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I Saw a Man
The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door.
After the sudden loss of his wife, Michael Turner moves to London and quickly develops a close friendship with the Nelson family next door. Josh, Samantha and their two young daughters seem to represent everything Michael fears he may now never have: intimacy, children, stability and a family home. Despite this, the new friendship at first seems to offer the prospect of healing, but then a catastrophic event changes everything. Michael is left bearing a burden of grief and a secret he must keep, but the truth can only be kept at bay for so long.
Moving from London and New York to the deserts of Nevada, I Saw a Man is a brilliant exploration of violence, guilt and attempted redemption, written with the pace and grip of a thriller. Owen Sheers takes the reader from close observation of the domestic sphere to some of the most important questions and dilemmas of the contemporary world.
After the sudden loss of his wife, Michael Turner moves to London and quickly develops a close friendship with the Nelson family next door. Josh, Samantha and their two young daughters seem to represent everything Michael fears he may now never have: intimacy, children, stability and a family home. Despite this, the new friendship at first seems to offer the prospect of healing, but then a catastrophic event changes everything. Michael is left bearing a burden of grief and a secret he must keep, but the truth can only be kept at bay for so long.
Moving from London and New York to the deserts of Nevada, I Saw a Man is a brilliant exploration of violence, guilt and attempted redemption, written with the pace and grip of a thriller. Owen Sheers takes the reader from close observation of the domestic sphere to some of the most important questions and dilemmas of the contemporary world.
261 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2014
About the author
Owen Sheers
38 books128 followersOWEN SHEERS is a poet, author and playwright. His first novel, Resistance, was translated into ten languages and adapted into a film. The Dust Diaries, his Zimbabwean nonfiction narrative, won the Wales Book of the Year Award. His awards for poetry and drama include the Somerset Maugham Award for Skirrid Hill, the Hay Festival Medal for Poetry and Wales Book of the Year Award for Pink Mist, and the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award for his play The Two Worlds of Charlie F. His most recent novel is I Saw a Man, which was shortlisted for the Prix Femina Etranger. He lives in Wales with his wife and daughter. He has been a New York Public Library Cullman Fellow and is currently Professor in Creativity at Swansea University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 548 reviews
February 22, 2017
This is a $1.99 Kindle special today. I thought it was fascinating..... Easy read --but will play tricks on your thinking!
I'm glad I read it. Odd, great writing ...and a little 'crazy'.
"As far as Caroline was concerned, she'd already decided she wanted Michael. Not just because of what else she wanted in her life, and not because she was attracted to the
subtlety of his humor and his looks, both of which had grown on her gradually, like a
secret she'd been let in on. She'd found these qualities in previous relationships, and learn they were insufficient, in the end, to hold her attention. But what she'd never
encountered before was Michael's stillness, his capacity to hold the world lightly without appearing aloof or frivolous. She wasn't aware of it over that dinner, and perhaps she never came to appreciate it over their brief marriage, but it was a matter born more of place than of character".
Michael Tunner, a writer, grew up in London, was educated in journalism- moved to
Manhattan with a journalist visa with a list of British editors who agreed to use him as a stringer. While in New York he wrote his first book called "Brotherhoods", a story about two Dominican brothers- Nico and Raoul. The profits brought him financial comfort.
From there Michael moves back to London. Just weeks after he arrives he meets Caroline.
After a short courting period - a quick marriage - they move to Wales for a more quiet life....nesting together. Michael begins working on his next book called
"The Man Who Broke the Mirror".....( another non fiction) .
His subject was Oliver Blackwood -a brilliant volatile neurosurgeon who in recent years had controversially "crossed the floor" to stray into matters of neuroscience.
Caroline began her new job in Bristol--a producer's position at Sightline Productions, a TV Company specializing in news and investigative documentary.
She took a two week job in Pakistan.....and was accidentally killed.
Grieving the loss of Caroline, Michael, quickly sells the house in Whales and almost everything in it - and moves into an apt. near Hampstead Heath in London.
Michael meets with Oliver Blackwood one afternoon - still trying to move forward on the book he is writing about him. They were having a conversation about loss and death.
As a writer, Michael was always curious about the deep layers of his subjects and their intimate thinking. Oliver had told him - 'real' maturity comes to a man once they have children or losing your parents.
Well, weeks later after Caroline died, Michael would have told Oliver something different. "It was the birth of an amputated love. Of having found a person with whom life makes sense, someone who expands you, only to have their death suddenly close you again, like teeth of a woodland trap. And in that closing to experience a slow tearing in the fabric of your days, your years".
THIS STORY IS ODD .... with some gorgeous writing....I'm glad I read it. I couldn't pull myself away as the tension - at least the first 50% of this story is like nails on a chalk board .... It's -'slow-building-intriguing'--( well, let's tell the truth ---I WAS DYING to find out WHAT was coming).....with excellent writing and crafting.....but I'm not so sure about the ending.
Michael becomes friends with his neighbors - Josh, Samantha and their two daughters: Rachel, age 6...and Lucy, age 4. He loans them a screwdriver
NOTE: NEVER EVER LOAN YOUR NEIGHBOR A SCREWDRIVER!!!!
......as for what happens in this story... Hell, go check it out from the damn library...It's only around 250 pages.... Tell ME what YOU think? lol
It's good?/!!! It's yucky?/!!!! We MUST suspend belief about [CANT SAY to people who have not read this yet]....but WILL talk about this WITH readers of "I Saw A Man"
Issues to look at .... moral responsibility, grief, the downside to secrets, the upside to secrets, ( who benefits who doesn't), guilt, surface friends, marriage, children, parenting, friendship, tragedy, redemption.....and in what circumstance- might one justify a wrongdoing?
DISCUSSIONS of this book seem REQUIRED. It seems to me - something or another
will piss the reader off! I know what my #1 beef is. What's yours readers??
Overall.... 4 strong stars: I was fully engaged - I'm definitely interested in reading more books by Owen Sheers
I'm glad I read it. Odd, great writing ...and a little 'crazy'.
"As far as Caroline was concerned, she'd already decided she wanted Michael. Not just because of what else she wanted in her life, and not because she was attracted to the
subtlety of his humor and his looks, both of which had grown on her gradually, like a
secret she'd been let in on. She'd found these qualities in previous relationships, and learn they were insufficient, in the end, to hold her attention. But what she'd never
encountered before was Michael's stillness, his capacity to hold the world lightly without appearing aloof or frivolous. She wasn't aware of it over that dinner, and perhaps she never came to appreciate it over their brief marriage, but it was a matter born more of place than of character".
