Liz Nugent. This is the third book I’ve read by her and they never cease to be interesting and slyly seductive. They are subtle beasts that woo you without you even knowing it.

Our Little Cruelties is the story of three brothers Will, Brian and Luke, their relationship with their showbiz mother, and to a lesser extent their father.

The book opens with the three brothers at a funeral, only one of them is in the coffin, killed by the hands of his brother. We don’t know which brother is dead and obviously which brother committed the crime.

The book is then told in an unusual way. It is told from each of the three brothers perspectives with around a third of the book at a time given to each brother. The timeline jumps back and forward to various stages of their lives which sounds confusing but isn’t at all and works really well.

So from the spiel you would think this is straight forward whodunnit mystery. It’s not. Well at the end of the day it is but that’s just a footnote to the real story. The story of these three men, their relationship with each other and the relationship with their mother.

I will say this straight away. Not everyone will like this. All the characters here are fairly unlikeable. The mother is a narcissist, a “typical” image of a showbiz mum. (This being set in Ireland and me being Irish I immediately thought of one or two “celebs” who this character was based on. She may be purely in the authors imagination but that didn’t stop me visualising these famous women of a by gone era here).
The three brothers are also very unlikeable. Again with narcissistic traits, self absorbed, mean throughout their lives, emotionally devoid and devious. They insult each other, back stab each other, treat people around them like dirt etc. Ironically the one I had some empathy for was a drug addict alcoholic who suffered severely with mental illness.

So how come I’m giving this five stars then? Well, despite the cast of utterly unlikeable characters, who I had little or no empathy with whatsoever, I felt myself engrossed in this novel. Not in the usual way where I’m rooting for a character etc. Here you are seduced without even knowing it. You are reading from the outside looking in a bit. No empathy with the characters, no one really to root for, another shake of the head as someone does something horrible and yet you can’t take your eyes off it. You’ve bought into it without realizing it. You want to know what happens. You want to find out more about these horrible characters. You want to know about their childhood, their relationship with their parents and with each other.

I found it quite a cynical piece. I hope the author never reads this review but I did wonder was she in a bit of a bad place when she wrote this and poured it into all of her characters, such was the venom and vitriol( I mean that lightheartedly..... I think!!) Having said that there are some moments of humour that add some light to the dark.

Look this is just a brilliant bloody read. The characters, while not likeable are interesting. There’s a kind of desperation to them. The story is interesting. The subtle questions of nurture vs nature are interesting. It’s just a bloody great read.
The unusual format makes the book read shorter than it is and is part of the charm and subtle seductiveness of the book. A very risky technique to undertake and balance but the author has done it brilliantly here.

I haven’t read a Liz Nugent book I haven’t loved. I loved Our Little Cruelties. Get a copy. Dislike all the characters and have a great time doing it.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Books and Liz Nugent for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What intriguing characters we have in this story. All the plot lines (covering many years) are written from their own personal point of view. But what awful people they are! I was drawn into the story from the start. A funeral for a brother ....but which one.

Absolutely loved this one.
Was a huge fan of Skin Deep and so thrilled to discover this was another dark family thriller. The timelines were all over the place but it didn't seem to matter what year we were in - everything hung together brilliantly.
I loved reading each brother's story separately and then became desperate to read what the other brother's take was on each situation/relationship because of course they all saw everything differently.
And the intricate description of the family dynamics was great - what a dreadful group!
I knew we were leading up to a death because it was signposted but that became strangely less important as the tale went on, it was all about the complicated family story for me. The ending however was apt and I was glad there wasn't 'a killer' as such, rather the correct end to the story.
I would have liked there to have been more tonal changes between the brother's different narratives, the writing and use of language was the same for all of them and thought maybe more quirks could have been introduced through their individual use of vocab/vernacular.
And I didn't really like Daisy, so didn't really grasp everyone's need to love and protect her, so the ending would have felt more emotional for me if I had a connection with her, and did feel that her own 'imaginary baby' at the end was a little tagged on for a supernatural thrill.
But - even though the ending a tiny bit unnecessary the journey to get there made it all worth it!

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

I love Liz Nugent. It takes talent to write people this shitty. Her psychological thrillers have gotten me through some dark times and this tragi-comedic family saga was a hoot, snorting on the train funny. I want to read more from her in this direction

Liz Nugent has an amazing ability to make a book full of intensely unlikable characters compelling. Everytime you think you've sussed out the plot the next development proves you wrong. Somehow despite finding the plot deeply depressing I really enjoyed reading this book.

