Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!!

So I'm not exactly sure how to feel about this short story. The beginning caught me off guard... which is a great way to engage the reader! Including the unexpected is always nice. However, as the story went on, I became more and more confused. There was a lot of over explaining of some parts in my opinion, and other parts were lacking detail. I wasn't fond of the character Brenden hallucinating a conversation with a fuel pump?? That was odd. I also didn't understand why the story ended the way it did. It wasn't as predictable as I had guessed, but why have one character admit to murder when it never happened? Maybe I missed something important but this book wasn't my favorite.

*3.5 stars*
Well that was different, and different can sometimes be a good thing, in this case it most definitely was!

Brendan and Trevor are former rugby teammates from school, who are now entering mid life. Brendan was always the best when it came to sports, and he’s now a successful GP whose life has panned out pretty well. Trevor meanwhile is married to a woman he dislikes, and his career has been up and down, but mostly down.

They’re both suffering from years of suppressed emotions as the story begins with the two of them going to a soccer match in Amsterdam, but this drug and alcohol fuelled weekend will have life changing results for the pair of them. However, what happens in Amsterdam stays in Amsterdam! Or does it?

Well, how do I describe this one? It’s dark, it’s amusing and it’s a little bit crazy, veering off as it does into the realms of fantasy, but I really enjoyed it. At only 120 pages long, I would have happily read a longer version!

Brendan McFadden, a doctor from Cork Ireland, and his old school friend Trevor, a man who'd experienced the failure of many business ventures, spend a lads’ weekend in Amsterdam which sets off a dark chain of events. Brendan’s carefully constructed world begins to unravel in ways that are both absurdly comic and profoundly unsettling.

Once in a while I enjoy reading an oddball book which is a bit "off the wall" and this one fits the bill. It's very short, barely over 100 pages, but a lot happens that will leave you chuckling a bit and shaking your head a lot. I love a quirky cover and this picture of 'Julian' is exquisite. I'll be watching for future publications from this author.

Thanks to Lorcan Volkov, the author, and the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), via Netgalley, for making this novella available. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: March 1, 2025

I loved the premise of this book - the twists are unexpected and thrilling, and the weirdness as it goes on is great, I love an unreliable narrator.

My problem, I think, is that it is too short. I know it is only a short novella, but I feel like some of the most exciting, important or tense parts are almost rushed through - this could have been expanded to a full length novel. I would have loved to live inside the main characters head during the second half a little longer - I love it when the lines blur between what is real and what isn’t - and I also would have liked to see more of the events (and the reasons behind them) explained properly.

The writing style is not really one I’d normally read, and I found the use of informal language like ‘kinda’ and ‘blotto’ outside of dialogue took me out of the story a little - though I loved seeing the use of the word ‘zapper’, as I haven’t heard that used in that context since I was a child!

Because of the rushing, things left unexplained and the writing style, I don’t think this one was for me - which is such a shame because the story and ideas behind it are great.

this was a fantastic book! It was a very good mystery book and thriller book. I love that combination, and this book had so many good twists and turns, I think it is a must read !!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Knives + Forks is one of those books that I enjoyed but I'm still not clear on why.

The story feels part fantasy and part horror as we follow Brendan from triumph to failure in a very short space of time.

Brendan is a successful GP who, on a trip to Amsterdam with his "friend" Trevor makes an error of judgment that will come back to haunt him. As time passes Brendan thinks that his life has returned to normal but now he can barely stand the sight of Trevor who, he feels, is inferior to him in every way. Taking a regular solo trip to Tory island off the Kerry coast, Brendan decides to invite Trevor along to teach Trevor a lesson Brendan feels has been a long time coming.

But of course things are not destined to go all Brendan's way and the second half of the book descends into a strange mix of imagination gone wild and a terrifying end to Brendan's plans.

There are some extremely funny and bizarre episodes in this short novel and although I felt the second half was slightly weaker that the beginning, I still really enjoyed it. In fact the twists and turns are quite breathtaking. It's not like any book I've read before.

I would definitely recommend this book and I'd love to read more fiction by Mr Volkov.

Thankyou to Netgalley for the advance review copy.

