I felt that this book was very confusing. I felt that everything was very superficial and I wanted more depth.
In a positive note, sensitive topics were handled well

I requested this book because I was very intrigued by the premise, which promised an exploratory work on empathy, combining different formats throughout like interview excerpts, blog entries, emails, texts, et cetera.

Unfortunately, given that I read this novel in e-book form, I could not enjoy the different formats that undoubtedly readers that pick up a physical copy will. For some odd reason, more often than not, most e-books are still not appropriately formatted to reflect unconventional structures. However, in hindsight, I would not have enjoyed the novel regardless of the originality and inventiveness of the design.

If I had to pinpoint exactly what did not work for me, I would say both the characterisation and the seemingly pointless plot development. The characters were utterly unlikable, which is not a problem per se; however, the combination of unlikable characters and an over-descriptive narrative with lots of telling and little showing, does not work well. In addition, the author invested a lot of writing space describing what the characters were up to, and random throwbacks that did not amount to anything in particular. As a result, the characters lacked much necessary depth.

One of the reasons why I chose this book is because I am a big fan of fictionalised court drama, yet I was pretty unsatisfied with how this storyline played out. Without getting into spoilers, I felt frustrated with how the author handled specific controversial themes like rape and sexual abuse: for me, they were poorly and unjustly executed.

I also struggled with the disjointed narrative voice and the mess of going back and forth in time without order. If the goal was to create confusion to increase the suspense, it did not work: I was mainly exasperated and irritated by this.

Overall, In the Seeing Hands of Others was not my cup of tea. I could not enjoy anything about this novel: I did not connect with the characters, the writing or the plot. However, I hope other readers enjoy this one way more than I did.

Possibly the most original and unique novel i have read in a long time.. At first I wasn't sure on the style , it seemed to be jumping all over the place but once you get into it it is GOOD and you will be hooked. We have screenshots, transcripts from interviews, blog posts, diary extracts, yes it's a lot but it sort of works really well. As a reader you get inside the heads of both the accused and the victim and we have a family drama playing alongside . There's some hard hitting subjects in there, rape, cancer, suicide are just some so it won't be a book for everyone . However it is not a depressing book by any means, it's dark but also has humour in there.
I was left slightly deflated by the ending as there is no formal conclusion but maybe that is the whole point as it leaves you thinking....
A great debut and already looking forward to see more from the author .

Brilliant story, the format of the novel, which is comprised of blog posts, transcripts of police interviews, screenshots of emails only adds to the intrigue. Omg......... this book was amazing I flew through the pages with Olympic speed I was hooked from the very first page.

Such an interesting read. The story is told through blog posts made by Corina following a sexual assult by a former boyfriend as well as police interviews and diaries written by the alleged perpetrator. The story was really intertesting and at first its hard for the reader to decide what their views are. Once we start getting the diary written by the perpetrator it realise what a distrubed individual he is and it has the potential to be quite triggering.
Overall I would definitely recomnend while being mindful of the trigger warning - its a really thought provoking book. I'd say reading a physical copy would be benefical as I found some of the police reports/emails harder to read on a screen.

Wow, what a book! I saw this on Instagram and was immediately drawn to it. "In the seeing hands of others" is an incredibly dark novel--touching topics such as (and not limited to) rape, suicide, terminal sickness and legal injustice. I would recommend this debut(!) to everyone who can stomach these really tough topics. I'm looking forward to any Ogle books coming in the next years!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It’s an engrossing read and a very different style to most books, which might not be liked by everyone but that’s what I found good about it! It takes a bit of focus to keep everything clear in your head while you read and the subject matter can be confronting but it definitely held my attention throughout. A well written, interesting and different read which I recommend!

An interesting concept for a novel- I liked how it presents the reader with the evidence as it comes up throughout the story. You hear both sides of the narrative from all the characters involved. The author Nat tackles a string of very serious subject matters.
However I did struggle when I would come back to the book after putting it down. The narrative is not linear and as it's framed with evidence and transcripts, it's a little bit too jumpy for me and it was hard to remember where I was in the story.
Aside from this the cover for this book is so bright and striking

An unconventional - yet nonetheless impressive - debut novel by Nat Ogle. First impressions: the layout is as far from a traditional novel as is imaginable. By including images of witness statements, blog posts, and medical reports as evidentiary material, we might be forgiven for assuming we were about to enjoy a work of non-fiction. This idea is quickly dispelled, however, once the raw, gritty realism, and often violent, and disturbing storyline quickly takes shape.

