Spencer Fleury

Alton Carver lives in a nice house and lives with his wife Nicole and his beloved 4 year old daughter Clara. He appears to have a good life and be a real respected lawyer at his firm. In truth, he has embezzled millions of dollars from his clients and knows that he is under federal investigation. So he decides to fake his death. That way he can eliminate the chance of prosecution and jail plus his wife and daughter will be able to live well on the insurance payout. He has thought through all angles of faking his death and decides to go out in his boat, start a fire and disappear to shore on a kayak. All goes well until he realizes that it's difficult to row a kayak, that he no longer has transportation and that he really misses his daughter. He decides to stay in town a bit longer and alters his appearance by shaving his head. When he should have left for Central America, he begins making stupid decisions all of which could lead to his discovery. He watches his daughter on the playground, he sneaks into his home and he attends his memorial service. While listening to the people at the service, he realizes that he wasn't as well thought of by his colleagues and friends and was barely even liked. He also finds out that his wife has a boyfriend. This enrages him an decides to stay in town even longer to get revenge and begins to make even dumber decisions. What comes next is a train wreck, a tale of self-deception, revenge, and bad decisions.

The story is told in alternating chapters by Alton and Nicole and what we find out is that they are both very selfish and unlikable characters. Alton has a very high opinion of himself as a lawyer and a husband and Nicole has really been fed up with him for years and has a long term boyfriend. The only likeable person in the novel is Clara, their daughter. Even though I didn't like the characters, I just had to keep reading to find out how it all ended.

Despite the fact that parts of this book are unbelievable and that the characters are so selfish and unlikable, I found this to be a very quirky and interesting book. This is a debut book for this author and I look forward to reading future books by him.… (mais)

I absolutely loved this book! After I finished reading it I glanced at other reviews. I also read the blurb printed on the back of the book (I never read any of these before reading the book. I don’t want to be biased or have any preconceived notions.) Anyway, I can understand why other readers made specific connections, but what I got from the story was something completely different.

The way this book is written makes the story more intriguing. Essentially, Alton is the villain. The guy is under investigation for fraud and embezzlement. The primary events of the story are expressed through his eyes. We hear his thoughts, we are led to understand his reasons. We develop empathy for the man we should despise.

On the flip side, Nicole’s reactions to her husband’s actions are emotionally driven, as they should be. She tells of her breakdowns and paranoia. She confesses her unhealthy coping mechanisms. As she retells her side of the story to a counselor, her reflections seem to have shifted to an unemotional and detached state. We understand her anger with Alton. We are distraught when Clara goes missing. However, I found myself remaining faithful to Alton’s plight.
… (mais)