Michael Tunner, a writer, grew up in London, was educated in journalism- moved to
Manhattan with a journalist visa with a list of British editors who agreed to use him as a stringer. While in New York he wrote his first book called "Brotherhoods", a story about two Dominican brothers- Nico and Raoul. The profits brought him financial comfort.
From there Michael moves back to London. Just weeks after he arrives he meets Caroline.
After a short courting period - a quick marriage - they move to Wales for a more quiet life....nesting together. Michael begins working on his next book called
"The Man Who Broke the Mirror".....( another non fiction) .
His subject was Oliver Blackwood -a brilliant volatile neurosurgeon who in recent years had controversially "crossed the floor" to stray into matters of neuroscience.
Caroline began her new job in Bristol--a producer's position at Sightline Productions, a TV Company specializing in news and investigative documentary.
She took a two week job in Pakistan.....and was accidentally killed.
Grieving the loss of Caroline, Michael, quickly sells the house in Whales and almost everything in it - and moves into an apt. near Hampstead Heath in London.
Michael meets with Oliver Blackwood one afternoon - still trying to move forward on the book he is writing about him. They were having a conversation about loss and death.
As a writer, Michael was always curious about the deep layers of his subjects and their intimate thinking. Oliver had told him - 'real' maturity comes to a man once they have children or losing your parents.
Well, weeks later after Caroline died, Michael would have told Oliver something different. "It was the birth of an amputated love. Of having found a person with whom life makes sense, someone who expands you, only to have their death suddenly close you again, like teeth of a woodland trap. And in that closing to experience a slow tearing in the fabric of your days, your years".
THIS STORY IS ODD .... with some gorgeous writing....I'm glad I read it. I couldn't pull myself away as the tension - at least the first 50% of this story is like nails on a chalk board .... It's -'slow-building-intriguing'--( well, let's tell the truth ---I WAS DYING to find out WHAT was coming).....with excellent writing and crafting.....but I'm not so sure about the ending.
Michael becomes friends with his neighbors - Josh, Samantha and their two daughters: Rachel, age 6...and Lucy, age 4. He loans them a screwdriver
NOTE: NEVER EVER LOAN YOUR NEIGHBOR A SCREWDRIVER!!!!
......as for what happens in this story... Hell, go check it out from the damn library...It's only around 250 pages.... Tell ME what YOU think? lol
It's good?/!!! It's yucky?/!!!! We MUST suspend belief about [CANT SAY to people who have not read this yet]....but WILL talk about this WITH readers of "I Saw A Man"
Issues to look at .... moral responsibility, grief, the downside to secrets, the upside to secrets, ( who benefits who doesn't), guilt, surface friends, marriage, children, parenting, friendship, tragedy, redemption.....and in what circumstance- might one justify a wrongdoing?
DISCUSSIONS of this book seem REQUIRED. It seems to me - something or another
will piss the reader off! I know what my #1 beef is. What's yours readers??
Overall.... 4 strong stars: I was fully engaged - I'm definitely interested in reading more books by Owen Sheers
September 12, 2014
This book. Oh, this book. The last time I felt my heart this destroyed was after I finished ATONEMENT. Sheers absolutely has the style, voice and story telling chops to stand next to McEwan. As soon as I started I SAW A MAN, I had to finish. I became so invested in the characters and though their stories of loss and regret were at times too painful to witness, the author forces you to soldier on. I'll be recommending this book to all of my literary fiction-reading friends.
November 3, 2019
This was an interesting read and quite cleverly written. The main story of what happened when Michael entered the Nelson's home takes more than half the book to be revealed and yet the side story holds our interest and of course we keep reading because we want to know what happens. What is the event that will change all their lives forever? Although not as fast paced as I normally like my thrillers I was hooked and committed to these characters, even the minor ones and wanted to know more. The events that take place are devastating, the different story lines all tie in together and none of it was predictable. Each character is affected by these events and you feel for all of them. It is not just a thriller but a well written tale of morality. What happens when we come to a crossroad in our lives? How do we know the right path to choose. Do we save ourselves or save someone else? You find yourself, like the characters in the story wondering what you would do if it was you. The themes of loss and grief are quite tangible with some very shocking results. I'm so glad this book crossed my path. It was an exhilarating read.
June 13, 2015
BABT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05wxx76Description: "The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door."
After the sudden loss of his wife, writer Michael Turner moves to London and develops a close friendship with the Nelsons, who live next door - Josh, Samantha and their two young daughters Lucy and Rachel. The family seem to represent everything Michael fears he may now never have: intimacy, children, stability and a family home. The new friendship at first seems to offer the prospect of healing, but then a catastrophic event changes everything.
I Saw a Man, the new novel by Owen Sheers, is a compelling story of the search for truth, the burden of secrets and the desire for redemption. It explores how our lives are interconnected, even in today's increasingly depersonalised, globalised world.
Owen Sheers is a poet, author and playwright. His first novel, Resistance, was translated into ten languages and adapted into a film. The Dust Diaries, his Zimbabwean non-fiction narrative, won the Welsh Book of the Year. His awards for poetry and drama include the Somerset Maugham Award for Skirrid Hill, The Hay Festival Poetry Medal and the Welsh Book of the Year for Pink Mist. I Saw a Man is his second novel.
Written by Owen Sheers
Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Read by Mark Bazeley
Produced by Mair Bosworth.
1/10: After the loss of his wife, Michael develops a friendship with the Nelsons next door. 2/10: Michael and Caroline move to Wales but Caroline feels the pull of her old reporting life. 3/10: Michael receives devastating news from Caroline's colleagues. 4/10: Michael grows closer to his neighbours. 5/10: Major Daniel McCullen is given a new mission. One which will have shattering consequencies. 6/10: Continuing the search of his neighbours' house, Michael has an unexpected encounter. 7/10: Major McCullen finds out the results of his mission, and Michael tries to rewrite the truth. 8/10: Josh returns home to a horrific discovery, whilst Michael gets his story straight. 9/10: The Nelson's get on with their lives but Josh is becoming suspicious of Michael. 10/10: Can Josh reveal about Michael without exposing his own shame?This kept promising much more than it ultimately delivered. An anti-climax, almost a hoax, yet the journey was atmospheric.
3* Resistance
3* I Saw A Man
July 5, 2015
I really wanted to like this book. The reviews were glowing and I wanted to read a great story. Unfortunately, I didn't like it. It wasn't a great story. It was a series of unfortunate events that were handled badly and which pretty much culminated in nothing. The writing was good and it was a fast read, but I think I read it as fast as I did just to finish and see how it ended. I can understand why some others liked it, but I just found it depressing and it left me feeling empty.
August 2, 2015
Good grief. The tension is bananas in this one. I was definitely an impatient reader. I forced myself (though) to slow down and listen to these complex characters work through their grief. And their guilt.
This is not a light read.
