulse are dubbed Haters. The rapid onset of the disorder, exacerbated by the frighteningly inadequate government response, leaves Danny and his family virtual prisoners in their own home. While the major twist and the final payoff aren’t particularly surprising, the sections building up to them perfectly evoke the quiet desperation of an ordinary life. Moody might have been better off explaining less, but this intelligent, well-written chiller heralds a significant new talent. Guillermo Del Toro has bought film rights. (Feb.)

Also read this weekend STILL LIFE by Joy Fielding. This was my first Fielding book though I have an (unopened) audio of hers on my bookshelf and I’ve been meaning to try her for a while. I’ll admit I got this one for free from the pub but I sure as heck wouldn’t be blogging about it if it had blown chunks. If you’re looking for a great romantic suspense–skip this one cuz there ain’t no romance to be seen here (except for a secondary character or two). But here’s the kicker….besides being a well-told thriller, which it is, the entire book is told via the POV of someone in a coma. Yes, a coma.
A. Coma.
Can you say, balls of steel AND chops? Yeah I knew you could. I’ll definitely be checking out her backlist. Here’s the link to chapter one.

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4 thoughts on “Recently Read….

  1. Though I hate to agree, an author has to be established and can write worth their chops to get a story like that published. In regards to Felding.

    Other other author…I’m impatient, not sure if I could wait 2/3 of the book to get to the “good parts”.