This read like a fast-paced thriller and was a bit Curious Incident meets The Talented Mr Ripley.
Not a whodunnit or a howdunnit, but there was a lot that unfolded in the whydunnit that was really clever. You think you have all the information, only to keep uncovering more.
When I first started reading this book, I worried about reinforcing perceptions of working mothers and those who are on the Autistic spectrum but by the end of the book I had changed my mind. I felt that this book looked at a lot more than Aspergers as a reason for Nick's situation and I really wanted Karen to come to the realisation that she had high-functioning Aspergers, because it was clear to me that she did. There were so many clues dropped along the way that she was not simply a working mother who was trying to juggle parenting and work - there was something deeper going on that explained her behaviour.
I loved the multi-person perspectives (particularly the wry Tam!) in the novel and that Nick's views are given in the first-person, which gave me the sense of being closer to him and his thought processes.

There have been a number of recent-ish novels with non-neurotypical main characters, but I don’t think you will have read one quite like this before...

The plot centres around three people who inhabit, separately, the same London house. On the top floor, Karen, a doctor working on what she hopes will be ground-breaking research into how people with autism can lead fulfilling and productive lives. On the ground floor, Tam, a policeman, previously injured in the line of duty, who now finds there is no place for him in a modern police force, or at least no place he wants to inhabit. And the man on the middle floor: Nick.

It’s an interesting, unsettling read with some unusual and often challenging themes. We get inside the head of Nick, a troubled young man with Asperger’s, and it’s not a comfortable place to be.

Karen is obsessed by her work and able to think of little else; she’s incapable of remembering to perform basic functions of everyday life (putting petrol in her car, picking up her children at an agreed time.) Separated from her husband and children, the visits from the children feel like an imposition and she counts the minutes till they leave and she can get back to work. Since Karen seems to have always been pretty much like this, why she chose to have three children in the first place is a mystery.

Karen herself seems somewhat disconnected from the usual emotions and it makes a kind of sense that she’s chosen to work in the field of autism.

The blokey Tam, dealing with the loss of his career through booze and sex, is the most obviously “normal” and to me, at least initially, perhaps the least interesting of the three. However Tam definitely goes on a journey over the course of the story and by the end is, if not a different person, one who has broadened his horizons and outlook.

And then there’s Nick. His sections of the story are written in first person, and it’s hard reading at times. Life is a struggle for Nick; not only because of his Asperger’s, but there is clearly something dark in his family history , particularly in his relationship with his grandfather. He is a very troubled and damaged young man, failed by those around him and he beset by feelings he cannot understand or deal with about sexuality, violence and death. He clings to his routines and when these are disrupted, all hell breaks loose - almost literally.

The Man on the Middle Floor is a very well written and thought provoking debut. The author clearly has a lot to say on certain subjects and does so in a very effective way. Some dreadful things happen in this book (it’s very dark and disturbing at times) and it’s clear there can be no easy resolutions for the characters - Nick, in particular - but the ending is quite satisfying, though can feel a little heavy on the exposition at times as the author fills in the gaps. There’s a great courtroom scene too.

While reading I wasn’t always sure that I liked the book, but I was always interested and challenged.

I was intrigued to learn more about the author after finishing the book, and found this interesting post on her website in which she discusses the book and some of the reactions to it - worth checking out.
https://elizabethsmoore.com/ramblings/2018/3/29/autism-and-writing

Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

The Man on the Middle Floor opens up the character, Nick, telling us about that tomorrow is Tuesday and on Tuesday his laundry comes. As he proceeds to tell us more about his schedule and his routines, it is clear that Nick has Asperger’s and is somewhere on the autism spectrum. Nick is telling his story in first person.

The next chapter begins the story about Tam. Tam is a detective who gets let go from his job. He has been with the police force for years and has no idea what he is going to do now. As he is heading back to his apartment, he finds someone in his way. It’s a man, in his twenties, who is jumping the cracks on the sidewalk.

We bounce back to Nick again and the story takes a very dark turn.

Then we meet the third main character Karen. Karen is a driven professional, working on autism research. So driven that she has practically removed herself entirely from her children’s lives. Even though she shares custody with her husband, her time with the children is an obvious imposition.

Nick, Tam and Karen all live in the same apartment building.

Nick’s life continues to spiral out of control. Tam deals with the drespresion of losing his job with alcohol and women. Karen sacrifices her life and the lives of those around her for her research.

It is hard to tell what happens in this book without giving away spoilers. It reads like a thriller, though we know who is doing what to whom. The major characters and minor characters are very well developed. I felt sympathy for Nick and Tam and disliked Karen.

Dark and troubling and I couldn’t put it down.

I received an ARC of the book.

When portrayed well, flawed characters lead to good, sometimes great works of fiction. This book has it's share of flawed characters; a hard-ass British police officer, a intolerant and unloving mother and an abused autistic young adult all living on separate floors in a 3 story home. Unfortunately those characters did not deliver a great (or even good) story. The pace was good; the narrative was well told but I found the story nearly pointless, much too over dramatic, very unnecessarily uncomfortable (necrophilia, child abuse, horrible parenting practices) and rather uninteresting. Only the enlightened turnaround in character by the police officer saved this from a 1 star rating. I got this book as part of a Net Galley giveaway but it didn't live up to its promise -- Failing grade all around.