Be prepared for lots of feels.
This is not a light read.
Be prepared for lots of feels.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
November 30, 2015Ugh, the scene--twenty pages in--in which the protagonist sleeps with his wife for the first time makes me understand people who choose to stop reading literary white men.
May 14, 2015
This may be the best book I have read thus far in 2015, and I have read some rather wonderful works of literature. I Saw A Man by Owen Sheers is an expertly written work of literary fiction, and if that is not enough, Sheers expertly weaves together the stories and histories of two separate protagonists and the events, which bring them together in this absolutely brilliant book. I happen to enjoy non-linear stories, for some it is a deal breaker, fair warning, Sheers’ writing unfolds through going back and forth from one central tragic moment to slowly and deftly allowing the book unfold. In I Saw A Man the readers meet Michael Turner who has recently relocated to London after the death of his wife Caroline, Michael soon becomes friendly with his neighbors Josh and Samantha Nelson and their two little girls, a family which on the surface reminds Michael of all he shall never have. As Michael attempts to make sense of his wife’s death and put his life back together tragedy strikes, no spoilers here, which changes the lives of the central characters forever. In one expertly crafted story, Sheers manages to reach down and tug the heartstrings of the reader drawing the reader deeper and deeper into the emotions of the story, many of which are rather unpleasant emotions, and yet so well written in such a beautiful prose, one cannot help but want to know what will happen next. Personally I was unable to set this book down and I cannot imagine not recommending it to everyone.
August 25, 2016
This is pure awful. I read for 89 pages with increasing levels of eye-rolling. I ended with '...leading Samantha spending a chain of summers and Christmases in Montauk and Vermont.'
The author had five good pages at the beginning: a hook. Then he left that hook dangling. Dangling but with no twitch of narrative or plot. Not even much dialog. Just pages and pages and PAGES of character description. You know the old adage 'Show, don't tell.'? Owen Shears thinks he is above that. All he does is tell. No one does anything. There is no movement. There is no one coming into the room with a gun. There is nothing. There is only 'here is what this character thinks and feels.' and the occasional 'we bought a charming cottage in Wales and here is the stuff we put in it'. Oh shut up!! We don't care! No one cares!!
This is rotten writing and I'm here to warn you good readers away. Maybe if the characters weren't so washed out and cold. Maybe in a safer pair of hands, like McEwan or Eggers you might get away with a little of this. But this guy is not in that league.
Remember Elmore Leonard's rules of writing? One of them is 'All that stuff that readers skim over? Cut that out of the book.' Well, in the first 89 pages that would have left us with about 6 pages. I know this is not 'an Elmore Leonard book'. But 'stuff happened' in 'Atonement'. Stuff happened in 'Rabbit is Rich', stuff happened in 'The Secret History'. No stuff happens here. Nothing happens. Just pretentious precious characters doing...nothing. Yes, I'm sure the hook clicks in somewhere and eventually something has to happen. I'm just so pissed off that I can't bother. And neither should you.
I'm going to have to up my book goal because I didn't actually finish this book. Do not read this. It is awful.
The author had five good pages at the beginning: a hook. Then he left that hook dangling. Dangling but with no twitch of narrative or plot. Not even much dialog. Just pages and pages and PAGES of character description. You know the old adage 'Show, don't tell.'? Owen Shears thinks he is above that. All he does is tell. No one does anything. There is no movement. There is no one coming into the room with a gun. There is nothing. There is only 'here is what this character thinks and feels.' and the occasional 'we bought a charming cottage in Wales and here is the stuff we put in it'. Oh shut up!! We don't care! No one cares!!
This is rotten writing and I'm here to warn you good readers away. Maybe if the characters weren't so washed out and cold. Maybe in a safer pair of hands, like McEwan or Eggers you might get away with a little of this. But this guy is not in that league.
Remember Elmore Leonard's rules of writing? One of them is 'All that stuff that readers skim over? Cut that out of the book.' Well, in the first 89 pages that would have left us with about 6 pages. I know this is not 'an Elmore Leonard book'. But 'stuff happened' in 'Atonement'. Stuff happened in 'Rabbit is Rich', stuff happened in 'The Secret History'. No stuff happens here. Nothing happens. Just pretentious precious characters doing...nothing. Yes, I'm sure the hook clicks in somewhere and eventually something has to happen. I'm just so pissed off that I can't bother. And neither should you.
I'm going to have to up my book goal because I didn't actually finish this book. Do not read this. It is awful.
April 12, 2017
Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today,
I wish, I wish he'd go away.
(Hugh Mearns)
A rock solid, well-crafted, psychologically astute, well-written, gripping page-turner. Perfectly paced. Satisfying.
It starts irresistibly: "The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door." And after that rhyme in the frontispiece it can only be a burglar, an assailant, an ominous MAN that Mikey will meet, can it not....?
It's not until around 170 pages of back story later that the 'event' is revealed, with a gut wrenching shift as we realize who the man is. But Sheers doesn't put a foot wrong, the line is played out, reeled in, played out. A safe and extremely competent pair of hands.
And there's a satisfying depth in the themes: the collateral damage of war, guilt and redemption - a bit reminiscent of Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me - two men, both with guilty secrets. No easy peasy answers. There's even a sliver of a twist in the tail, that doesn't quite come off. The twist I mean, not the tail.
Nutt'n wrong wi' this one, pal, but it just didnae float ma boat, d'ye ken?
July 14, 2015
Hated this book. Intolerably slow set up and painful plot.
October 10, 2015
2.5*
I simply did not feel for the characters and almost dnf-ed at 25% of the book. It was quite boring reading like it were resumes of the characters. And still 'that life changing moment' as we are told in the description hadn't happened, yet. Not at 55% either.
In the end, it all came back to ... nothing.
It was interesting though, how grief can consume someone. Every individual reacts in a different way.
Still, it was not enough for me to take this book to a higher level.
I simply did not feel for the characters and almost dnf-ed at 25% of the book. It was quite boring reading like it were resumes of the characters. And still 'that life changing moment' as we are told in the description hadn't happened, yet. Not at 55% either.
In the end, it all came back to ... nothing.
It was interesting though, how grief can consume someone. Every individual reacts in a different way.
Still, it was not enough for me to take this book to a higher level.
June 6, 2015
Half-way through, "I Saw a Man", by Owen Sheers, something so awful happens that it hit me like a punch to the gut. I literally (yes, I know the meaning of that word) felt sick to my stomach and had to stop reading for a while. When I picked the novel up the next day to finish, I remained unable shake the feelings that it had aroused in me. I truly felt grief even though I knew I was reading fiction. I am self-aware enough to know that it was because I was projecting on to my own life, but that knowledge didn't lessen the affects.
