Blame

So good!
I’m so glad I came across this book, I read it almost in one sitting, it was unputdownable!

Lucas, a successful pharmaceutical scientist, receives the news about the sudden death of his father with whom he hasn’t been in contact for many years. He goes back to his hometown to manage the legacy and to arrange the funeral, and the memories from the past that were long blurred come to the surface.

The story movies between now and Lucas teenager’s dairy, and evokes all possible emotions. It is tragic and funny at the same time. What happened in the past between Lucas and his father? Was a heart attack the real cause of his sudden death? A lot of unanswered questions, but you'll get all answers at the end.

Paul Read offers an excellent family psychological drama, brilliant prose, an eloquent and witty writing style, well-developed and authentic characters and a highly satisfying ending.

I cannot recommend it highly enough!

I really enjoyed Paul Read's debut novel The Art Teacher last year, so when I spotted his follow-up, I had to add it although I am desperately trying to reduce my TBR pile.
I was surprised how different the two books were. Both very good, but very different. I guess that in itself speaks for the author's skills.
Told from the protagonist's first-person point of view, Blame was a story about coming to terms with your past. The main character, Lucas, is successful at his job (he is a bit of a pharmaceutical wizard), but he's a failure when it comes to relationships and he has a definite self-destructive streak. Following his father's sudden, unexpected death, Lucas sets off on a journey of self-discovery that takes him on an impulsive trip to New York but also back to his quaint English seaside hometown. There were lots of layers to this story that were gradually peeled back. It's - what I would call - a family drama and explores issues of guilt and redemption. It raises the question of how much we can trust our childhood memories and the age-old question of how much parents 'damage' (I had a far more offensive expression here ;)) their offsprings.
I really enjoyed the book within a book set-up. Lucas finds the diary he wrote as a boy in 1989 complete with childlike drawings, and that's how the reader discovers the details of what happened back then.
I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed when all was finally revealed and couldn't quite understand why Lucas had been making such a fuss and had been estranged from his Dad for so long. Perhaps that's because I'm too used to reading deeply disturbing and depressing books or maybe it was the male perspective that made it more difficult for me. The book calls attention to the special relationship between fathers and sons, and Lucas learns that he and his Dad had maybe more in common than he ever wanted to acknowledge.
I would rate the story itself 3.5 stars. What undoubtedly elevated this to a strong 4 stars, was the delivery. The writing was mesmerising! Perceptive and eloquent, Mr Read impresses with his smooth and almost poetic style. (I used my dictionary several times, great vocabulary-building exercise for non-native English speakers like me). Can't wait to find out what Mr Read will come up with in his third book!
Thanks to Legend Press, Paul Read and NetGalley for my ARC.

This book was great! SO glad I was able to read this one. This story focused on family, and emotions was so interesting. Although the topic was a little depressing, it was so well written. I read this one over a few days, I would definitely recommend this to a friend.