This a great thriller. It’s like looking at a physic into a disturbed mind. There are no surprises here : the author shows the character and how the mind builds up an act and how when you don’t get the reaction your looking for your let down and try to find another thrill . Always trying to better the disturbed mind. What happens when the character sees a female and plans on torturing her but the first hit doesn’t live up to your expectations

“I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her. She just lay on the floor … Staring at me. Silent.”

After reading these opening lines, I wasn’t sure I could continue with this book … it was going to be too disturbing and, perhaps, too gratuitously violent. But after the opening, the book became focused on the psychological, not the physical … the why, not the what … just as disturbing but in a different way.

This was a page-turner, for sure. Tensions rise as we learn more about Oliver … past and present. Deeply disturbing, yes … but also insightful (about the creation of a sociopath) and very well executed. This one twists and turns, exploring a plethora of characters who, in one way or another, had the misfortune of crossing paths with the manipulative Oliver. A well conceived psychological thriller!

You have pretty big cojones as a womanly writer when the first sentence of your novel, written from a male’s perspective, goes something like this: “I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her.” And so begins Liz Nugent’s terrific novel Unraveling Oliver. It was originally published in Ireland in 2014, but has only now made its way to Canada. It is a dizzying psychological thriller, told from various character viewpoints (a little like Rashomon), about a successful children’s author named Oliver Ryan (who writes under the pen name Vincent Dax) who beats his illustrator wife Alice one evening to the point where she is sent into a coma. The book looks back on how someone of such prestige and respect could be harbouring the traits of a sociopath.

Unraveling Oliver, then, is all backstory, going back decades to recount how Oliver came to be a wife beater. As an indictment against spousal abuse, the novel excels. We may be mortified by Oliver’s actions, but — as much as he may be a monster — he is presented as being flawed and human. To that end, he’s an interesting and even a somewhat likable and charming character — at least at first. You may not exactly be rooting for him, but you’ll come to understand why he is the way he is. And a lot of it has to do with having a father that essentially disowned him from birth. This volume, then, is a look at the relationship between the sexes viewed through the lens of paternal support or the lack thereof. But is it a riveting page-turner? You bet!

What makes this novel stand out is the fact that the multiple viewpoint angle is extremely well-done, with each character having their distinctive voice that sets them apart from the others. You have Barney, who was Alice’s poverty-row boyfriend until Oliver spirited her away. You have Michael, a gay man who had designs on Oliver at a young age and whose sister Laura is also madly in love with Oliver. You even have the perspective of Eugene, Alice’s mentally disabled brother. Each of them tells their side of the tale, which slowly unravels like an orange being peeled. The only voice that is absent is the victim’s, but that’s, alas, to be expected.

The novel whizzes along to its already-known conclusion, and the psychology of Oliver’s character begins to be revealed. Having had no parental contact or affection from a young age, Oliver turns into a cheating womanizer, and much, much worse. One is hesitant about saying too much about this novel as it may give away salient plot points. This book is best for the ignorant. The less you know, the more likely you are to be surprised and amazed at the outcome of the story.

Unraveling Oliver has won its share of acclaim already in its Irish homeland. It has won the Irish Book Award for Best Crime Novel, and has since gone on to be translated into eight languages (and I would suspect that more are on the horizon, based on the quality of the tale). As much as it is a book that has earned its share of laurels, it also is a novel about the writer’s craft — how much suffering goes into forming a perfect sentence, what constitutes as theft or plagiarism, and what sort of lives public personas (that is, successful writers) are expected to lead.

There are few faults to pick at with Unraveling Oliver. However, there is a gaping plot hole of sorts towards the book’s conclusion where one character doesn’t recognize Oliver’s work as potentially belonging to someone else. The plot hole comes from the fact that Oliver’s children's novels have been adapted into Hollywood films and stage musicals. Surely, this person would have stumbled upon the work and recognized the possible deceit earlier in the plot’s timeline. It’d be like encountering someone who hasn’t at least heard of Harry Potter or The Hunger Games. This I found to be slightly unbelievable. There’s little explanation for this other than the character is childless and has no interest in children’s literature. But surely this person would have encountered a movie poster.

