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A review by anusha_reads
Wild Houses by Colin Barrett
medium-paced
4.0
BOOK#8 WILD HOUSES, COLIN BARRETT, LONGLISTED FOR #BOOKERPRIZE2024
The story revolves around a deal gone awry and a subsequent kidnapping, through which a group of drug dealers tries to force payment owed to them. Doll is kidnapped because his brother Cillian messes up a deal. The entire story is conversational, and we learn about the lives of various characters as they talk.
‘BY THE END HE ALMOST BEGAN TO MISS CALMER’S BEATINGS, BECAUSE THE BEATINGS AT LEAST INVOLVED HUMAN CONTACT. CALMER HAD SEEMED TO HATE DEV, BUT HATE WAS AT LEAST AN INVESTMENT OF SENTIMENT, AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. NOW DEV HAD NOTHING AND NO ONE. HE FELT LIKE HE WAS BECOMING TRANSPARENT, HIS SKIN AND ORGANS TURNING TO GLASS.’
I was particularly drawn to the characters Dev and Nicky, Doll’s girlfriend, due to the struggles and hardships they faced. Dev is a young man suffering from depression and anxiety. Although he is physically large, he doesn’t use his size to protect himself and instead gets pushed around at school. He now lives alone in his house after the recent death of his mother. This house is used by a group of thugs for their misdeeds, as well as for hiding the victim, Doll.
Nicky, the girl, works as a waitress at a bar/restaurant. She is portrayed as a patient, hardworking girl who loves Doll. Nicky excels in her studies and dreams of attending college.
Colin Barrett brings this incident to life with flowing dialogues, and he effectively brings the characters of the small-time criminals to life, depicting their behaviors and interactions with striking realism. Despite being a short book, it covers the few days during which the deal unfolds.
While I appreciate the effort and creativity that went into writing this book, it didn’t quite resonate with me. Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and others may feel differently. Though it's an engaging read, it doesn't fully capture the complexity or depth I tend to expect from a Booker Prize longlisted novel.
The story revolves around a deal gone awry and a subsequent kidnapping, through which a group of drug dealers tries to force payment owed to them. Doll is kidnapped because his brother Cillian messes up a deal. The entire story is conversational, and we learn about the lives of various characters as they talk.
‘BY THE END HE ALMOST BEGAN TO MISS CALMER’S BEATINGS, BECAUSE THE BEATINGS AT LEAST INVOLVED HUMAN CONTACT. CALMER HAD SEEMED TO HATE DEV, BUT HATE WAS AT LEAST AN INVESTMENT OF SENTIMENT, AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. NOW DEV HAD NOTHING AND NO ONE. HE FELT LIKE HE WAS BECOMING TRANSPARENT, HIS SKIN AND ORGANS TURNING TO GLASS.’
I was particularly drawn to the characters Dev and Nicky, Doll’s girlfriend, due to the struggles and hardships they faced. Dev is a young man suffering from depression and anxiety. Although he is physically large, he doesn’t use his size to protect himself and instead gets pushed around at school. He now lives alone in his house after the recent death of his mother. This house is used by a group of thugs for their misdeeds, as well as for hiding the victim, Doll.
Nicky, the girl, works as a waitress at a bar/restaurant. She is portrayed as a patient, hardworking girl who loves Doll. Nicky excels in her studies and dreams of attending college.
Colin Barrett brings this incident to life with flowing dialogues, and he effectively brings the characters of the small-time criminals to life, depicting their behaviors and interactions with striking realism. Despite being a short book, it covers the few days during which the deal unfolds.
While I appreciate the effort and creativity that went into writing this book, it didn’t quite resonate with me. Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and others may feel differently. Though it's an engaging read, it doesn't fully capture the complexity or depth I tend to expect from a Booker Prize longlisted novel.