'Unravelling Oliver' by Liz Nugent

Penguin Ireland, €14.99

“I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her. She just lay on the floor holding her jaw. Silent. She didn’t even seem to be surprised.”

Utterly captivating and wildly quizzical, the first two lines of Liz Nugent’s ‘Unrivalling Oliver’ set the tone for a book that is so page turning, it could be consumed in one read.

In this first page, you meet Oliver, a man depicted as the perfect husband-attractive and successful, financially sound and attentive. Forget the stereotypical 1950s wife beater, this is a man that seemingly any woman would be proud to have by their side. That is however, until the night in question where we meet Oliver for the first time, the night where he beat his wife Alice so bad, she ends up in a coma.

What follows is the story of Oliver, revealed by a patchwork of narrators who are witnesses at his trail. Giving us a snap shot into his character through their memories and experiences, we the reader become the jury in this story that is both tragic and monstrous.

With each new perspective and story ranging from his childhood toadult life, the novel becomes like a jigsaw. What we thought we knew in the last chapter suddenly turns on its head with the next revelation.

Liz Nugent has to be commended for tackling this sensitive issue through a guise that is untraditional, exposing that domestic violence could occur behind the most unpredictable of front doors. Even if you’ve never encountered or even heard a personal story of domestic violence it makes you question so many issues. Does anyone ever know someone that well? What really goes on within a marriage? How much does our past affect our future?

There is no denying that this novel is very dark and grim. It’s not just the first page that gives you the chills and the suspense is intense. If you’re up for the challenge however, this is a book that will give you a different and interesting perspective on an age old issue.