The children’s stories element, though, is quite fantastic, both in the literal and figurative sense. I’m sort of hoping that someone writes the children’s books that Oliver Ryan as Vincent Dax put to paper as they sound absolutely marvelous. There’s a little bit of Jonathan Carroll-esque surrealism to their plots, and — had Unraveling Oliver had any speculative fiction elements to it aside from this — I’d say that the novel feels a lot like Carroll’s: refined and elegant in its choice of images and words.

All in all, Unraveling Oliver is a marvelous work of psychological suspense. There is enough tragedy and nail biting to keep readers glued to their seats beyond what we initially know about the double life of Oliver Ryan. It may tackle the unsavoury subject of spousal abuse (and more), but it is a delight to read to figure out just what makes Ryan tick. That so much enjoyment and entertainment can come from watching the spectacle of a celebrity crash and burn is probably apropos for this season of life, perhaps even more so than when the novel first appeared in Ireland four years ago.

There’s a lot to unravel with Unraveling Oliver, much in the way of symbolism and analogy, but it also reads well as a straight-up thriller, even if we already pretty much know what the outcome of it is. This is a wild rollercoaster ride of a novel, an intricate pleasure that unveils as it sometimes simultaneously conceals, and everything is perfected plotted to maximize your enjoyment of this book. So hang onto your hats, and climb aboard a flying chair, as Unraveling Oliver is a sheer delight. It all begins with one knock-out of a sentence, one that that will absolutely floor you and keep you there until the book cover closes for the final time.

A solid 3 star read.

Unraveling Oliver is so much more than just another thriller.

We know from the very beginning that Oliver hurt Alice. We know that Alice will not recover from what Oliver did to her ... and so this book is all about delving into the "why this happened" rather than getting to "what is going to happen".

Told through alternating points of view, we start to assemble a very real image of who Oliver is - a man with a complex past. The beauty of these narrations though aren't just in the fact that they shed light on Oliver, but rather that they also bring about their own little novellas - short little stories that don't just fill the space, but create credible characters, whom you feel of as real, actual people.

Told almost in a documentary style - someone's perspective here, another one is next, 100 pages in back to the first narrator - we get a full picture of who Oliver presented himself to be, what Alice was like, plus we get all these extra little stories: Michael coming out to himself and his family in the 1970s in Ireland; Veronique coming to terms with her massive loss; Barney's relationship with Alice and her brother ... and Oliver's very own voice; often cold, always matter-a-fact, leading us to the twists that I certainly didn't see coming until the very end.

A solid read. Quick turning, well written, recommended if you enjoy a thriller but want something a little different. (I almost want to say it's a dark version of a Maeve Binchey book).

I found Unraveling Oliver an intriguing story. I really disliked Oliver at the beginning and then I felt sorry for him but nothing forgives the treatment of his wife on the very first page. I was really interested in what everyone had to say about him and also what he had to say about his actions. Never a dull moment that's for sure.

I was definitely engaged, trying to figure out what lead to the events in the first chapter. A dark, sad and thought provoking read that digs into the psyche of a man (monster?) and the people he has touched (ruined?) over the years.

ARC generously provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I love it. Surprise until the end. Intense. Impossible to stop reading.. how the past can influence the future of many people. Shame, love, family all together. Wow

<i> Unraveling Oliver </i> is more slow-paced than one might expect considering the opening lines of the novel. That being said, I enjoyed learning about Oliver's story from the different narrators whose voices were all unique enough to keep me engaged even though I figured out the ending fairly early on. I also enjoyed the scenes in the French vineyard and the Irish dimension, elements which made the book that much more special than the average thriller.

Unraveling Oliver is a book of alternating points of view from Oliver and many of the people who were close to him as they unravel the truth as to what made Oliver beat his wife into a coma. As the story continues, the reader learns about Oliver's heart-breaking past and all the obstacles he must overcome to grow into the mesmerizing and successful man he turns into, however everything isn't as it seems..

The first chapter had me thinking that this book was going to be going in a completely different direction. It was an extremely alluring chapter! However, I felt all the remaining chapters were lackluster in comparison.

