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Isabel Smith (34 KP) rated Our Kind of Cruelty: A Novel in Books

Jun 22, 2018

Our Kind of Cruelty is an engrossing, in-depth case study of the weirdly obsessive and detrimental love story between Mike Hayes and Verity Walton. Author Araminta Hall only provides readers with Mike’s point of view, so there are some limitations into what we can glean about Verity’s thoughts, motivations, and behaviors. Nevertheless, seeds of doubt are sown from the beginning of the story about both characters’ integrity and reliability.

Mike and Verity have been inseparable since meeting at university and starting up their one-of-a-kind relationship. During their early years they established a disturbing game which they referred to as the Crave, in which they always benefited at the expense of others. It is unclear who started the game, as Verity will say Mike did and vice versa. Similarly, a number of other relevant events in their tumultuous relationship are clouded with duplicity, right down to the moment when one of their so-called Crave victims ends up dead. What ensues is a riveting trial in which a jury (and readers) must navigate through the he-said/she-said testimonies and decide who the guilty party is.

In the ever-growing mound of psychological thrillers that have skyrocketed since the release of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, Araminta Hall’s latest work really stands out due to the fact that she’s changed up the ever popular unreliable narrator trope. In Our Kind of Cruelty, the central unreliable narrator is a male; typically readers have been treated to unpredictable and untrustworthy females. Needless to say, I really enjoyed this twist. I also really enjoyed the court procedural part of the book; reading the conflicting accounts between Mike and Verity was like watching a riveting tennis match where the ball is whacked mercilessly back and forth between both parties. Check this book out today if you’re in the mood for something dark yet intriguing, something that will leave you thinking and wondering long after you’ve finished the book.