Book Review: Unraveling Oliver

Unraveling Oliver

by: Liz Nugent

Publication Date: August 22, 2017
Finished on: September 3, 2017
Publisher: Scout Press

I received a free finished copy of Unraveling Oliver from Scout Press in return for my honest review.  All opinions expressed below are my own.

"The truth remains.  Oliver betrayed us all."

Synopsis:
The first sentence of Unraveling Oliver is as follows: "I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her."

This is how Oliver Ryan's story begins, or rather finishes, in Unraveling Oliver.  Oliver is a famous author of award-winning children's novels.  His adoring wife illustrates them.  He has a perfect life - he is handsome, well-respected, and wealthy.  Then, one evening after dinner, he assaults his wife and then goes to the pub for a drink, leaving her for dead.  In the novel, the important people in Oliver's life speculate what could have caused him to perpetrate such a horrific crime.  What made Oliver snap, or was he simply holding this inside of him his whole life?  Unraveling Oliver gives the reader a glimpse into the mind of a psychopath.

My review:
Contrary to popular opinion, I hated the novel You by Caroline Kepnes.  I have many reasons for this and I realize that others LOVED it, but it simply wasn't a good fit for me as a reader.  When I first started reading Unraveling Oliver, I feared that it would be a similar read for me.  I hated Oliver from the very beginning and he was starting to remind me of Joe from Kepnes' You.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Unraveling Oliver would present a full cast of narrators in rotating chapters.  I think this saved the book for me, as I found so many loves among the extended cast.

"Truth can cause more pain than lies, I think.  Some secrets are best left as secrets.

Unraveling Oliver was promoted as a chilling page-turner, but that isn't how it read to me.  The book opens with a horrifying scene, but the majority of the novel read as an extensive character study.  The character development in this novel is superb.  As a reader, we slowly get to know Oliver and can start to figure out what makes him tick and ultimately explode.

"You don't have to love a person.  You can love the idea of a person.  You can idealize them and turn them into the person you need.  Alice loved the person that she thought I was.  One way or another, I have managed to kill all the people who have loved me so far."

There are many twists within the text which did keep me motivated to read on.  Some things caught me completely off-guard, so I either was distracted by other events in the text or wasn't paying close enough attention when they were alluded to.  I love it when books are able to surprise me, so that was such a fun experience for me.  I felt I knew the biggest deceit of the novel and the catalyst for the opening chapter before it was finally revealed, but getting to that point was a fun journey.

"What's in the box, Oliver?"

What I really enjoyed about this book was the quality of the writing and how Liz Nugent weaved Oliver's past into his present.  Many thrillers are NOT works of great prose.  And while the writing style in Unraveling Oliver is still extremely easy to read (i.e. this will be a fast read for you), it still felt smart because of the plot and character development.  The characters are intellectual and sarcastic and fun to read.  I enjoyed hearing from all of the characters - both the likable and unlikable ones.

"I have destroyed enough lives.  She is better off not knowing.  This, finally, is a secret I am proud of keeping.  Protecting her is an act of unselfish generosity.  I try to be good."

For me, Unraveling Oliver really dealt with two themes: the power of truth/honesty and the importance of family.  These are woven throughout Oliver's childhood and his present life and are a nice anchor with how to read and analyze the book.  As a reader, you are shown the great power and benefit that a loving family can provide and you are also shown how destructive a bad family environment can be.  Yes, this is pulled to extremes for Oliver, but Liz Nugent makes a great point with this dialogue.

"A family was more seductive than anything she could offer me"

Overall, I rate Unraveling Oliver 4/5 stars.  Unraveling Oliver is not a fast-paced psychological thriller or suspense, but it is a smart, strong character study that delves into the past and present of a truly despicable character.  You will find yourself wanting to read this in one sitting.  I think most fans of the mystery/suspense/thriller genres will really love this one!