I felt like the book did a good job of of demonstrating how someone may turn into a psychopath; lying, deceiving and manipulating where ever he sees fit, but that's it. I wanted more "crazy-ness", more twists and turns! This one just didn't live up to the synopsis.

3/5 stars

I had zero expectations going into Unraveling Oliver. To be honest, I didn’t even know what it was about by the time I picked it up (had requested a copy on NetGalley months before). Unraveling Oliver is the perfect title as the deeper you dig into the story, the more Liz Nugent reveals about Oliver.

I was pleasantly surprised by how hooked I was on figuring out Oliver. There are a lot of twists and turns that you won’t see coming. The ending really ties everything together beautifully. Unraveling Oliver was a really great effort – you won’t be able to put it down!

Oliver and Alice seemingly live a charmed life but all is not as it seems and depending on who’s viewpoiint Alice is only the most recent victim. The story is laid out in narratives from different characters during key episodes in Oliver’s life. As we ‘unravel’ the stories told, we come to understand that Oliver too has been victim to a series of events both within and beyond his power. Events that have led his life in this trajectory of sociopathic behaviour. From the opening first paragraph to the final epilogue the reader is drawn in to a story of tragic circumstances and lonliness , brilliantly executed in a dark and atmospheric prose.

I disliked a lot of the characters in this book but enjoyed the story and the premise. It was a twist to view the "events" through their eyes in addition to the main character. It was a well written story.

Unraveling Oliver. The title is very apt, a perfect description for what the book entails, a slow unraveling of Oliver. This novel was described as a psychological thriller - it is not. I would firmly embed this in the literary fiction category. There is a fairly strong psychological aspect in that it is comprised of the thoughts of the individuals, as well as detailing how life events effect the psyche. There is however, no thriller aspect, its not even close. The opening is very misleading in the tone it sets for the book. Please don't misunderstand me, I enjoyed reading Unraveling Oliver and found it to be well written with lots of description, and insight into characters. I did find it to have a rather meandering pace with not much actually happening, it's mostly comprised of contemplation. Each character contemplates Oliver and past experiences with him, while he contemplates life and his own past experiences. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good literary fiction, but absolutely would not recommend it to someone interested in a thriller. 3.5 stars

**I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review**

This book had an amazing opening sentence and followed it up with a terrific first chapter. I was hooked and looked forward to an engaging reading experience. Unfortunately, it kind of petered out after that for me.

The story itself was interesting enough, and I give Liz Nugent credit for telling it in such a creative fashion. Multiple POVs in a story can be a minefield to navigate and she did it well. Where this book lost points for me was the choice of narrative style. The book reads like a series of interviews so that you aren't shown the story so much as your told the story. I found that style to be detrimental to creating any suspense.

For me, the book was good but not great.

3 stars.

An intriguing read, although not as much of as a "thriller" as I was anticipating. I loved the mystery behind the characters and moving between points of view with the characters. Oliver is a mysterious and complicated person who destroys many of the lives he comes in contact with. Alice is a gentle patience wife but seems too passive and naive.

I thought the writing style and character development were spot on. I have nothing to complain about for context, writing style and narrative. "Unraveling Oliver" checks a lot of boxes in my opinion; the story fell just short of deserving a five star in my opinion. Maybe the shortfall was just in my expectations of how complex and frightening this novel might be. Oliver was a complicated horrible person who lacked empathy but wasn't quite the psychotic individual I was expecting. Oliver's violence also seemed out of place. I understand that the entire story leads up to his irrational outburst, but my understanding is that an extremely violent outburst is not usually completely out of character for the people who do those sorts of violent acts (in this I could be entirely incorrect).

If you enjoy a good complicated plot with twists and turns, I would definitely recommend this book to you! I also want to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of "Unraveling Oliver" to read and review.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Liz Nugent draws you in from the very first line. This is the second book I have read by her and I really enjoy her style of writing.

Oliver is a handsome charismatic author married to Alice who is the illustrator for his books. The story opens with Oliver having brutally beaten Alice and she is comatose in hospital. Oliver is awaiting trial and the story develops as to how and why Oliver and Alice have arrived at this shocking outcome. The story alternates between timelines and a number of characters that all form part of the history of this couple.