This story had me wanting more. Set around an Irish Doctor and his friend with a crazy night in Amsterdam, the aftermath and their relationship overall. The twists are something I didn't see coming, being on the edge of my seat. Short stories are enjoyable although I do wish there was more to it. The flaws of each character is something that are needed in this story

Lorcan Volkov’s Knives + Forks is a peculiar and gripping novel that defies conventional storytelling. While its unusual structure and enigmatic style may leave readers with lingering questions, there’s an undeniable magnetism that makes it difficult to put down.

The novel weaves a narrative that feels deliberately sparse, leaving much unsaid. While this ambiguity adds to its intrigue, it also leaves gaps that, if explored further, could have provided the depth and clarity needed to elevate the story. A longer, more developed approach might have offered the “extra” substance that would fully satisfy the reader’s curiosity.

Despite these omissions, Volkov’s writing maintains an undeniable pull. There’s something about the way he crafts suspense, luring the reader deeper into the story even as it withholds key details. Knives + Forks is an odd but compelling read—one that intrigues as much as it frustrates, making it a book that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

*Knives and Forks* is a darkly funny, sharply observed novel about friendship, envy, and the uncomfortable truths we spend years avoiding. Brendan seems to have it all—he’s a successful doctor, a rugby player, and a man whose life has fallen neatly into place. But when a weekend in Amsterdam with his old friend Trevor takes an unexpected turn, cracks start to form in his carefully curated world.

What starts as a witty reflection on middle-aged discontent soon spirals into something much darker and more unsettling. Trevor’s misfortunes, combined with long-buried tensions, force Brendan to confront emotions he’s spent a lifetime suppressing. From awkward hotel bars to the windswept shores of Tory Island, the novel expertly balances absurdity and melancholy, making you laugh one moment and wince the next.

With its biting humor, simmering tensions, and unpredictable twists, this book is an addictive read that lingers long after the final page. If you love character-driven literary fiction with a wickedly comedic edge, *Knives and Forks* is one you won’t want to miss.

This little book reads like a fever dream—the kind where you hover between reality and something else entirely.
“On June summer mornings in Ireland there’s a feeling of magic in the air. It’s a time when the unexpected can happen. Sometimes the unexpected can be good, which is great. But sometimes the unexpected can be fabulously bad, which can be even better.”
That’s exactly what this book feels like.

I enjoyed the story very much. The author’s voice and style reminded me of Great Expectations by Dickens. I’m not saying it has the same literary greatness, but it made me smile, laugh, and reflect on life in a similar way.

Brendan is a self-assured, middle aged doctor from Cork, Ireland—a successful family man who thinks highly of himself. Trevor, on the surface, is a copy of Brendan with more money but less successful, with only a wife and no other real achievements—at least, according to Brendan’s perspective.
“Trevor was one of those people who was good at all the wrong things.”

A year after their one-night stand, everything spirals into the strangest of endings. I’m still not sure what truly happened. Who played who? Who planned it all? Was any of it real, or just a creation of Brendan’s mind? I fear we’ll never know—and that’s okay.

Read this book for the fun of it. Don’t expect flowery prose or a grand, satisfying resolution. It simply is—and I believe that’s exactly what the author intended. What that ‘is’ might be? I still don’t know. But I read it, and I liked it.


*Thank you NetGalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is a short novella that packs an unusually large punch. Two Irish acquaintances from school, now older with wives and children, have a one-time drug and alcohol fueled sexual encounter in Amsterdam that they agree never to speak of again. This ultimately devolves into a story of unrequited feelings, class inequity, and revenge. The author manages to fit quite a lot into his first brief novel, and I’m curious what he comes up with next.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ummm not really what i was expecting.
A quick read which was not really my thing.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I enjoyed much of the build up of the first half of this strange little novella.

What looked to play out as a bit of a last man standing affair turned into what I think was just one man loosing the plot…

Odd, random and completely disjointed but with sparks of an author who has some talent. But just feels like it got weird to be weird just for the sake of. It.

Knives & Forks centers on Brendan and Trevor, two friends who go to Amsterdam for a holiday. I thought that author Lorcan Volkov had some interesting insights into the dynamics of this relationship, but all in all the book was not very interesting.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
This novella sounded like a fun read, but I ended up not really enjoying it. I became uncomfortable the further I got into.the story and ending up not really understanding what was going on. Sorry!