Little Cruelties

I really enjoyed the unique spin of this thriller which focuses on the three different brothers perspectives and which zooms in on intimate moments and memories the brothers shared from each of their different perspectives.

This novel follows three brothers: Will, Brian and Luke and the secrets that they share and also hide from one another and how it leads to all of their downfalls. Will the eldest is a professional producer of movies. Brian the middle child is a English teacher that spends some time in Paris working before becoming the family manager. And finally there is Luke the youngest who becomes an Irish pop sensation before eventually winding up washed up.

I previously read Skin Deep by Liz Nugent and loved it and was expecting that dark and brooding vibe that I found so propulsive in her precious thrillers. But this book is much more of a slow read and if I am being honest it was drawn out for a little bit too long. The last third reinforced each brothers deplorable behaviour and resulted in the reader remaining indifferent to the final plot twist which was unfortunate. If that was the purpose from the author I think it was a shame as I have found in previous thrillers dark characters very multifaceted and layered. Which has allowed me to both hate their behaviour but be shocked or sad about their sufferings. In this book I did not feel any connection to the main characters and so found the last third became more of a drag than pleasurable.

This book has some very strong elements to it. I loved the family dramas and the microscopic look this book takes into events and memories. I also enjoyed how this book tied well into its cultural landscape with the references to the #MeToo movement and current affairs. I liked the character development of the brothers and the intensity of our relationship as a reader to their most vulnerable moments.

But I unfortunately think this isn't the book I was expecting from the blurb and from the author. A good read but not as enjoyable as Skin Deep. However I love this author and will continue to read this authors other books.

Thanks to the author Liz Nugent, Penguin UK and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I liked how it began, after a while it felt like Nugent didn't get to the point, but, luckily, the last third saved the book's ass and redeemed the two other thirds that, at times, had felt a bit pointless.

I really disliked the last chapter from Daisy's perspective. It felt to me as if Nugent had suddenly forgotten what the book was about and blamed all of the happenings on the psychological condition Luke and Daisy were suffering from. It took away the focus from all the other shit that happened and that had nothing to do with Luke or Daisy. Imo, Daisy had enough issues without whatever Luke had to be damaged for a lifetime. I wish there would've been some sort of one-page monologue from Brian's or Will's perspective how they had ruined their lives by killing their brother, but owed it to Daisy to do everything in their power to make her life worth living yada yada.

I think this book might be a perfect candidate for a reread in a couple years – I think the beginning and middle part will really profit from the reader knowing the ending.

Lately I've been reading mostly crime thrillers. And after finishing Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent, I'm still trying to decide if that is what it is or not. Heck, I'm still trying to decide what I thought of it. But that's not a bad thing, is it? Books that leave you thinking are usually really good ones.

Plot Details
The Drumm brothers, William, Brian, and Luke, are only a few years apart. You'd have thought they might be close growing up, but they are just so different. Little Cruelties tells their story from each of their points of view in turn. At the end, all three brothers are at a funeral. But only one of them is in the casket. Which one is it?

My Thoughts
Little Cruelties definitely gives you a lot to think about. Each chapter is about what happened in different years in the lives of the Drumm brothers. You get to see all points of view – William's, Brian's, and Luke's. As you get deeper into the book, you find out secrets that some brothers knew about the others. The brothers themselves also find out more, both about each other and themselves.

I hesitate to define this as a crime thriller. It's definitely a psychological thriller, but even then, is it really a thriller? One thing I can be sure of, it's a family drama. Because this family has a lot of drama, that's a given. It's kind of a mystery, since you don't even know which brother dies, just that one of them does. But why, and how? And what does it have to do with the other two? Lots of questions, so I guess you might say it's suspense.

This book is really hard for me to rate. On one hand, part of me wants to give it three out of five stars, because it wasn't what I was looking for. But, on the other hand, if I had been suspecting more of a family drama, then I wouldn't have any problem rating it four stars. It handles each character with sensitivity, but is not overly sympathetic towards them, which is a good thing. If you're looking for a crime thriller, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you want some good psychological suspense in the form of a family drama, this one was pretty hard to put down. Grab it when it comes out in the US on November 10.

Rating: 4/5