By page twenty-six of this compelling story the reader has not only been introduced to four of the key characters but also knows that the owner of the café, who now lies dying from his wounds, was the gunman’s target. What then follows is a tension-filled and emotional story about a group of strangers who suddenly find themselves united by having the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most of the customers escape in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and some of the more vulnerable hostages are later released, leaving the story to be told through the different narrative voices of six characters: Sam, the gunman, the four remaining hostages, Abi, a young defence barrister, Neil, a homeless man in his fifties, Mutesi, a care assistant from Rwanda and Rosie, a waitress from the café who is hiding in a cupboard and, finally, DI Eliza McClean, the police negotiator whose job it is to establish a dialogue with Sam so that everyone can be brought out alive.
Although using a group of disparate characters to tell a story and to gradually reveal their individual back story, is not uncommon in psychological thrillers, I think that the author’s mostly well-paced revelations makes this novel an impressive addition to the genre. Although a number of the disclosures came as no surprise to me, as I’d so quickly felt emotionally-engaged with her well-drawn characters, this did little to spoil my enjoyment of the story. I’m not going to go into any detail about any of their stories because most enjoyment of the story-telling comes from the slow drip-feed of information, revealing how the characters’ past experiences have affected them and are now influencing their reactions to the terrifying situation into which they’ve been thrust. I was impressed with the author’s convincing portrayal of the different ways in which each of them reacted to being so randomly caught up in this life-threatening situation, the ways in which their reactions changed as, with almost palpable slowness, the hours of captivity passed and as fear and anger gave way to a more compassionate response to the gunman once the hostages were able to understand what had driven him to this violent act. The Stockholm Syndrome scenario could have felt rather clichéd but I thought it was handled in a convincing way and the eventual resolution of the siege felt entirely credible.
However, it was not only in the café that the atmosphere was fraught with tension, this was also reflected in the police incident room. I found Eliza’s narrative fascinating because it enabled insights into the delicate balancing act any negotiator must face when attempting to establish a rapport with an unknown, unpredictable character, ever-mindful that the lives of the hostages hang in the balance. The mounting stress of dealing not only with the gunman, but also with pressures from other members of the team who are pressing for a speedy resolution, if necessary by force, was very evocatively portrayed, as was the impact such a role has on members of the negotiator’s family.
As I was reading there were moments when I felt that the pace of the story-telling was rather slow and that tension wasn’t being maintained but, on reflection, I think that this unevenness probably captured an accurate portrayal of what happens in any real-life hostage situation, that moments of inertia and boredom do co-exist with moments of terror and uncertainty.
This is the first of Charity Norman’s novels which I’ve read but, judging by this one, she’s a talented story-teller so I’m left feeling tempted to look at some of her earlier books.
With thanks to Readers First and Allen &Unwin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Although using a group of disparate characters to tell a story and to gradually reveal their individual back story, is not uncommon in psychological thrillers, I think that the author’s mostly well-paced revelations makes this novel an impressive addition to the genre. Although a number of the disclosures came as no surprise to me, as I’d so quickly felt emotionally-engaged with her well-drawn characters, this did little to spoil my enjoyment of the story. I’m not going to go into any detail about any of their stories because most enjoyment of the story-telling comes from the slow drip-feed of information, revealing how the characters’ past experiences have affected them and are now influencing their reactions to the terrifying situation into which they’ve been thrust. I was impressed with the author’s convincing portrayal of the different ways in which each of them reacted to being so randomly caught up in this life-threatening situation, the ways in which their reactions changed as, with almost palpable slowness, the hours of captivity passed and as fear and anger gave way to a more compassionate response to the gunman once the hostages were able to understand what had driven him to this violent act. The Stockholm Syndrome scenario could have felt rather clichéd but I thought it was handled in a convincing way and the eventual resolution of the siege felt entirely credible.
However, it was not only in the café that the atmosphere was fraught with tension, this was also reflected in the police incident room. I found Eliza’s narrative fascinating because it enabled insights into the delicate balancing act any negotiator must face when attempting to establish a rapport with an unknown, unpredictable character, ever-mindful that the lives of the hostages hang in the balance. The mounting stress of dealing not only with the gunman, but also with pressures from other members of the team who are pressing for a speedy resolution, if necessary by force, was very evocatively portrayed, as was the impact such a role has on members of the negotiator’s family.
As I was reading there were moments when I felt that the pace of the story-telling was rather slow and that tension wasn’t being maintained but, on reflection, I think that this unevenness probably captured an accurate portrayal of what happens in any real-life hostage situation, that moments of inertia and boredom do co-exist with moments of terror and uncertainty.
This is the first of Charity Norman’s novels which I’ve read but, judging by this one, she’s a talented story-teller so I’m left feeling tempted to look at some of her earlier books.
With thanks to Readers First and Allen &Unwin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.