This was a real psychological thriller. It really makes one think and be aware of all the biological & external circumstances that can affect & alter one's life. I enjoyed the way this story was presented, working backwards to literally "unravel" the story. The different perspectives all tied the story together nicely.

I feel that my rating might be misleading. This was an excellent book, just not what I expected from the description, and not what I expected overall.

Unraveling Oliver is told through the viewpoint of several people who know, or have known Oliver. They are telling his story because Oliver, in a fit, beat his wife Alice, who is now in a coma. So how did he get here? We learn Oliver's backstory and a few side stories. Oliver has had a tough life.

I wasn't satisfied with the story. I know a lot of people are going to be all over this book, because, as I said, it IS a good book. Just not for me.

Oliver Ryan has never displayed any violent tendencies and, as far as any of his acquaintances know, Oliver's brutal assault of his sweet, shy wife is wholly shocking. Through the perspectives of different characters who have known Oliver over the course of his life the reader uncovers, or, shall we say, "unravels", the person behind the seemingly put-together, if distant, Oliver.

While well-written and certainly engaging (I read through this novel in nearly one sitting--it's a fast 250 or so pages) this thriller was not for me. Oliver is a psychopathic monster and right out of the gate, from the first few lines of the book, I hated him. No perspective did anything to make him more human or to remotely endear him or justify him in any way. An entire book devoted to the deconstruction of a character who is ferociously unsympathetic is not for me. The bizarre incorporation of race and mental disability further pushed me away from the novel. Stars for good writing but not a book I would recommend.

My Rating: 2/5

This book was creepy in all the right ways. It was a bit of reverse of normal psychologic thrillers. In this one, we know who the perpetrator is and what he’s done, we just don’t know the essence of who he is. The story is a really slow but satisfying reveal of an ugly man hiding behind a manipulative, handsome exterior.

There were just so many parts of the book that left me with the shivers - one being Oliver being clearly an awful human being but also a children’s author which was just all sorts of wrong to me. I definitly felt sorry for him sometimes because of his sad childhood but some of the things he does are awful.

Parts of this book might not read as well for a non-Irish audience, particularly Barney’s chapters as a lot of his phrasing is very stereotypical Irish (and correct). I personally liked it because I know a lot of people who do talk like that but i wonder how such language and phrasing would be to non-Irish people.

Say what? Totaling engaging. Page turner, Grabbed me from sentence one. Sinister....Evil....Loved it!!

The premise of this novel is what caught my attention: a handsome, charming children's author beats his wife into a coma. What could have possibly led to this incredible act of anger and violence? The only way to truly know is to delve into the accounts of the people who knew the couple best-- family, friends, neighbors, lovers, and Oliver himself.

By all accounts, this should have been a fascinating look into the mind of a sociopath. In reality, it was extremely boring. I think the issue is that Oliver and Alice themselves are not terribly interesting people. Alice, though described as kind and sweet, is meek and unassuming. She doesn't grab the reader's attention, but rather fades into the background. In fact, even after finishing the novel, I still don't feel I know her very well at all. There was a palpable distance between her and the reader that prevented me from connecting with her or caring about her. And Oliver, despite all of the devilish charm and handsomeness attributed to him, was hardly a compelling villain. Rather, he came across as a narcissistic, selfish bore. I didn't care to read about his background, nor did I find the big reveal at the end very satisfying.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.

Oliver is an unlikeable character, but readers will continue turning the pages to understand what brought him to the point of violently attacking his wife in the opening scene.

A tightly knit psychologic thriller. A complicated plot that comes together perfectly to illuminate Oliver's mental and emotional state; it leaves no loose ends.

Where to begin. This book is so well written, and I liked how the different characters told their story.
It is about a deeply disturbed man whose childhood was the cause of his immoral ways and how it impacted the lives of many. I could not put it down and highly recommend same.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review. This was a great read. It literally starts with a punch in the face. Oliver Ryan is a famous author of children's books who married his illustrator. Who doesn't thank that's romantic? Little does his wife Alice or anyone else realize that Oliver is a monster. He is charming, debonair, calm, and deadly handsome but then Alice makes a discovery that causes Oliver to snap. This is a tale told from several points of view as the people in Oliver's and Alice's life try to piece together exactly what went wrong and how. Even Oliver has his say. Liz Nugent did a wonderful job of piecing all the narratives together and making them fit into a perfectly horrible jigsaw. Well worth the read!

I couldn't put it down! Loved the viewpoints from different characters. Great read!

Now that's a great story! Told from various points of view from the characters in the book, the people in Olivers life are trying to make sense out of the brutal attack on his wife after a eating dinner one evening. Oliver and Alice work together, he a writer, she's an illustrator and illustrates his books.
The story takes us back to Oliver's youth, his growing up years, college and then post college up until he beats the life out of Alice.
All told by those in his life, Oliver doesn't really have friends so these are people close enough to him to give us the history. This goes back and forth across the years, right up until that defining moment.
I loved the way the book was written and it flowed. Was easily read and moved you through the story connecting dots as it went. Oh so many secrets and lies.
For me the very best part was the epilogue. I can't so spoilers but when you read it. It's all there in black and white.
I highly recommend this book. It's a must read.

**arc from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for a fair review**