Michael has lost his young wife and finds himself becoming friends with his new neighbors, a family with two young daughters. That a shocking thing happens mid-novel is foreshadowed from the beginning and Michael lets himself into his neighbor's home looking for something he's lent them. Yet, as prepared as I was for something awful to be revealed, I was clearly not ready for, nor expecting, what transpires.
"I Saw a Man" is an exquisitely written story of love, grief, terrible secrets, and the weight of guilt and responsibility. I can't imagine anyone reading this without being affected by it and thinking about it long after the last revelatory sentence is read.
Michael has lost his young wife and finds himself becoming friends with his new neighbors, a family with two young daughters. That a shocking thing happens mid-novel is foreshadowed from the beginning and Michael lets himself into his neighbor's home looking for something he's lent them. Yet, as prepared as I was for something awful to be revealed, I was clearly not ready for, nor expecting, what transpires.
"I Saw a Man" is an exquisitely written story of love, grief, terrible secrets, and the weight of guilt and responsibility. I can't imagine anyone reading this without being affected by it and thinking about it long after the last revelatory sentence is read.
Read
January 3, 2019Big fat DNF! I went into this book expecting an intense thriller but shut the book half-way through to an intolerably white, middle-class drab fest.
I knew this book wasn’t going to be for me when we get to the 30-page mark and there’s a grotesque, badly written sex scene. I haven’t had the chance to get to know the characters by this point, so why do I want to know how sensational their sex is? It just started on a major downer.
THE WRITING:
To begin with, other than the bad sex scene, of course, I thought the writing in this book was pretty good… I then came to realise it was overly descriptive and way too detailed. This soon made the book far too tedious to enjoy. I will give props to Sheers for elements of his writing where his descriptions were eloquent, but they were few and far between his other pretentious ramblings.
THE CHARACTERS:
The main characters in this book did my head in from page one. It’s instantly clear that this book is going to be about over-privileged boring white folk, and those are really not the sort of characters I’m interested in. There are deep set emotions in the main character, Michael, that does add some depth to his character, but Sheers’ never managed to build his characters well enough to garner any sympathy form me.
As for the neighbours, I really didn’t feel like we got the chance to get to know them well enough, even though they were supposed to be a big part of the story. I never felt I knew them very well, but the small moments we did get some insight into their lives, I ended up not caring.
This is a character-driven novel, not a plot-driven one, and that’s OK, as long as you’re interested in reading about privileged, artsy, fencing, white people.
THE PLOT:
As I said before, I went into this one expecting an intense thriller about a home invasion or domestic abuse or something similar, but no. Without giving too much away, it’s nothing like those things. And then when it does happen, nothing comes of it and the story peters on in an extremely slow manner. I didn’t finish the book, however, from reading others reviews, the story doesn’t go anywhere with the “big” revelation…. so what’s the point?
CONCLUSION:
This book was nothing like I’d hoped it would be and I’m cursing 18-year old me for getting sucked in by that train station poster to buy this. There are hundreds of better character-driven mystery novels out in the world, I wouldn’t recommend this one.
I knew this book wasn’t going to be for me when we get to the 30-page mark and there’s a grotesque, badly written sex scene. I haven’t had the chance to get to know the characters by this point, so why do I want to know how sensational their sex is? It just started on a major downer.
THE WRITING:
To begin with, other than the bad sex scene, of course, I thought the writing in this book was pretty good… I then came to realise it was overly descriptive and way too detailed. This soon made the book far too tedious to enjoy. I will give props to Sheers for elements of his writing where his descriptions were eloquent, but they were few and far between his other pretentious ramblings.
THE CHARACTERS:
The main characters in this book did my head in from page one. It’s instantly clear that this book is going to be about over-privileged boring white folk, and those are really not the sort of characters I’m interested in. There are deep set emotions in the main character, Michael, that does add some depth to his character, but Sheers’ never managed to build his characters well enough to garner any sympathy form me.
As for the neighbours, I really didn’t feel like we got the chance to get to know them well enough, even though they were supposed to be a big part of the story. I never felt I knew them very well, but the small moments we did get some insight into their lives, I ended up not caring.
This is a character-driven novel, not a plot-driven one, and that’s OK, as long as you’re interested in reading about privileged, artsy, fencing, white people.
THE PLOT:
As I said before, I went into this one expecting an intense thriller about a home invasion or domestic abuse or something similar, but no. Without giving too much away, it’s nothing like those things. And then when it does happen, nothing comes of it and the story peters on in an extremely slow manner. I didn’t finish the book, however, from reading others reviews, the story doesn’t go anywhere with the “big” revelation…. so what’s the point?
CONCLUSION:
This book was nothing like I’d hoped it would be and I’m cursing 18-year old me for getting sucked in by that train station poster to buy this. There are hundreds of better character-driven mystery novels out in the world, I wouldn’t recommend this one.
May 2, 2016
A Dubious Moral Equation
Can a death in one circumstance be weighed against another in a totally different one, even if the connection between them is the slimmest? Michael Turner, the protagonist of Owen Sheers' novel, is a writer. A former journalist, he has turned to book-length projects, living with his subjects for months or even years, and then removing himself entirely from their stories, telling them with twenty-twenty vision, but at a far remove, as though through a long-distance lens. USAF Major Daniel McCullen, a secondary character, also works through a long-distance lens, literally so. A former pilot, he now serves at a base outside Las Vegas, piloting drones half a world away. When Michael's new wife, Caroline, is killed on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, it is an accident, collateral damage. But the lives of both men are changed by it.
I did not greatly enjoy the novel, but I admire Sheers' intelligence and his bravery in tackling moral issues, even if his relentless drive to expose flaws makes characters difficult to like. It is as though he is trying to form some kind of moral equation that will weigh this one instance of indirect homicide against other tragedies that carry guilt but not legal blame. But I am not sure that the calculus is even possible. Despite the many paragraphs spent wrestling with personal, pragmatic, and ethical concerns, despite all attempts to move on and restructure, I could not see any true resolution, even when the book was over. The two halves of the equation do not quite balance; the moral questions don't compute.
Sheers may also undermine himself by his narrative strategy. Here is the opening sentence: "The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner—thinking the Nelsons' house was empty—stepped through their back door." Michael's progress through his neighbors' house (he has come to reclaim a screwdriver he lent them), will take up an agonizing paragraph or two of every chapter for the first three-fifths of the book, as he moves a few steps at a time from one room to another, wondering what has become of his friends and their two young children. All the rest is flashback in many layers, jumping around in time, to establish Michael's career and Caroline's, how the two met and married, how Josh and Samantha Nelson came together, how they took Michael under their wing when he moved to a flat in London in his grief, how he had gradually become part of the family. I suppose it is all necessary, but the jumble of things in the past, set against the glacial action in the present, is somewhat distancing.