Book Description
Nick, Tam, and Karen live on three floors of a south London house. One is struggling to find his place in society, one is drowning his sorrows in alcohol, and one has embarked on a life-changing research project.

Despite their proximity, they are completely disconnected. That is, until a murder in the house brings them together, irrevocably.

One of them is guilty, one wants to find out who did it, and one wants to find out why.

My Thoughts
The Man on the Middle Floor was a rare reading experience for me. There were parts I loved, parts I liked and parts I didn't enjoy at all. That wasn't because the writing was bad or the plot was boring. Quite the opposite actually, it was so well written that the characters and their actions and motivations made me feel empathy, sympathy, laughter, joy, and disgust(just to name a few of the things I felt). This isn't a sunshine and roses story where everyone winds up living happily ever after. Bad things happen, people make poor and selfish choices, people die, people are abused, people are neglected and the isolation that one can feel living in a city surrounded by people is palpable.
Tam, Nick, and Karen each have a flat in a house in London. In the past, they may or may not have even acknowledged each other in passing and they are certainly not privy to details of each other's lives. Tam is a policeman unable to accept the changes that technology brings to his department. Nick is autistic and any deviation to his accustomed routines rattles him badly and in unpredictable and violent ways. Karen is a researcher trying to better understand autism who has no time for anything or anyone that she doesn't believe can help her validate her findings.
These three strangers lives begin to connect in numerous ways, most of them sad and tragic. Love, loss, abuse, crime, punishment, isolation and the society we live in are all explored. This wasn't a book that kept me up all night reading, but it was a book I thought about each time I put it down. The subject matter was often dark and uncomfortable but very real. I haven't stopped talking about it with friends and I still find myself thinking about the story at odd moments.I find myself rereading parts and developing an even deeper appreciation for the author's style.
Thank you Elizabeth S. Moore, Red Door Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC to read and review.

DNF

I will definitely be checking this book out once it's released, but for now DNF.
The kindle copy I have, the text is arranged in a way that makes it distracting to read.

This debut novel revolves around a house in London, which is divided into three flats. On the bottom floor lives Tam; a policeman, who wants to go back to work after being shot in the leg, but finds there is no place for him anymore. In the middle flat is Nick, a young, autistic man, who lives by a strict set of rules, to give him a sense of order. On the top floor is Karen, a researcher who is trying to understand the rising rates of autism.

Although well written, I struggled with this novel, as the characters were so stereotypical. Tam is the old-fashioned kind of cop, who is not looking for promotion but holds dear the idea that he is there to protect and serve. Nick, afraid of his grandfather, does his best to keep his independence, but is obviously finding it hard to cope. Perhaps worst of all is Karen, who has left her husband and children and harbours dreams of being lauded for her scientific research, but seems to forget she even has three children. One child could be considered an accident, but three children are a family and it is impossible she gave no thought to having them at all. Although, obviously, the author is attempting to make a point about women’s work being important, and the conflict between career and childcare, Karen seems unable to even put petrol in her car or remember her son’s football game and to resent any kind of criticism about how appalling a parent she is.

Although the three various members of the house do not know each other, they gradually become involved in each other’s lives. There is one central event, which occurs, but there are also other ways in which the characters come together. This is a novel about crime, abuse and of living in a city when you are coping with various different challenges. Members of my extended family have autism and I must say that I found this novel difficult to read at times. It is clever, it is often darkly funny, but the author is not subtle at highlighting the various issues she wants to address and I often felt exasperated.

The writing in this debut novel is very assured and the pacing good, but I am afraid that this was not really for me. However, I am sure this will be a success and that this author will have a lot more to offer. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

The Man on the Middle Floor is a very didactic novel which reminded me of J K Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy in its' desire to educate the reader. It is not always subtle.
The story centres on a house divided into three flats. We know it is set in London because its' residents are barely aware of each other. The narrative is split between Karen, Nick and Tam. All three are out of step with world in different ways. Tam has quit his job as a policeman in a huff. Karen has abandoned her family and does not see the value in it. Nick has Asberger's, and exists in a stultifying routine.
Without spoiling the story, terrible crimes are committed both in the present and in the past, which have a devastating impact. People die. The book does a great job of showing the consequences of those crimes, and is a good primer on what it might be like to have someone on the spectrum in your family.
All of the three characters change throughout the story, and not necessarily for the better. Karen is easily the least sympathetic. She reminded me a lot of Reverend Causabon in Middlemarch. Both are engaged in an exhaustive and obsessive study, completely divorced from reality, and tend to treat people as objects or inconveniences.
Tam is the linchpin of the book. He gets out of his own way, and has the most fulfilling journey. Nick is the most problematic person. We follow him in the first person, and squirm as he goes through his day unable to engage with the world. It is possible to feel compassion for Nick, and understanding for where he ends his story. What disappointed me was how those who die in the story get short shrift, and their killer is rather let off the hook.

