Unraveling Oliver, Liz Nugent’s debut novel, begins with quite a stopper when the novel’s main character Oliver Ryan states without much ceremony in the opening paragraph: “I expected more of a reaction when I hit her. She just lay on the floor holding her jaw. Staring at me. Silent. She didn’t even seem to be surprised.”

He speaks about the violence towards his wife Alice, with a mixture of cold detachment and oddly placed affection, which leaves little doubt about his possible sociopathy. If we were in any way uncertain of this, Oliver convinces us when he goes out for a cigarette to supposedly collect himself, and upon returning home, hits the already badly bruised Alice repeatedly and with such violence that she is left with irreparable brain damage
It’s a packs-a-punch way to begin any novel and achieves the desired effect. Now we can’t put Nugent’s novel down, we must know what lead to this moment, what could possibly have provoked this vicious attack from a man who allegedly loved his wife. Oliver does try to explain his side, admitting that Alice had uncovered his “darkest secrets” and that she intended to “ruin” him. Needless to say, the explanation for the attack falls flat and gains no sympathy, at least from this reader, but nevertheless the need for my curiosity to be fulfilled is relentless.
Nugent’s narrative is a mishmash of different POVs, from Oliver to his mistress, to his half-brother, his former best friend, Alice’s ex-fiancé and so on. The many voices here do become a bit much and the change of narrator rapidly obnoxious. But the secret Oliver is keeping (as it turns out he has many more that Alice never knew about) becomes alluring enough to invest in Nugent’s story, although it’s truly not revealed until the final chapters.
The problem lies also with an almost too-simple narrative from most of the characters. Oliver comes across as less of a disturbed, complex psycho and more of a spoiled, vain and snooty man-child. Evidently, a father who refused to acknowledge his existence and kept him hidden in an obscure Catholic school are surely catalysts for his coldness. However, Oliver’s observations are often-times simplistic and plain, not giving the reader much of a reason to be either in awe or horror of his actions.
The other characters are equally lacking in either depth or substance, not giving us much more than a bird’s eye view into their relationship with Oliver and how he deliberately or not, ruined their lives. By the end of it, all the sympathy lies with Alice, both because of the violence done to her and the fact that her own POV before the assault is sorely missing. A voice that should have been as important as Oliver’s in the story is simply and tragically ignored.
As the story goes back and forth between the characters, our interest begins to wane. It’s certainly not expected that Nugent give us Süskind’s Jean-Baptiste Grenouille or Dostoyevsky’s Raskolnikov, but Unraveling Oliver could have benefited from a more thorough exploration into a disturbed mind in lieu of POV’s that didn’t add anything substantial to the story. Oliver’s mistress Moya for instance, is certainly not an engaging enough character to retain our attention through multiple chapters, and although perhaps a few of her reveals are important, they certainly didn’t require as much of a spotlight.
Unraveling Oliver is appealing enough to draw the reader in, but unfortunately, it doesn’t manage to maintain much of a grip. This doesn’t mean that Oliver’s reasons for possibly being the way he is are uninteresting, but Nugent could have challenged herself further by giving her characters deeper complexity and dimension. Instead, she chose to leave them terribly jejune which is a disservice not only for the story, but also for the reader.

This is my first time reading this author, but will not be my last. This book was different, but very well written and holds your interest to the last page. Oliver's wife ends up in a comma. Why? We get insight into Oliver, his wife, his life, familes of both characters that is woven in a way that you will want to continue reading this book. The narrative brings into focus what made the actions of Oliver happen. The ending was outstanding. Not what I expected at all. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

The premise of this book sounds good: "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." I was excited to have my request at NetGalley approved and was anxious to read it.

Unfortunately, I found this book to be nearly unreadable. I hung in until I had read 25% of it, and I just couldn't continue. There was no suspense and virtually no plot. It was not exciting or even interesting. There are so many books out there that are so much better than this one. I couldn't justify spending any more of my time reading it.. I don't understand all the wonderful reviews. I'm sorry to be harsh, but it is just terrible.

I mentioned a while back that I didn't need any more multiple narrator books in my life and immediately started reading this multiple narrator book. It was good though and reminded me a little of The Talented Mr. Ripley. There was quite a build up here.

Free Netgalley e-book for an honest review

I found Oliver's story to be fascinating, and the way in which the background story -- and the clues to Oliver's psyche -- unfolded felt a bit like getting juicy bits of gossip. The writing was superb, with characters who were well-drawn and very relatable, except of course for Oliver himself. I would definitely recommend this novel and look forward to reading more from the author.