Michael's exploration of the house ends in a moment of utter shock, the only piece of true action in the entire novel. But more horrifying than Michael's discovery is his reaction to it, which is so far from what I hope I would have done in the circumstances that I cringed from it, and lost all sympathy with him as a character. I did not want to read further. But I did, and a curious thing happened. Once I had accepted (though not condoned) Michael's response, I was struck even more by Sheers' seriousness in coming to grips with the moral aftermath, and by his humanity in further developing his characters. He is not a trivial writer: I mean it as a compliment that the two authors he reminded me of most were Ian McEwan and Don DeLillo, both deeply concerned with moral issues. But I also have to say that he does not quite have their mastery. His ending, perhaps taking another page from McEwan, wraps up the narrative neatly. But the ethics are a different matter.
Can a death in one circumstance be weighed against another in a totally different one, even if the connection between them is the slimmest? Michael Turner, the protagonist of Owen Sheers' novel, is a writer. A former journalist, he has turned to book-length projects, living with his subjects for months or even years, and then removing himself entirely from their stories, telling them with twenty-twenty vision, but at a far remove, as though through a long-distance lens. USAF Major Daniel McCullen, a secondary character, also works through a long-distance lens, literally so. A former pilot, he now serves at a base outside Las Vegas, piloting drones half a world away. When Michael's new wife, Caroline, is killed on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, it is an accident, collateral damage. But the lives of both men are changed by it.
I did not greatly enjoy the novel, but I admire Sheers' intelligence and his bravery in tackling moral issues, even if his relentless drive to expose flaws makes characters difficult to like. It is as though he is trying to form some kind of moral equation that will weigh this one instance of indirect homicide against other tragedies that carry guilt but not legal blame. But I am not sure that the calculus is even possible. Despite the many paragraphs spent wrestling with personal, pragmatic, and ethical concerns, despite all attempts to move on and restructure, I could not see any true resolution, even when the book was over. The two halves of the equation do not quite balance; the moral questions don't compute.
Sheers may also undermine himself by his narrative strategy. Here is the opening sentence: "The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner—thinking the Nelsons' house was empty—stepped through their back door." Michael's progress through his neighbors' house (he has come to reclaim a screwdriver he lent them), will take up an agonizing paragraph or two of every chapter for the first three-fifths of the book, as he moves a few steps at a time from one room to another, wondering what has become of his friends and their two young children. All the rest is flashback in many layers, jumping around in time, to establish Michael's career and Caroline's, how the two met and married, how Josh and Samantha Nelson came together, how they took Michael under their wing when he moved to a flat in London in his grief, how he had gradually become part of the family. I suppose it is all necessary, but the jumble of things in the past, set against the glacial action in the present, is somewhat distancing.
Michael's exploration of the house ends in a moment of utter shock, the only piece of true action in the entire novel. But more horrifying than Michael's discovery is his reaction to it, which is so far from what I hope I would have done in the circumstances that I cringed from it, and lost all sympathy with him as a character. I did not want to read further. But I did, and a curious thing happened. Once I had accepted (though not condoned) Michael's response, I was struck even more by Sheers' seriousness in coming to grips with the moral aftermath, and by his humanity in further developing his characters. He is not a trivial writer: I mean it as a compliment that the two authors he reminded me of most were Ian McEwan and Don DeLillo, both deeply concerned with moral issues. But I also have to say that he does not quite have their mastery. His ending, perhaps taking another page from McEwan, wraps up the narrative neatly. But the ethics are a different matter.
May 12, 2015
How is it I've never read anything by this guy before? He writes poetically, with knowledge of what it means to experience war from an insider's viewpoint. Not easy. There are really two protagonists here, both conflicted and flawed and guilt-ridden. What sets this novel apart, is the beauty of its language. "Michael had never been a violent man. The tinder he witnessed fire up and others was an unfamiliar fuel to him. He learned the contours of violence but as an observer only. The way it entered the room, took possession of a man's face, drawing the tendons in his neck... The sardine flash of a blade." Highly recommended.
August 24, 2015
Got to 51% when the 'terrible' thing happened. Am so put out that I simply can't go on. It's a shame that such good writing is wasted on a non-story. It seems to me that the author knew he had no story to tell, and so decided to stick in as many tragedies and negative emotions as he could to stir up some emotional involveness in the reader. It doesn't work. Instead of being emotionally involved, I feel abused and disgusted. Don't want to feel like this anymore, so am quitting here and now.
July 12, 2018
Mostly tedious, got interesting a little in the end
August 11, 2015
Every time I tackle a literary fiction, I'm thrust into an unfamiliar world where no one does the expected. It's surreal, and yet it's as real as it can get. The people behave the way you don't expect them to. The stories more often leave me reeling, and yet, it's exactly how it happens in the real world. This book in particular, had me questioning if I would've done exactly what they did had I been in their situation.
The novel started unassumingly enough. Michael walked into his neighbour's house with the intention of picking up a screw driver that he lent to Josh. The doors were unlocked, which surprised him considering the house seemed to be empty of its inhabitants. During the course of his search for the screwdriver, the narrator tells the sequence of events that forever linked Michael's life to the Nelsons'. With it, is the story of how his wife was killed, and the man responsible for her death. The novel is like a jigsaw puzzle. A mystery told sparingly, but with a tension you can cut through with a knife. The suspense is frustrating; infuriating, even. The novel take its time to reveal its true colours. The summary doesn't offer much, but the brilliance of this novel was the painstakingly slow reveal of every thing that makes it so addictive. It is that tension that persists throughout the majority of the book. But just when Sheers decided the readers have had enough, he forces us to see exactly how cruel "if only" scenarios could be. A pointless exercise that only lend to more frustration to the reader.
This novel is a close examination of guilt and grief. A potent, debilitating combination for the weak. Josh and Michael share a secret that if revealed, could very well ruin the lives of all the people involved. In this case, the novel looks at who most benefits a confession. Will the truth really set anyone free? Or would it just be another form of prison sentence for the guilty party? In the end, both Josh and Michael will be left with very little choice but to own their shares of the blame. Which is oddly satisfying for a non-resolution ending.
The novel started unassumingly enough. Michael walked into his neighbour's house with the intention of picking up a screw driver that he lent to Josh. The doors were unlocked, which surprised him considering the house seemed to be empty of its inhabitants. During the course of his search for the screwdriver, the narrator tells the sequence of events that forever linked Michael's life to the Nelsons'. With it, is the story of how his wife was killed, and the man responsible for her death. The novel is like a jigsaw puzzle. A mystery told sparingly, but with a tension you can cut through with a knife. The suspense is frustrating; infuriating, even. The novel take its time to reveal its true colours. The summary doesn't offer much, but the brilliance of this novel was the painstakingly slow reveal of every thing that makes it so addictive. It is that tension that persists throughout the majority of the book. But just when Sheers decided the readers have had enough, he forces us to see exactly how cruel "if only" scenarios could be. A pointless exercise that only lend to more frustration to the reader.
This novel is a close examination of guilt and grief. A potent, debilitating combination for the weak. Josh and Michael share a secret that if revealed, could very well ruin the lives of all the people involved. In this case, the novel looks at who most benefits a confession. Will the truth really set anyone free? Or would it just be another form of prison sentence for the guilty party? In the end, both Josh and Michael will be left with very little choice but to own their shares of the blame. Which is oddly satisfying for a non-resolution ending.
March 12, 2019
Odmah na početku želim promijeniti pretpostavku onim čitateljima koji su na osnovi slike s naslovnice ,pomislili da se radi o priči duha koji pohodi neku kuću. (Ta sam! Povezujući naslov i aluziju čovjeka koji se negdje pojavljuje,sa par redaka opisa radnje...)
Priča započinje pomalo tajanstveno: Michael,dragi susjed ,ulazi u kuću svojih prijatelja tražeći svoj posuđeni odvijač.Slobodno ulazi u kuću,dozivajući ih...U kući nema nikog i neobično je što je zatekao otvorena vrata.
Iako ne volim prepričavati radnju romana koja je sasvim lijepo opisana u samom predstavljanju na stranici,ipak ću navesti par crtica...
Taj ulazak u praznu kuću bio je mali izazov za Michaela.On osjeća da ima to pravo zbog njihovog bliskog prijateljstva i strahuje da im se nešto dogodilo,da je nekakav uljez u kući.
Taj dan bio je čudni pokretač jednog ciklusa u koji će biti uvučeni razni likovi,svi nekako povezani Michaelovim tragičnim gubitkom.
Naizgled običan dan,susjedstvo se bavi svojim uobičajenim aktivnostima,a ipak se nešto strašno dogodilo - skriveno iza zidova obiteljske kuće.
Sekunde su u pitanju u svakoj priči koja se ovdje događa.
Neizdrživ osjećaj krivice prati likove stranicu za stranicom i čini se da nema ispravnog rješenja,nema olakšanja.
I onda počinjemo razmišljati kako sami gospodarimo tim sekundama u kojima sitnice odlučuju tijek života.
Ali...kako to znati? Svoje odluke preispitujemo samo kad imamo loš ishod.U suprotnom, to su samo sekunde koje se brzo zaborave.
Valjda je tako trebalo biti,tješimo se.
Možda jednom i shvatimo zašto (...kao u Michaelovom
slučaju,kada se zatvori spomenuti,nemili,ciklus).
Owen Sheers,velški pisac,pjesnik,dramatičar i tv voditelj,moje je ugodno otkriće!
Uživa mnoge književne nagrade,a sprema se i ekranizacija ovog romana.Šteta da mu i ostala djela još nisu prevedena.
Moje preporuke!
Priča započinje pomalo tajanstveno: Michael,dragi susjed ,ulazi u kuću svojih prijatelja tražeći svoj posuđeni odvijač.Slobodno ulazi u kuću,dozivajući ih...U kući nema nikog i neobično je što je zatekao otvorena vrata.
Iako ne volim prepričavati radnju romana koja je sasvim lijepo opisana u samom predstavljanju na stranici,ipak ću navesti par crtica...
Taj ulazak u praznu kuću bio je mali izazov za Michaela.On osjeća da ima to pravo zbog njihovog bliskog prijateljstva i strahuje da im se nešto dogodilo,da je nekakav uljez u kući.
Taj dan bio je čudni pokretač jednog ciklusa u koji će biti uvučeni razni likovi,svi nekako povezani Michaelovim tragičnim gubitkom.
Naizgled običan dan,susjedstvo se bavi svojim uobičajenim aktivnostima,a ipak se nešto strašno dogodilo - skriveno iza zidova obiteljske kuće.
Sekunde su u pitanju u svakoj priči koja se ovdje događa.
Neizdrživ osjećaj krivice prati likove stranicu za stranicom i čini se da nema ispravnog rješenja,nema olakšanja.
I onda počinjemo razmišljati kako sami gospodarimo tim sekundama u kojima sitnice odlučuju tijek života.
Ali...kako to znati? Svoje odluke preispitujemo samo kad imamo loš ishod.U suprotnom, to su samo sekunde koje se brzo zaborave.
Valjda je tako trebalo biti,tješimo se.
Možda jednom i shvatimo zašto (...kao u Michaelovom
slučaju,kada se zatvori spomenuti,nemili,ciklus).
Owen Sheers,velški pisac,pjesnik,dramatičar i tv voditelj,moje je ugodno otkriće!
Uživa mnoge književne nagrade,a sprema se i ekranizacija ovog romana.Šteta da mu i ostala djela još nisu prevedena.
Moje preporuke!
March 30, 2019
Book Group read, abandoned with great relief at page 50.
Truly appalling early 'sex scenes', erotic as cold rice pudding, one cliché after another, and verging on the absurd.
The description of Caroline's 'fool's gold' flecked eyes actually had me laughing out loud and not in a good way.
Truly appalling early 'sex scenes', erotic as cold rice pudding, one cliché after another, and verging on the absurd.
The description of Caroline's 'fool's gold' flecked eyes actually had me laughing out loud and not in a good way.
July 14, 2015
Yes the author tells you early on that something bad happens but the characters are so inane that you really don't care by the time you get to the big reveal. His prose are very descriptive but it's a bit like eating a meal from a health spa, not terribly filling and you won't recall it a week later. Also, the sex scene is very 'meh'. Perhaps he should have read some Philip Roth beforehand.
September 8, 2016
Mein Interesse hat “ I Saw a Man“ geweckt, nachdem ich auf der Rückseite des Buches las, dass dieser Roman das Richtige sei für alle Fans von Ian McEwan und Donna Tartt. Zugegeben, ich habe von beiden Autoren bisher nur jeweils ein Buch gelesen, aber gerade der Schreibstil und die Art und Weise des Erzählens dieser beiden Bücher haben sich bei mir eingeprägt und haben deswegen auch hohe Erwartungen in Bezug auf „I Saw a Man“ geschürt. Protagonist ist Michael, der den tragischen Tod seiner Frau verarbeitet, die als Reporterin in Afghanistan unterwegs war und dort Opfer eines Drohnenangriffes wurde. Um mit seiner Trauer fertig zu werden, zieht Michael vom gemeinsamen Landsitz wieder nach London. Die Geschichte beginnt einige Monate später, als Michael das Haus seiner Nachbarn betritt, um einen verliehenen Schraubenzieher zurückzuholen. Er wundert sich darüber, dass die Tür offen steht, aber scheinbar niemand Zuhause ist und versucht zu ergründen, was im Nachbarshaus vor sich geht. Dabei wird in immer wiederkehrenden Rückblenden Michaels Vergangenheit aufgearbeitet und Michaels Persönlichkeit sowie die Entstehung der Freundschaft zwischen ihm und seinen Nachbarn illustriert.
Die Geschichte wird extrem langsam aufgebaut; man spürt schon gleich zu Beginn, dass irgendetwas im Nachbarshaus nicht stimmt und wird dann mit zahlreichen Rückblenden in die Vergangenheit auf eine extreme Geduldsprobe gestellt, was die Spannung natürlich ins Unermessliche treibt. Um Spoiler zu vermeiden, möchte ich aber gar nicht mehr so sehr auf den inhaltlichen Aspekt des Buches eingehen und es bei diesen Ausführungen belassen.
Das Buch ist Drama und Thriller in einem irgendwie, auch wenn vieles unausgesprochen zwischen den Zeilen stehen bleibt und das Tempo sehr gemächlich ist. Gleichzeitig ist es aber auch eine faszinierende und teilweise fast schon psychologische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Menschsein und hat mich teilweise sehr an „Everything I Never Told You“ von Celeste Ng erinnert, auch wenn die Geschichte eine ganz andere war. Besonders interessant und gelungen empfand ich Owen Sheers‘ Auseinandersetzung mit den Schuldgefühlen seiner Figuren und den moralischen Kämpfen, die sie innerlich austrugen. Das Buch lebt nicht nur von seiner Geschichte, sondern auch besonders von den Gedanken und Gefühlen seiner Protagonisten, der Trauer, dem Verlust und der schweren Last des eigenen Gewissens.
Auch was den Schreibstil angeht, wurde ich vom Buchrücken nicht enttäuscht. Die Werke, die ich von Ian McEwan und Donna Tartt bisher las, haben sich nicht nur wegen ihrer einzigartigen und packenden Geschichte in mein Gedächtnis gebrannt, sondern auch wegen des einmaligen Schreibstils. Mir fällt es immer schwer, Schreibstile zu beschreiben und in Worte zu fassen, was mir besonders gut daran gefiel, aber Owen Sheers schreibt einerseits sehr detailliert und ausführlich, schafft es aber andererseits auch, komplizierte Gefühle und Gegebenheiten treffend in wenigen Sätzen wiederzugeben. Ich hatte viel Freude beim Lesen und war begeistert davon, wie angenehm und flüssig der Roman sich lesen ließ.
Wer psychologische, sich langsam aufbauende und die Spannung steigernde Bücher mag, die sich intensiv mit den Figuren auseinandersetzen und dabei auch noch unheimlich gut geschrieben sind, der liegt mit „I Saw a Man“ sicher nicht falsch, denn das Buch bringt meiner Ansicht nach all dies mit. Ich vergebe 4 von 5 Sternen, weil mir manche Stellen und Beziehungen doch an Tiefe gefehlt haben, bzw. ich mir gewünscht habe, dass der Autor sich noch eingehender damit befasst hätte – alles in allem kann ich „I Saw a Man“ jedoch guten Gewissens und von ganzem Herzen empfehlen.
Die Geschichte wird extrem langsam aufgebaut; man spürt schon gleich zu Beginn, dass irgendetwas im Nachbarshaus nicht stimmt und wird dann mit zahlreichen Rückblenden in die Vergangenheit auf eine extreme Geduldsprobe gestellt, was die Spannung natürlich ins Unermessliche treibt. Um Spoiler zu vermeiden, möchte ich aber gar nicht mehr so sehr auf den inhaltlichen Aspekt des Buches eingehen und es bei diesen Ausführungen belassen.
Das Buch ist Drama und Thriller in einem irgendwie, auch wenn vieles unausgesprochen zwischen den Zeilen stehen bleibt und das Tempo sehr gemächlich ist. Gleichzeitig ist es aber auch eine faszinierende und teilweise fast schon psychologische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Menschsein und hat mich teilweise sehr an „Everything I Never Told You“ von Celeste Ng erinnert, auch wenn die Geschichte eine ganz andere war. Besonders interessant und gelungen empfand ich Owen Sheers‘ Auseinandersetzung mit den Schuldgefühlen seiner Figuren und den moralischen Kämpfen, die sie innerlich austrugen. Das Buch lebt nicht nur von seiner Geschichte, sondern auch besonders von den Gedanken und Gefühlen seiner Protagonisten, der Trauer, dem Verlust und der schweren Last des eigenen Gewissens.
Auch was den Schreibstil angeht, wurde ich vom Buchrücken nicht enttäuscht. Die Werke, die ich von Ian McEwan und Donna Tartt bisher las, haben sich nicht nur wegen ihrer einzigartigen und packenden Geschichte in mein Gedächtnis gebrannt, sondern auch wegen des einmaligen Schreibstils. Mir fällt es immer schwer, Schreibstile zu beschreiben und in Worte zu fassen, was mir besonders gut daran gefiel, aber Owen Sheers schreibt einerseits sehr detailliert und ausführlich, schafft es aber andererseits auch, komplizierte Gefühle und Gegebenheiten treffend in wenigen Sätzen wiederzugeben. Ich hatte viel Freude beim Lesen und war begeistert davon, wie angenehm und flüssig der Roman sich lesen ließ.
Wer psychologische, sich langsam aufbauende und die Spannung steigernde Bücher mag, die sich intensiv mit den Figuren auseinandersetzen und dabei auch noch unheimlich gut geschrieben sind, der liegt mit „I Saw a Man“ sicher nicht falsch, denn das Buch bringt meiner Ansicht nach all dies mit. Ich vergebe 4 von 5 Sternen, weil mir manche Stellen und Beziehungen doch an Tiefe gefehlt haben, bzw. ich mir gewünscht habe, dass der Autor sich noch eingehender damit befasst hätte – alles in allem kann ich „I Saw a Man“ jedoch guten Gewissens und von ganzem Herzen empfehlen.
July 26, 2015
3.5/5.0
Caroline Marshall is a foreign correspondent. She gives up traveling when she marries Michael. When a once in a lifetime chance surfaces to interview rebels in Pakistan, she cannot resist the opportunity. She is one of several people killed by an unmanned drone strike. To overcome his grief, Michael moves and end up the neighbor to Josh and Samantha, who have two young daughters. Just as he starts to feel better about the loss of Caroline, he is involved in an incident that results in a tragic loss of life. Now, he must overcome this obstacle as well.
Boy, this premise sure was enticing. I thought it was interesting that the author incorporated the story of the pilot who was operating the unmanned drone that killed Caroline into the plot. I would have liked this part of the story and the relationship he had with Michael developed a bit more. Mr. Sheers did do a great job of writing about Michael’s journey toward healing. It was not an easy road.
Many thanks to Doubleday Books, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.
Caroline Marshall is a foreign correspondent. She gives up traveling when she marries Michael. When a once in a lifetime chance surfaces to interview rebels in Pakistan, she cannot resist the opportunity. She is one of several people killed by an unmanned drone strike. To overcome his grief, Michael moves and end up the neighbor to Josh and Samantha, who have two young daughters. Just as he starts to feel better about the loss of Caroline, he is involved in an incident that results in a tragic loss of life. Now, he must overcome this obstacle as well.
Boy, this premise sure was enticing. I thought it was interesting that the author incorporated the story of the pilot who was operating the unmanned drone that killed Caroline into the plot. I would have liked this part of the story and the relationship he had with Michael developed a bit more. Mr. Sheers did do a great job of writing about Michael’s journey toward healing. It was not an easy road.
Many thanks to Doubleday Books, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.
April 19, 2015
While I really enjoyed the first half of this book, it totally became undone for me at about the halfway point - the main character acts totally out of character and it throws the rest of the story for me. Sheers is a fine author but I feel that this book was a misstep.
June 9, 2015
I Saw a Man by Owen Sheers is a very highly recommended novel that features exquisite prose while dealing with love, loss, and secrets.
Grief-stricken Michael Turner has moved back to London after his wife Caroline Marshall, a journalist, is killed in Pakistan. In London he makes friends with neighbors Josh and Samantha Nelson, and their two young daughters, Rachel and Lucy. The comfortable friendship with Josh and Samantha help Micheal through the grieving process. On a Sunday in June an event happens that changes all of their lives.
When Michael stops by the backdoor of the Nelson house to retrieve a screw driver he had just lent to Josh that morning. Even though no one appears to be home, Michael notices that the door is unlocked, so he innocently steps into the house to grab his screw driver and then head off to his fencing lesson. As Micheal looks for his screw driver we are privy to his thoughts and the back story of his life and friendship with the Nelsons.
While it is just Michael, looking for a screw driver, this first half of the book is also a series of flashbacks. These help develop all the characters and also begin to slowly increase the tension. Then, totally unexpectedly, halfway through the book, after we have been introduced to all the characters and feel we know these people, we understand them, an event happens that changes the whole dynamics of the story. After this point we are also introduced to another character that even further changes the focus of the novel.
Ultimately this is a finely written novel with poetic phrasing and keen insight into the nature of grief, secrets, love, friendship, and lies. Sheers descriptions are utterly brilliant. Admittedly, Micheal's search for the screw driver seemed rather drawn-out and tedious, until the novel took a sharp turn down a parallel path. I'm also glad I waited a bit before writing my review, as my immediate response to this novel wasn't as favorable as it became upon more reflection. This is a novel that ages well. You will remember it.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday for review purposes.
February 26, 2017
2.5-3
It was ok. The reason I didn't give it 2 stars is because there was nothing wrong with the book. All the characters have their issues. The main character especially is haunted by his wife's death and it has a consequence. However I kind of felt things were too slow and drawn out and I can't seem to put the blame on Michael. He was having his own problems at the time and it was beginning to affect him negatively but that in no way makes him responsible for what happened. At least from my perspective it doesn't.
It's not one of those books that asks the reader if he's guilty or tries to view this topic in a new light or start some sort of discussion which is a bit disappointing as it had the elements that could lead to that direction. Michael makes his decision on the matter towards the end and that's that.
The writing was pretty good. Standard. What you should expect yet, nothing that blew my mind.
Overall if you're interested, give it a go. I just got so bored as time felt to pass very slowly despite it actually moving at a normal pace. I think it's because it's one of those books that can be seen as "slice of life". Meaning that it follows the lives of characters and the events that follow after an incident takes place. It goes at the pace of everyday life.
It was ok. The reason I didn't give it 2 stars is because there was nothing wrong with the book. All the characters have their issues. The main character especially is haunted by his wife's death and it has a consequence. However I kind of felt things were too slow and drawn out and I can't seem to put the blame on Michael. He was having his own problems at the time and it was beginning to affect him negatively but that in no way makes him responsible for what happened. At least from my perspective it doesn't.
It's not one of those books that asks the reader if he's guilty or tries to view this topic in a new light or start some sort of discussion which is a bit disappointing as it had the elements that could lead to that direction. Michael makes his decision on the matter towards the end and that's that.
The writing was pretty good. Standard. What you should expect yet, nothing that blew my mind.
Overall if you're interested, give it a go. I just got so bored as time felt to pass very slowly despite it actually moving at a normal pace. I think it's because it's one of those books that can be seen as "slice of life". Meaning that it follows the lives of characters and the events that follow after an incident takes place. It goes at the pace of everyday life.
June 13, 2015
From BBC Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime:
"The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door."
After the sudden loss of his wife, writer Michael Turner moves to London and develops a close friendship with the Nelsons, who live next door - Josh, Samantha and their two young daughters Lucy and Rachel. The family seem to represent everything Michael fears he may now never have: intimacy, children, stability and a family home. The new friendship at first seems to offer the prospect of healing, but then a catastrophic event changes everything.
I Saw a Man, the new novel by Owen Sheers, is a compelling story of the search for truth, the burden of secrets and the desire for redemption. It explores how our lives are interconnected, even in today's increasingly depersonalised, globalised world.
"The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door."
After the sudden loss of his wife, writer Michael Turner moves to London and develops a close friendship with the Nelsons, who live next door - Josh, Samantha and their two young daughters Lucy and Rachel. The family seem to represent everything Michael fears he may now never have: intimacy, children, stability and a family home. The new friendship at first seems to offer the prospect of healing, but then a catastrophic event changes everything.
I Saw a Man, the new novel by Owen Sheers, is a compelling story of the search for truth, the burden of secrets and the desire for redemption. It explores how our lives are interconnected, even in today's increasingly depersonalised, globalised world.
May 29, 2016
So many words; so many details; such boredom! The main character obsessively analyzes himself (through a third-person perspective) and all the people around him, yet, these are just words, just sentences; no real feelings were conveyed in the process. And, oh boy, so many details. Reading the book was a real torture. Never finished it. What a waste of time.
January 23, 2018
I keep falling for the thriller trick. Those reviews on books that I think I won't like, but are so good and from papers / people that I admire that I think there must be something in this book that I'll love, that I missed in all the others. But there wasn't. Just not for me.
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