Book Review | Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent

Little Cruelties

by Liz Nugent

Gallery/Scout Press

Publication Date : November 10, 2020

Pages : 352

Synopsis From Publisher :

William, Brian, and Luke are each born a year apart in a lower middle class Catholic family in 1960s Dublin. William, the eldest, rises to the top of the heap in the film industry as a successful movie producer. Luke, the baby of the family, surprises everyone by morphing into a worldwide pop star. Brian, the compliant middle son, is the eternal adult in the room: the helpful, steady one, the manager of finances and careers.

But none of them is actually quite what he seems. Wounded by childhood, they have betrayed one another in myriad ways, hiding behind little lies that have developed into full blown treachery. With an unnerving eye for the complexities of families, Nugent delves into the secret life of a deeply troubled household and provides stunning insights into the many forces that shape us from childhood.

I attended a virtual author event earlier this year. The author stated “ it is easy to create a likable character, but creating an interesting character is the real challenge.” When the author made this statement, the first author that came to mind was Liz Nugent. Nugent brilliantly creates characters readers will despise, but undoubtedly remember for some time. With Little Cruelties, Nugent continues this wonderfully captivating trend. 

William, Brian, and Luke Drumm are brothers, each no more than a year and a half apart in age. Despite their familial connection they could not be more different. William, a successful film producer, Luke, a well-known pop star, and Brian a teacher, turned waiter, turned talent manager. Growing up in the same household they have many shared experiences; the death of their father and navigating their self-absorbed mother. Although the three brothers experienced most events together, the effect on each was different. Nugent takes us through each life changing event in the lives of William, Brian, and Luke. Expertly illustrating how years of incorrect perceptions, secrets, and lies can destroy a family. 

Little Cruelties opens with a funeral making the story an immediate page turner. Who is in the casket? Who is narrating the story? Is the person who caused the death at the funeral? Are they the narrator? Starting a story with a funeral poses so many questions, capturing the reader's full attention making it impossible to put down the book until all their questions are answered. 

The Drumm brothers are truly awful. They each have polarizing character flaws which outweigh any positive attributes. Selfish, arrogant, judgmental just to name a few. Although I did not like any of the main characters, I found each brother extremely interesting. Nugent does an awesome job exposing readers to each brother fully; giving each brother a perspective and taking readers through the same event three times but from each brother's point of view. 

Alternating timelines feature heavily in Little Cruelties. Alternating timelines are an excellent way to create mini cliff hangers and keep readers engaged. However, in Little Cruelties, the timelines shift many times; sometimes making it difficult to keep up with the plot. I found this issue obvious when the book began but, midway through I became more familiar with events in the Drumm brother’s lives. At the midway point the story flowed, and the shifting timelines became easier to follow.

Little Cruelties is the story of a murder; however, the murder is secondary to the familial dramas which play out through the entire book. Readers looking for an action filled, suspenseful, and thrilling read may be disappointed with Little Cruelties. Unraveling Oliver, one of Nugent’s previous releases, is similar to Little Cruelties. I absolutely loved Unraveling Oliver. Both stories could be categorized as psychological character studies rather than crime fiction.

Although Little Cruelties is not what I would consider traditional crime fiction, I found the story no less compelling. With each page I was further drawn into the world of the Drumm brothers. Shocked and sometimes disgusted by their actions, but eager to see how events would play out. While Little Cruelties lacks action and thrills, the story more than makes up for it with twists and jaw dropping reveals.

Murder and Moore Rating: 

4.5 out of 5 Stars