Liz Nugent latest book “Our Little Cruelties” continues in the same vein as her previous books; less than likeable characters, great plot and immensely readable! This was a joy from start to finish. The book is written from the perspective of each of the 3 main characters, each version of events slightly differs depending on who is telling the story. The tension in the books builds slowly until the shocking conclusion. A great read!

My second Nugent book, but definitely not my last. While I wouldn’t call this a thriller, like her others, I still found myself completely hooked by her words and hardly able to put it down! I felt it was more of a domestic drama/suspense book! Well written, original, with an amazing cast of well developed characters that made me keep going to find out more! Highly recommend to all the Liz Nugent fans out there!
Will make sure I buzz this up on all the different platforms!

#OurLittleCruelties
A good read.
This was my third book by the author and i was sure that the characters were great like in previous ones. And I'm glad I'm not disappointed. However the plot was just ok but characters were good. My favourite characters were Daisy and Will.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for giving me an advanced copy of this book.
#NetGalley

I love Liz Nugent’s writing and this lates book doesn’t disappoint. We follow a disfunctional family of three brothers as they grow up. The book weaves back and forth through time and is told from the point of view of each of the brothers separately. Despite this it is still easy to follow and very readable. We see them go through mental health problems, addictions, grief and abuse. None of the brothers are particularly likeable characters but their stories are all the more compelling for this

I would like to thank Liz Nugent, Penguin Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Our Little Cruelties.

This powerful story of three brothers is an excellent read. It is affecting, thought provoking and highlights the consequences of exploitation and abuse. The story is told through the perspective of each brother during various periods of their lives. Excellent.

I love reading about people and their interactions and this book is one of the best I’ve read.

The characters are complex and real which makes them simultaneously relatable and unlikeable.

I really enjoyed this compelling story and would recommend.

Liz Nugent excels in writing about unpleasant characters and Our Little Cruelties is no exception. But, unlike Skin Deep, my personal favourite which has some underlying dark humour, I found no redeeming qualities in any of the three brothers, Will, Brian or Luke, who dominate her latest novel.

The story begins at the funeral of one of the brothers but we don't find out which brother until the end of the book. It was fun trying to guess who it was and the circumstances of his death, and also good drama as we learn their stories from each brother's point of view. Issues such as mental health and alcoholism are dealt with realistically but the skipping between timelines might prove difficult for some readers. The antics of a hugely dysfunctional family make up for this and Liz Nugent's fans will not be disappointed. Many thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Books UK for the opportunity to read and review Our Little Cruelties.

#OurLittleCruelties #NetGalley
More like a family drama, less like a psychological thriller.
Will, Brian and Luke grow up competing for their mother's unequal love. As men, the competition continues - for status, money, fame, women. One brother died? Who killed him?
Well, its not a psychological thriller, its not a thriller even. It's a family drama in which the three brothers hate one another. I was not thrilled at all. I didn't understand why the publisher put it in the category of mystery and thrillers?
Narration of the story was not clear. Story was moving in zigzag manner, sometimes forward then backward then again forward. Told from three POV's of three brothers and last POV is of Daisy.
Characters are all boring. I didn't feel connected with them. As i said earlier that it's a family drama not a thriller.
This author's earlier books were ok but this one was below average.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

Sadly this story did not grip me enough to leave a full review. Interesting but there’s better on the market.

A story of three brothers, their lives and the impact they had on each others lives. For me it wasn't the thrilling read I was expecting from Liz after thoroughly enjoying her other books. A light read.

We start Our Little Cruelties at a funeral, but we don't find out who's funeral until near the very end of the book!
Will, Brian & Luke Drumm, brothers who grow up constantly competing for their Mothers love. Their Mother, famous in her own right, adored by the public but a very different woman behind closed doors. The competition between her sons continues as they carve out lives of their own competing for money, fame, women......

Brian an agent, Will a film producer and Luke a troubled rock star. They could have had so much, they could have had it all.
Liz Nugent depicts this family saga from three perspectives and in non-chronoligical order, but don't let that put you off! It really is a superb piece of work. The majority of the main characters are utterly despicable, but that just leaves you wanting more, rooting for those that deserve a chance and waiting, wishing, hoping that the parasites get their comeuppance.
This book was full of drama, fast-paced and gritty. I absolutely loved it!