I picked up The Man on the Middle Floor because I was intrigued by the description. I was not impressed. Nick’s violence, anger and sexuality were difficult to face. I know these are issues with autistic adults but Elizabeth S Moore repeatedly pushes these aspects to the reader. It makes him impossible to identify with. Equally disturbing is Karen, who is so obsessed with her research that she is guilty of child neglect. Her selfishness and her inability to connect with or empathize with others make her a figure who it is easier to simply dislike than to understand. While she functions, it is impossible to say that she functions well, and her subsequent decay seems almost like justice. The third player, Tam is the most human of the three characters. His detachment is not born of mental illness or obsession, but rather an environment that is changing faster than he is. Of the three, he is the only character concerned about others and what they are going through.

The Man on the Middle Floor is intended as an instructive novel, but Elizabeth Moore uses her prose as a hammer, simultaneously bludgeoning the inclusion movement and reiterating that readers don’t have the ability to understand. Equally it attacks intellectualism (in the form of Karen). The Man on the Middle Floor is not a comfortable read. At the same time, it isn’t particularly edifying.
The Man on the Middle Floor will not appeal to the majority of readers, particularly those looking for escapism. It may be of more interest to readers interested in portrayals of autism and mental illness. I cannot recommend it to a general audience.

3 / 5

I received a copy of The Man on the Middle Floor from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

-- Crittermom

Fantastic! I loved this book! The characters were interesting, the story was full of action and I was eager to continue reading until I got to the end. Am looking forward to read more from this author

Three neighbors live in a flat. They don't know each other very well, but in a short amount of time they will know each other very well. Through a series of events, their lives become intertwined in the most unimaginable way.

While the premise of this story sounded intriguing, I felt a little disappointed by the follow through. There was a good attempt at setting up this interweaving web between the characters, but I found at least two of the three main characters to be really unlikable. While I love unlikable characters who are well written, this was not the case. There's a dark undercurrent belying much of these characters motivations, and unfortunately this mixture doesn't earn it any points.

There is an overall theme of metal health awareness among a number of other things, but the story often finds itself bashing you over the head with it. Sometimes it's nice to trust the reader to interpret themes as they see fit, and I would have liked to see that more.

It's a quick read and has some interesting moments.

Doesn’t the cover of this book intrigue you? The Man on the Middle Floor by Elizabeth S. Moore has me very curious! I love the plot and can’t wait to get started on this mystery.

Take a look:

Despite living in the same three-flat house in the suburbs of London, the residents are strangers to one another. The bottom floor is home to Tam, a recent ex-cop who spends his days drowning his sorrows in whiskey. On the middle floor is Nick, a young man with Asperger’s who likes to stick to his schedules and routines. The top floor belongs to Karen, a doctor and researcher who has spent her life trying to understand the rising rates of autism.

They have lived their lives separately, until now, when an unsolved murder and the man on the middle floor connect them all together. Told from three points of view, The Man on the Middle Floor is about disconnection in all its forms; sexual, physical, parental and emotional. It questions whether society is meeting the needs of the fast growing autistic section of society, or exacerbating it.

This novel is due out in April 2018, coming soon!

Decent read, disturbing. I didn't care for the female lead character. Was she supposed to be autistic too? Or just an idiot?

An interesting story with a brilliant plot, great characters and beautiful writing!It was also funny keeping your interest until the end!The characters were well developed !

Excellent! I love it . This is only the second book I've read in fiction that gets it right!

Elizabeth S. Moore’s debut novel is ambitious- an attempt to combine storytelling and social commentary. There’s a genuine earnestness in the way Moore approaches her themes- just how well conceived is society’s approach to autism and Asperger’s? Do academic findings translate into real life? This issue driven, big-hearted book attempts to find out.

Cleverly positioned in terms of flaws, each character is developed fully and honestly. The multi person narrative is handled well, and Moore’s investment in her characters is clear. She cares about the issues at the heart of this novel, but her earnestness is perhaps the book’s flaw. There are genuinely dark scenes- but the light tone feels slightly incongruous in dealing with them.

There’s plenty to uncover in this debut and it’s sure to win plenty of fans- but ultimately its effervescence froths just a little too much.

Absolutely brilliant read.

The novel centres on a house in south London, which is split into three flats occupied by three very different people. Nick, Tam and Karen all lead unconnected lives and the story is told from all three separate points of view in turn. The characters are all struggling. Nick has to face autism and living on his own for the first time, Tam has just resigned from the police force and Karen is determined to submit an award winning research paper on autism.

The characters are brilliantly developed and for me the story line went through unpleasant features to horror to amazing to hilariously funny. At times, I laughed out loud. Underlying it all there were serious issues addressed including living in today’s society with a mental illness, dysfunctional family life, abuse and wanting to keep the old-fashioned methods alive.

If somebody had listed the content of the novel I may well not have read it but it was cleverly written and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, RedDoor Publishing and Elizabeth S Moore for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Excellent Read. Highly recommended.