This is not a rollercoaster of a ride but rather a clever slow burner. There are some delightful characters and then there is Oliver!!!!!! The way the story unfolds is very clever and very sad. Each chapter peals away the layers of Oliver, his childhood, his teenage years and then his adulthood. Although there are many reasons to empathize with him the author manages to make him such a boorish unsympathetic emotionally sterile man that this proves difficult.

This book was a slow start for me, I wasn't immediately captured despite the dramatic opening. But once I got into it and became used to the different voices/perspectives, things sped up and I was able to finish reading more quickly. As others have pointed out, each chapter is another character's perspective on the main character Oliver after the "incident". I love the gentle reveal and meting out of key details here and there (as opposed to some authors who dump a big reveal on you at the end, I hate that!). Naturally, I wasn't a fan of Oliver but I don't think anyone is or should be -- and that's ok, you don't have to like him. It's not *really* about him though, is it? I saw it more about how interconnected people's lives are and how we chose to react to various situations presented to us over time.

Thank you to Simon & Shuster Canada for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

So first off I don't think that I would have picked up this book on my own. After receiving an e-mail from Simon & Schuster to request a copy from NetGalley, I went ahead and checked out the summary of Unravelling Oliver and decided it seemed intriguing. Just that first sentence captured my attention and had me curious as to the events leading up to Oliver's revelation.
The book is told from the perspective of many characters, from Oliver's wife Alice to neighbours and friends stemming back to his time at a school for boys. In the beginning I was appalled by the lack of emotion exhibited by Oliver after such an act of violence but slowly as the story was told his motivations and character flaws began to unravel before our eyes, hence Unravelling Oliver is a very appropriate title. It brings to question the theory of nurture vs nature. Was this always who Oliver was going to be or did the situation of his upbringing shape his decisions and mold him into the man he became. I found myself being torn between feeling sorry for Oliver and thinking that he was a total monster.
From that first sentence " I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her" the story captivated me and didn't relent till I turned the very last page. A matter of hours from start to finish, that left a lasting impression on me, and has me still thinking of reaching out to hug a little lost boy in the hopes that small human connection would have saved him a lifetime of regret.

3.5 stars. I found this to be a fairly interesting read, and I enjoyed how the plot slowly came together through all the different point of views. I just didn't find Oliver (the subject of the book/main character) to be a particularly fascinating or chilling character.

Unraveling Oliver is the story of a man found guilty of beating his wife into a coma. Oliver's childhood was made difficult due to his father's rejection and trying to fit in a world where he has no roots. As a young adult, he travels to France to work on a vineyard where he befriends the owner's son and his grandfather. For once he feels part of a family, but disaster strikes and he loses both in a horrible incident. He returns to Ireland broken. He eventually finds success by publishing children's books. This is when he meets Alice, an illustrator, who works with him on his books. They eventually marry, but it is not a good marriage. Oliver has many secrets, deep pains and a distorted sense of reality. When Alice confronts him with his deepest secrets; he is enraged and beats her relentlessly.

The book is written in the voices of many people who knew Oliver and Alice. Each chapter sheds light on what made Oliver who he is and why he attacked his wife. The plot is intelligent and well structured. The characters are unique and each brings value to the book. The story builds from one chapter to the other and the conclusion is well delivered. Great book!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Liz Nugent's dark and compelling thriller opens with the perfect hook: "I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her." Told from multiple points, Nugent's debut is a chilling exploration into the nature of evil.

Oliver Ryan is a handsome, charismatic, and successful children's author. He is married to Alice, who illustrates his award-winning books. She is a devoted wife, and their life is one of envy and privilege until one evening, Oliver knocks her into unconsciousness and beats her into a coma hovering between life and death.

Those who know the couple are shocked and are trying to understand what could have driven Oliver to attack his wife so savagely. With each chapter, the story unfolds, and the layers of Oliver's character are peeled away to reveal his manipulation, deception, and shame.

Nugent has a fresh approach to this genre—there is no question of whodunit, and there is no doubt as to what the crime was. Instead she takes the reader on a ride to figure out what could have driven someone to commit such a horrific act. For a debut, this is a solid effort, and I can't wait to see what Nugent writes next.