This book begins with a punch in the face, and continues with a span of narrators, years, and clues. It's a fascinating and troubling look into a marriage and life gone terribly wrong.

Wow this book starts off with a bang. I love how the crime happens first and then as the story continues the truth and the how starts getting answered. Oliver has beat his wife very badly and Liz tells us how Oliver turned into a horrible person……hence Unraveling Oliver! But of course there is always more than meets the eye so I say head over to amazon and one click this book!
Liz Nugent fills her pages with twists and turned that I am not saying anything more about the storyline as I don’t want to give anything more away. Just know that this story is a wicked tale that will leave you needing every last detail!

Gripping psychological thriller this is not.
A character study of sorts—one that offers very few surprises—is more like it.

The downfall of this novel, in my opinion, is the shocking opening line that’s not only used as bait in the synopsis to grab the reader’s attention, but somehow remains the most interesting part of Unraveling Oliver. Meaning, the story is on a downhill trajectory from line one-

“I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her.”

The author puts forth a valiant effort, luring the reader in and attempting to illicit some type of connection to the characters. Getting us to jump on board and join the search for answers, the most obvious being—what made Oliver snap and beat his wife into a comatose state? I’ll admit, until about halfway through the book, I was a willing passenger on the crazy train, caught up in the ‘unraveling’. At some point, the storyline started to feel stagnant though. Repetitive. Flat. Even a tad boring. I found myself desperately clinging to the hope that something good was coming—something gut-wrenching, depraved or even noteworthy enough to live up to the powerful opening. Well, don’t hold your breath.

The author sets out to examine Oliver’s psyche through those ‘closest’ to him or those that had some sort of impact on his life, but it’s a lot of regurgitation of information. There’s more telling, as opposed to showing, and quite a bit of repetition. The author lays out almost the entire storyline with the first chapter from each character’s perspective and then circles back to piece it all together and render the hidden truth. The problem is, Oliver’s existence isn’t all that interesting. There’s nothing here that hasn’t been done in some form before.

The whole idea was to dig deep and discover what made Oliver tick—what went into the creation of this warped individual—but the story lacked personality on some level. I can't help but to feel the author didn't give us enough of Oliver to work with. He was the most interesting of what I considered to be a lackluster bunch, so why weren't there more chapters from his perspective?

This isn't a book I would recommend for someone looking to be caught off guard with unforeseen twists or craving a book that leaves them hovering on the edge of their seat in anticipation of what's to come. This just isn't that type of story. However, I imagine there must be readers out there that enjoy a slower-paced and less thrilling ride than I do. If that happens to be you, consider spending some time with Oliver or rather, those who think they have some insight into who he is, and draw your own conclusions.

I loved how this book was written: the changing viewpoint of different characters. Found myself reading for a long length of time because of the engrossing story. I loved the twists and turns throughout the book as we unraveled Oliver.

I was mistaken when I thought this book would focus more on Oliver and Alice's relationship. You should take the title literally. This book is all about Oliver and what makes him tick. This isn't a bad thing, just something that I wasn't expecting really.

Unraveling Oliver is told through multiple points of view (none of which are Alice, in case you're wondering). Though there are numerous points of view, each feels distinct. They all flow together nicely and pain a vivid picture of who Oliver is.

As for the story, it was overall enjoyable. While I was able to figure out some of Oliver before it was revealed in the story, other parts were still a surprise. I'm also thoroughly impressed that the story was told without any graphic scenes of abuse. The reason for four stars instead of five was the ending. It didn't feel true to Oliver's character after everything we've found out about him.

In general, Unraveling Oliver was an interesting psychological character study. Though short, it packed a sizable punch.

Eh. I found it predictable. I wasn't caught up on Oliver's back story and frankly, I just wanted him to go to jail.

Overall a pretty good read. It really gets your attention from the first page. I enjoyed reading this book even though it did have a few dragging sections.

I have seen this line in many reviews and I hate repeating but it speaks volumes about this book:

“I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her.”

Thus begins the story of Oliver Ryan’s life and what he has done to get where he is. As the book starts, Oliver has beaten his wife Alice into near death. His story is told by Oliver and then by the people who have crossed his path. He didn’t have a great start in life, abandoned almost completely by his father, to live at a boy’s school. He never knew who his mother was. He didn’t know his half-brother by his father’s second marriage. He befriends Michael and has a relationship with his sister Laura, which doesn’t end well. To be honest, nothing ends well if Oliver has been involved. We also hear from Barney, who loved Alice. And then there is Alice’s brother Eugene, who she deeply loves, but because of his mental handicap, Oliver sends him away. Moya, the next door neighbor and an actress, has an affair with Oliver. It is accidentally by her hand that Alice finally learns the truth about Oliver and his time in France. It slowly unravels until we finally find out just who Oliver Ryan really is.