Be warned: <i>The Seeing Hands of Others<i/> is often a very confronting, uncompromising read that doesn’t pull any punches. It’s unlikely to be to everyone’s taste. What will doubtless appeal though, is the combination of ‘authentic’ evidence and the sometimes conflicting storyline, which run in parallel and make for an intriguing read. The plot exposes the vulnerable underbelly of society and offers an insight into the mind of a ruthless madman in a way that leaves one shocked and appalled. However, this is tempered by Ogle’s poetic language that prevails upon us to keep reading.

Searingly original and authentically devised, this might just break the mould for the way adult fiction is penned in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail/Viper/Profile Books for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very compelling and unique read! The reader is presented with the evidence for a trial where the victim (Corina) has accused the defendant (Cameron) of raping her at a house party. We hear from both parties and get snippets of insight into their lives and events leading up to the crime and the aftermath in a series of police interviews, blog posts and emails. Both of the main characters are complex individuals and the reader is left with a very murky sense of what has actually happened.

This book gave a very good insight into some of the problems victims may face and the turmoil they go through in getting their case to trial and believed not just by the courts but by their friends and family (and by extension convincing us the reader when we also hear the contradicting side from the perpetrator).

There was no formal conclusion and we are left to ponder the motives of Corina and Cameron and the details of the trial. The ending scene will stick in my mind for a long time! A enjoyable but dark read. Astounded that this a debut!

This is a very different type of book. There has, or hasn't been a rape, and the book follows the evidence from the male and female characters. As a reader you are presented with evidence - from police interviews to phone transcripts - as well a more 'old fashioned' narrative.
I am in awe of the author - putting this together is an exciting advance in story telling. However I struggled, perhaps the abrupt changes of pace made it difficult to feel any empathy for the characters. I did read an early copy on a Kindle which meant that the formatting, along with my declining reading eye sight, made it impossible to read some of the evidence.
I did finish it - for which I am grateful as the ending is told in a more traditional format and was very, very good. It is a shame that I had to feel that I had to knuckle down to get to the end - which I do need to repeat, is brilliant.

As soon as I read his opening words Nat Ogle grabbed hold of me and refused to let go until I had reached the end. He is a very seductive writer despite the darker than dark themes he explores with razor-sharp precision. It is a bold writer indeed who takes on rape, kidney failure, suicide, terminal cancer, legal injustice, homelessness, and a burning hostel all in one novel and even bolder still to do that in a debut.
Nat's debut is innovative, thought-provoking and stunning. I have a strong feeling there is a lot more to come from his pen. I sincerely hope so.

An intriguing story told in an original way. I enjoyed seeing the transcripts and other documents and puzzling out connections between characters. While the subject of the book is challenging it is definitely told in an enthralling way. The only thing I found distracting was some of the language, some of the British characters use a lot of American English which seemed strange and I wasn't sure whether there was a point to it? That aside I liked the book and can definitely see how it will find an audience among thriller readers.

This book had me stumped. Sitting smug and thinking I had it all thought out, the author put me in my place. Finally we have a thriller that will keep you your toes. As with a number of authors I have been reading recently I cannot believe that this is the authors debut novel! I truly enjoyed myself and will be recommending it to anyone I see for the next few months.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Everything about this book intrigued me from the synopsis to the front cover and it was not a disappointment. The styling of the book reminded of the Appeal by Janice Hallett and I find books like this so intriguing. I really enjoyed it although the subject matter doesnt make for light reading,

I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this book. I love when authors move away from a traditional prose and try to deliver their stories in a unique format.

Here we are told the story of Corina who was raped by someone she knew and the aftermath of the trial.

As you can see, this won't be a novel you will enjoy as such. However it will definitely challenge you, challenge how you think and the way that you see people.

The format of the novel, which is comprised of blog posts, transcripts of police interviews, screenshots of emails only adds to the intrigue of the story and subject matter. I know this won't be to everyone's taste but given the subject matter it added a layer of realism to the story.

A really impressive debut novel which will be a massive hit

Thanks to Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

In The Seeing Hands of Others began as part of the author's PHD thesis before being developed into a book. It is the aftermath of the trial, Corina is trying to get on with her life having been raped by someone she knew. She's a nurse, helping other people to keep control of their lives, while she finds it difficult to do the same herself. With a poorly mother who doubts her rape claim, a brother who is always one step from trouble, and an absent father, Corina is trying to hold her family together too. 

Written largely as documents collated as evidence for the trial, we slowly unpick Corina's story and that of those around her. I don't think this is the kind of book you can 'enjoy', but you can certainly admire. It bravely encompasses a huge range of subjects and issues, and I found it quite an emotional read. 

The only criticism I have is that I read this as an early e-galley and found the formatting a little challenging. I think I'd prefer to read a hard copy to get the true feel of the evidentiary documents. That's just a personal preference though, and perhaps the final ebook will have better formatting when it comes to the documentary evidence.