UNRAVELING OLIVER

Author:  Liz Nugent

Genre:  Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2017

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  18

From NetGalley:

Oliver Ryan has the perfect life. Elegant and seductive, he wants for nothing, sharing a lovely home with his steadfast wife, Alice, who illustrates the award-winning children’s books that have brought him wealth and fame. Until one evening, after eating the dinner Alice has carefully prepared, Oliver savagely assaults her and leaves her for dead.

But why?

The people who know Oliver can only speculate about the reasons behind his brutal act: his empty-headed mistress Moya, vain and petulant; Veronique, the French chatelaine who tragically lost everything the summer she employed him in her vineyard; Alice’s friend Barney, who has nursed an unrequited love for her since childhood; Oliver’s college pal Michael, struggling with voiceless longings that have shamed him for years. What none of them understands is the dark secret that lies behind his immaculate façade.

The revelations that come to light as the layers of Oliver’s past are peeled away are as brutal as his singular act of violence. His decades of careful deception have masked a life irrevocably marked by abandonment, envy, and shame—and as the details of that life are laid bare, Oliver discovers that outrunning his demons is harder than it looks.

This had great potential, and I would love to rate it higher, but the ending left me flat. I was intrigued for the majority of the book and expected something more at that point.  All the characters telling their story and involvement with Oliver was done very well. However, as designed, all the character flaws of Oliver appeared slowly, leaving the ending to just sit there. So, I enjoyed the process more than the actual book in its entirety. I am encouraged to read her next book, though. :) 

 Thoughts of Joy 

 My thanks go to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.