Oliver has been compared to Joe in the book You but I do not see that at all. I liked Joe, for whatever reason all we readers did, but there was nothing at all likable about Oliver. He does have his one generous moment, I will give him that. But even though Oliver was horrid, I kept reading and wanting to know more about what made him tick. I loved the alternating points of view because we saw just what different people saw differently about Oliver. The characters were all interesting in their own right with their life paths. If you want a rather dark read that will lead you down a rather dark path, this is the book for you. Enjoy!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.

This book is amazing. Simply amazing.

I wasn’t sure what to think about it from the description, but by the time I was three chapters or so in, I was hooked. At its core, “Unraveling Oliver,” is a drama about love, loss and identity – and along the way, we travel from the streets of Dublin to the vineyards of France and sub-Saharan Africa.

The book technically takes place after a well-respected author, Oliver Ryan, beats his loving wife, Alice, into a coma. It’s the first act of violence in the family, which had seemed so perfect and ideal. As they struggle to come to terms with the violent crime, the people surrounding Oliver weave a tale which finally reveals the truth about Oliver and what lead him to his final, gruesome act.

While the novel takes place in the present day, much of it deals with the history of the characters and reveals the details of their lives with Oliver. I was so drawn into their stories that I couldn’t wait to see why as coming next. There were some hints about the final big reveal, but I didn’t guess it totally. And I loved it – it wrapped up all the storylines perfectly in a way that was believable and satisfying.

Another thing I liked about the book was that it’s complicated. It’s not 100 percent straightforward and black and white – there’s a lot to consider about Oliver and how he became what he did. I like a good book that makes you think, even to the last page where the reveals keep on coming.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, well-written story. I was totally engrossed and wish there was even more of it to enjoy!

Do yourself a favor and buy this book.

Dublin Ireland - 2011

Oliver and Alice Ryan have been married for over 20 years and together they write and illustrate popular children’s books. They have just enjoyed a nice dinner that Alice prepared when Oliver simply punches her in the face. Later that night, he punches her again and again and now she is in a coma.

Oliver is a very self-centered, selfish person with no compassion for others. Alice has always allowed him to have his way with things. Alice desperately wanted a child but Oliver made sure that didn’t happen.

Alice’s mother was 40 when Alice was born and another 4-5 years later he mother gave birth to a son, Eugene, who was slow in development. While people always made fun of the boy, Alice did all she could to protect him.

The story follows Oliver from the time he was placed in a boarding school, to people he knew while growing up and when he met Alice. The story jumps from one person to another as it slowly unveils the real Oliver and his personality.

I found that the book dragged too slowly with too much information to finally get to the punch line. However, I’m sure that readers will enjoy the plot.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I like reading psychological thrillers that dark, chilling and creepy. Some of your questions are answered when reading but then there are others. To many questions not enough answers but the book is well written.

I don't think this is a thriller. For me it was a description of a sick person destroying everyone and everything in his way. I didn't like Oliver one bit. He was evil and manipulative and a narcissist. It was sad to see all the broken people he left behind, when he got what he wanted and moved on. How could Alice live with him for such along time and not see the real Oliver? I think Barney might be the only one I liked, everyone else was just making me mad for some reason or other. I found that, for me, the book was very slow and it took me a while to get into the story. But if you like your story enfolding and building up the mystery slowly, then you have to give this book a chance. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

A finally crafted novel that grabs on and keeps one reading until the end and then niggles at ones brain for several days, Unraveling Oliver tells Oliver's story using input from family, friends and Oliver himself. Each chapter uses a different character to flesh out Oliver's unraveling. Despite this diversity of viewpoint, the books flows seamlessly. It never gets boring and the story line is tightly woven and never gets off track. It loses a bit at the end, but still an amazing novel totally worth 4.5 stars.

The synopsis was enough to grab me, and as soon as I started the book I was completely hooked. I was captivated the story is told by different characters who paint a different story about Oliver and that is what keeps the story going at such a good pace. The twists and turns were very surprising and I really liked the way everything tied up at the end. Will be looking for more to read from this author because the suspense was highly enjoyable.

This book did not capture my attention. Maybe I've just read too many thrillers and the "shocking" twists wear off after a while.