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Unraveling Oliver : a novel / Liz Nugent.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Scout Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2017Edition: First Scout Press hardcover editionDescription: 260 pages ; 25 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781501167751
  • 1501167758
  • 9781501173387
  • 1501173383
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Summary: "In this "compelling, clever, and dark" (Heat magazine) thriller, a man's shocking act of savagery stuns a local community-and the revelations that follow will keep you gripped until the very last page. This work of psychological suspense, a #1 bestseller in Ireland, is perfect for fans of Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Ware. "I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her." So begins Liz Nugent's astonishing debut novel--a chilling, elegantly crafted, and psychologically astute exploration of the nature of evil. Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together they write and illustrate award-winning children's books; their life together one of enviable privilege and ease--until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma. In the aftermath of such an unthinkable event, as Alice hovers between life and death, the couple's friends, neighbors, and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act. As his story unfolds, layers are peeled away to reveal a life of shame, envy, deception, and masterful manipulation. With its alternating points of view and deft prose, Unraveling Oliver is "a page-turning, one-sitting read from a brand new master of psychological suspense" (Sunday Independent) that details how an ordinary man can transform into a sociopath"-- Provided by publisher.Summary: "A brilliant, compulsively readable debut novel -- and a #1 bestseller in the author's native Ireland -- about the truth behind a shocking act of savagery, and the profound lies and deceptions that come to light in its wake"-- Provided by publisher.Summary: Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together they write and illustrate award-winning children's books; their life one of privilege and ease-- until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma. As Alice hovers between life and death, the couple's friends, neighbors, and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library Mystery Nugent, Liz Available 33111008952141
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Mystery Nugent, Liz Available 33111008804441
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Searing, searching, finally scorching. Think Making a Murderer via Patricia Highsmith: an elegant kaleidoscope novel that refines and combines multiple perspectives until its subject is brought into indelible, tragic focus." --A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

"Pitch-black and superbly written." --Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10

"Top-notch grip lit...incredibly brilliant." --Marian Keyes, New York Times bestselling author

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.

With its insight into the mind of a psychopath emerging from the wreckage of his own misbegotten past, Unraveling Oliver is a chilling page-turner, brilliantly crafted and unexpectedly moving, by a stunning new voice in fiction. Liz Nugent "presents a fresh look at a man hiding his violent personality in this intense character study" ( Publishers Weekly , starred review). As powerful as Patricia Highsmith's unforgettable noir classic, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Unraveling Oliver will enthrall you from its mesmerizing opening line to its equally shocking last page.

"In this "compelling, clever, and dark" (Heat magazine) thriller, a man's shocking act of savagery stuns a local community-and the revelations that follow will keep you gripped until the very last page. This work of psychological suspense, a #1 bestseller in Ireland, is perfect for fans of Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Ware. "I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her." So begins Liz Nugent's astonishing debut novel--a chilling, elegantly crafted, and psychologically astute exploration of the nature of evil. Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together they write and illustrate award-winning children's books; their life together one of enviable privilege and ease--until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma. In the aftermath of such an unthinkable event, as Alice hovers between life and death, the couple's friends, neighbors, and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act. As his story unfolds, layers are peeled away to reveal a life of shame, envy, deception, and masterful manipulation. With its alternating points of view and deft prose, Unraveling Oliver is "a page-turning, one-sitting read from a brand new master of psychological suspense" (Sunday Independent) that details how an ordinary man can transform into a sociopath"-- Provided by publisher.

"A brilliant, compulsively readable debut novel -- and a #1 bestseller in the author's native Ireland -- about the truth behind a shocking act of savagery, and the profound lies and deceptions that come to light in its wake"-- Provided by publisher.

Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together they write and illustrate award-winning children's books; their life one of privilege and ease-- until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious, and subsequently beats her into a coma. As Alice hovers between life and death, the couple's friends, neighbors, and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act.

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