Oh my lord. Anyone who has siblings will recognise the little digs and petty behaviour in this book but the Drumm brothers take it to a whole new level. The book ricochets between time and characters but never loses that relentless march towards it's grim conclusion. We know one of the brothers is dead, but which one? I promise you you'll wish it was all of them at certain points in this book. This is my book of 2020 and it's January!

Oops she’s done it again. Liz Nugent is a master at grabbing her readers by the face with an excellent opening and has once again done so with #ourlittlecruelities.
“All three of the Drumm brothers were at the funeral, although one of us was in a coffin” See what I mean?
With her latest book we get more throughly unlikable characters, more dysfunctional families causing each other heartache and pain, more juicy questions like who and how and why, and most definitely more frantic flicking of pages to try and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible.
Another great book by one of Ireland’s most popular authors. Read it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Liz Nugent and Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read & review this title.

I love Liz Nugent's writing, and she just gets better with every book. Her books take the psychology of the damaged to whole new levels, whilst remaining in the realms of the plausible - which makes every story more devastating. Utterly gripping with characters that linger long after the last page. I'll be recommending this throroughly to everyone!

In the famous words of Phillip Larkin, ‘they fuck you up your Mum and Dad’. Reading this book was a very interesting experience and patience definitely paid off. Had I given in to my impulses and thrown the book down in frustration during the first part, I would have missed out on a great read. The story of three brothers over their lifetimes is compelling, interesting and a great study in how mental health difficulties can be passed on from one generation to the next.

The structure of the novel is what I had difficulty with at first. The first section was narrated by the eldest brother, Will. Written in short chapters, slipping between decades, we see aspects of his childhood through to the present day where he is a successful movie producer. He meets his wife Kate through his brother Brian,when she’s brought to a family dinner. They have a little girl called Daisy, but Will is much more focused on work than he is his family. We get the sense that Kate is a long suffering woman who gets more support from Brian, who is now Daisy godfather. Brian is there for the birthdays and school concerts and has a great rapport with her Uncle. Will is dismissive of Brian and his lack of ambition. He is also dismissive of Luke, despite Luke’s success as a pop star in his late teens. He is close to his Mum and through flashbacks we see she favours him, quite openly.

Luke, by contrast, really gets the brunt of their mother’s moods. He is the youngest, the weakest but soon finds success as a pop star. However, in the later fragments of his life he has times of struggle, where his mental health is poor and he turns to drink or experiments with drugs. He is an unusual child with a religious fixation to the extent where the family priest thinks he has a vocation! The other boys use his goodness against him, it gets them extra food and attention. There are moments where it seems his life is on track and he could be happy, but others where I wondered if he was just not meant for this world.

Finally, there’s Brian the middle brother. If Will is his Mum’s favourite and Luke is doted on by his Dad, it leaves nobody for Brian. He does seem fatally dragged between the two of them. Will is very dismissive of him, even though Brian does so much for his niece. He’s not grateful that Brian stands in for him or that he looks after Luke when his mental health deteriorates. In fact their relationship becomes so destructive that other family members get caught in the crossfire.

The genius of this book is its structure. During the first part, narrated by Will, I was ready to put the book down. I couldn’t stand him. He was arrogant, self-centred and treats women appallingly. If the whole book had been his viewpoint I might have thrown it out of the window. Just when I was at the point of giving up, I saw Luke’s name across the next section and it was such a relief. As the tale goes back and forth in time and perspective we see a tiny bit more of the whole. At a Bob Dylan concert at a local castle, Will ends up in a fight and is taken to hospital with Dad and Luke following behind.
Mum is left behind at the castle and doesn’t arrive at the hospital till late. However, through Luke’s story we learn that something terrible happened to her, something that explains so much about how she behaves. When we finally get Brian’s section we see what a lifetime of being in the middle feels like. Overlooked, unconsidered and brushed aside. We find out things we already suspected and other things that surprise and enlighten us. Every single strand of this novel teaches us that we are only ever a small part of the picture and we must step back to see the whole.


This brings me to the second line of Larkin’s poem, which is the best; ‘they do not mean to but they do’. There are parts of this novel, particularly the way Dad behaves, where genuine mistakes are made and misunderstandings occur in the same way they do with any family. However there are other situations where the damage seems deliberate, especially in their mother’s attitude to Luke, Will’s intervention in Luke’s relationship, and in the treatment of Will’s daughter Daisy towards the end of the novel. These acts are more than little cruelties. They are deliberately causing lifelong psychological disturbance. This is a complex and interesting novel that moves from one narrow perspective to give us all the pieces of the emotional jigsaw puzzle that makes up this family.