Three brothers are at the funeral. One lies in the coffin.
Will, Brian and Luke grow up competing for their mother's unequal love. As men, the competition continues - for status, money, fame, women ...
They each betray each other, over and over, until one of them is dead.
But which brother killed him?
First Monday Crime is back with the first discussion of 2022. The all Irish panel will be on Facebook Live at 7:30pm this evening with Liz Nugent (Our Little Cruelties), Jane Casey (The Killing Kind), Sam Blake (Remember My Name) and W.C. Ryan (The Winter Guest), with Katherine Armstrong taking on the moderator mantle this month. Many thanks to Penguin Books for sending me a copy of Our Little Cruelties and to Joy Kluver for inviting me to review for First Monday.
Our Little Cruelties is one of the more unpleasant books I've read for a while but this is far from being a criticism! It features a slew of unlikeable characters whose relationships with one another are bitter, jealous and as the title suggests, cruel. It's probably not the book to read if you're looking for a feelgood novel – although the sense of schadenfreude from watching the wretchedness unfold is undeniable so...
The book opens at the funeral of one of the Drumm brothers; Will, Brian and Luke, but we aren't told which one. What is obvious, however, is that something terrible has happened and that the two remaining brothers aren't as grief-stricken as you'd might expect. The storyline is then divided between the three men, allowing us to really learn more about each as we witness events from their own and the perspective of their siblings. One of the things I found particularly interesting about Our Little Cruelties was that the first-person narrative often proved to be more revealing and therefore damning than the character perhaps intended. So when the eldest brother, Will mentions his encounters with women or his relationship with his brothers, the picture he inadvertently – although entirely accurately – presents is one of an entitled, arrogant misogynist who is the archetypal firstborn in many ways; competitive, selfish and successful.
Middle born Brian also confirms to type as the most covetous, inadequate brother who struggles to find his niche. I found the development of his character fascinating and my feelings towards him probably fluctuated the most during the course of the book. He displays some self-awareness of his flaws but is prone to violent outbursts and his inferiority complex sees him manipulating the frail, damaged Luke for his own ends.
Luke is the outlier in the story as far from being indulged by his mother, as is often claimed of the youngest child, he has been criticised, ignored and diminished by her for his entire life even when he unexpectedly becomes wildly successful. In fact, this story of broken relationships might focus on the brothers but it is Melissa, their mother whose self-absorbed narcissism and favouritism actually lies at the heart of the novel and affects everything. The psychological damage she inflicts on Luke proves to be huge and I felt the most sympathy towards him as he first seeks some sort of solace and purpose in the Church. As his obsession borders on the dangerous, his fragile psyche soon becomes apparent and throughout the convoluted timeline of the book, Luke's addictions and mental illness are an almost constant factor, even during the times when he is ostensibly well.
Though some of his behaviour can be excused, he still partakes in the petty vindictiveness that defines this dysfunctional family and over the years, the lies, cheating and revenge taints nearly everyone in their wake. If death comes from a thousand cuts then the years of little and indeed huge cruelties they inflict on one another mean the outcome is bleakly inevitable. This intense drama extends across the decades but opens and closes with the same tragedy and a conclusion which is both shocking and horrifically inescapable. Our Little Cruelties is pitch-black psychological suspense and though it almost feels wrong to exact any sort of enjoyment from the complex, twisted misery on display here, it is just so utterly compelling...
Our Little Cruelties is published by Penguin Books, purchasing links can be found here but please support independent bookshops whenever possible.
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| Photo: Ger Holland |
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