Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.
Our Little Cruelties is a beautifully written story about some dreadful characters. Set in Ireland, it’s about the three Drumm brothers and the awful things they do to people (primarily to each other). The opening of the novel starts in the present day where one of the brothers has died, but it’s unclear as to which one. The story then dives into the perspective of the eldest Will, the golden boy in his mother’s eyes but a really nasty piece of work in terms of how he treats women. Then it’s on to the youngest Luke, hated by their mother, who battles mental health and substance abuse issues in his adulthood as a pop star. Rounding out the trio is Brian, the middle brother, whose stinginess and manipulation of Luke and others for his own benefit don’t leave much sympathy for him either. These sections run through their stories from when they were kids, flipping back and forth in time, overlapping various events with each other, until the end where everything comes together to reveal which brother was killed, and why.
While there’s no doubt this was a very sordid, bleak character study, I didn’t necessarily like that this was framed or written as a thriller or a psychological thriller. Instead, I wish Liz Nugent had leaned further into this being a family drama, leaving the thriller aspect be. The characters were extremely fleshed out and authentic up until the last section of the novel where it felt like it was falling into thriller style conventions when I could see a stronger ending being possible without taking it that direction. Her writing style is extremely engaging and strong, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this even though the subject matter was so dreadful. 3.5 stars, and would recommend it to anyone who loves a dark, seedy family drama.
Our Little Cruelties is a beautifully written story about some dreadful characters. Set in Ireland, it’s about the three Drumm brothers and the awful things they do to people (primarily to each other). The opening of the novel starts in the present day where one of the brothers has died, but it’s unclear as to which one. The story then dives into the perspective of the eldest Will, the golden boy in his mother’s eyes but a really nasty piece of work in terms of how he treats women. Then it’s on to the youngest Luke, hated by their mother, who battles mental health and substance abuse issues in his adulthood as a pop star. Rounding out the trio is Brian, the middle brother, whose stinginess and manipulation of Luke and others for his own benefit don’t leave much sympathy for him either. These sections run through their stories from when they were kids, flipping back and forth in time, overlapping various events with each other, until the end where everything comes together to reveal which brother was killed, and why.
While there’s no doubt this was a very sordid, bleak character study, I didn’t necessarily like that this was framed or written as a thriller or a psychological thriller. Instead, I wish Liz Nugent had leaned further into this being a family drama, leaving the thriller aspect be. The characters were extremely fleshed out and authentic up until the last section of the novel where it felt like it was falling into thriller style conventions when I could see a stronger ending being possible without taking it that direction. Her writing style is extremely engaging and strong, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this even though the subject matter was so dreadful. 3.5 stars, and would recommend it to anyone who loves a dark, seedy family drama.
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