Review by ngocarolyn -- Duplicity by Fin C Gray
Posted: 14 May 2020, 18:19
[Following is a volunteer review of "Duplicity" by Fin C Gray.]
Duplicity by Fin C. Gray is a fast-paced, emotional thriller set in England centered around the consequences of loss within a fractured family. The author depicts a wide range of themes from redemption, love, and desire to hatred, evil, and trauma. There are 2 main storylines that revolve around the 2 main characters, Tom and Daniel. Tom, who is the father to Daniel, is introduced as a father with typical financial issues and career problems. He spends the majority of his time thinking of the “what if’s” in life and that “the grass is greener on the other side.” When something finally causes him to think that his life is about to improve, he experiences a tragedy and as a result, his life falls apart. Daniel, who has already been through immense trauma as a child, is barely hanging by a thread when his father falls to darkness. Duplicity explores the journey of a broken family after the pain; is there anyway they can heal and repair their family?
What I loved about this novel was Gray's writing style and use of foreshadowing which made this novel particularly difficult to put down. He gives readers a sense of suspense at the end of almost every chapter. From the start, as early on as the prologue, Gray makes it clear that this novel will be full of suspense. He also does a beautiful job with the many plot twists he includes throughout the novel. I felt that the writing style he used was perfect for the emotional thriller genre, and he did an amazing job keeping me interested and wanting to know more. Lastly, I believe that the overall message that the author was trying to convey was a strong one: that we should be grateful and appreciate the things that we do have in life rather than yearn for the things we don’t have.
Despite its strengths, I felt that this novel lacked one major point: character and relationship development. Due to the writing style that Gray chooses to write with, the characters seem to develop much more off-screen and between the chapters than in actual writing. From chapter to chapter, Gray switches the time of writing from “today” and “then,” indicating a change in timeframe. This sometimes made it difficult to process what was actually going on in the book. In addition to just jumping between timeframes, he also shifts the focus of chapters between different characters, making it even more difficult to comprehend. Overall, I wish there was more development in all of the characters as well as all of the character relationships. I felt that the supporting characters in particular were very poorly developed and that the novel was disorienting at times.
I believe this novel would appeal to those who enjoy feeling intense and difficult emotions while reading. Gray does a good job of making the reader understand both sides of the story, which oppose one another. Even though I know some things that the characters did or said were completely and morally wrong, I still found myself feeling pity for them and wishing they could just be happy. This book requires readers to really think about the meaning of life and can even make us reflect on our own. On the flip side, this novel is not for the faint-hearted and I would definitely rate this for mature audiences only. I feel that Gray touches upon the darkest of humanity in this novel and does so without a filter. I would not recommend this to people who may be triggered by sexual content or excessive cursing. I would also not recommend this novel to those who may be going through difficult times in their lives where they may be looking for hope in literature.
Overall, I would rate this novel a 3 out of 4 stars. This novel was edited exceptionally well. I would not give it a rating of 4 stars because I feel that a key part in making readers love a story is to make them really understand the characters. Gray did a decent job at making me feel for the characters, but there is definitely room for improvement. By writing more about how and why the characters end up the way they do, I think I would have understood them better and thus, felt stronger emotions for them. The reason I wouldn’t rate this a 2 is because I would recommend this book. I felt that the writing style, plot, and the overall message were strong and kept me interested throughout. Gray does a fine job of bringing a message of positivity out of a immensely dark story.
******
Duplicity
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Duplicity by Fin C. Gray is a fast-paced, emotional thriller set in England centered around the consequences of loss within a fractured family. The author depicts a wide range of themes from redemption, love, and desire to hatred, evil, and trauma. There are 2 main storylines that revolve around the 2 main characters, Tom and Daniel. Tom, who is the father to Daniel, is introduced as a father with typical financial issues and career problems. He spends the majority of his time thinking of the “what if’s” in life and that “the grass is greener on the other side.” When something finally causes him to think that his life is about to improve, he experiences a tragedy and as a result, his life falls apart. Daniel, who has already been through immense trauma as a child, is barely hanging by a thread when his father falls to darkness. Duplicity explores the journey of a broken family after the pain; is there anyway they can heal and repair their family?
What I loved about this novel was Gray's writing style and use of foreshadowing which made this novel particularly difficult to put down. He gives readers a sense of suspense at the end of almost every chapter. From the start, as early on as the prologue, Gray makes it clear that this novel will be full of suspense. He also does a beautiful job with the many plot twists he includes throughout the novel. I felt that the writing style he used was perfect for the emotional thriller genre, and he did an amazing job keeping me interested and wanting to know more. Lastly, I believe that the overall message that the author was trying to convey was a strong one: that we should be grateful and appreciate the things that we do have in life rather than yearn for the things we don’t have.
Despite its strengths, I felt that this novel lacked one major point: character and relationship development. Due to the writing style that Gray chooses to write with, the characters seem to develop much more off-screen and between the chapters than in actual writing. From chapter to chapter, Gray switches the time of writing from “today” and “then,” indicating a change in timeframe. This sometimes made it difficult to process what was actually going on in the book. In addition to just jumping between timeframes, he also shifts the focus of chapters between different characters, making it even more difficult to comprehend. Overall, I wish there was more development in all of the characters as well as all of the character relationships. I felt that the supporting characters in particular were very poorly developed and that the novel was disorienting at times.
I believe this novel would appeal to those who enjoy feeling intense and difficult emotions while reading. Gray does a good job of making the reader understand both sides of the story, which oppose one another. Even though I know some things that the characters did or said were completely and morally wrong, I still found myself feeling pity for them and wishing they could just be happy. This book requires readers to really think about the meaning of life and can even make us reflect on our own. On the flip side, this novel is not for the faint-hearted and I would definitely rate this for mature audiences only. I feel that Gray touches upon the darkest of humanity in this novel and does so without a filter. I would not recommend this to people who may be triggered by sexual content or excessive cursing. I would also not recommend this novel to those who may be going through difficult times in their lives where they may be looking for hope in literature.
Overall, I would rate this novel a 3 out of 4 stars. This novel was edited exceptionally well. I would not give it a rating of 4 stars because I feel that a key part in making readers love a story is to make them really understand the characters. Gray did a decent job at making me feel for the characters, but there is definitely room for improvement. By writing more about how and why the characters end up the way they do, I think I would have understood them better and thus, felt stronger emotions for them. The reason I wouldn’t rate this a 2 is because I would recommend this book. I felt that the writing style, plot, and the overall message were strong and kept me interested throughout. Gray does a fine job of bringing a message of positivity out of a immensely dark story.
******
Duplicity
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon