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Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:A stunning debut novel that unravels the hidden story behind a school shooting It should be an open-and-shut case. Samuel Szajkowski, a recently hired history teacher, walked into a school assembly with a gun and murdered three students and a colleague before turning the weapon on himself. It was a tragedy that could not have been predicted. Szajkowski, it seems clear, was a psychopath beyond help. Yet as Detective Inspector Lucia May- the only woman in her high-testosterone office in the Criminal Investigations Department-begins to piece together the testimonies of the various witnesses, an uglier and more complex picture emerges, calling into question the innocence of others. But no one, including Lucia's boss, is interested. As the pressure to close the case builds and her colleagues' sexism takes a sinister turn, Lucia begins to realize that she has more in common with the killer than she could have imagined, and she becomes determined to expose the truth. Brilliantly interweaving the witnesses' accounts with Lucia's own perspective, A Thousand Cuts is a narrative tour de force from a formidable new voice in fictio… (more)
jayne_charles: Entirely different stories of course, but both examine the danger/violence that exists in ordinary society, I was constantly reminded of one while reading the other
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A complex novel that takes what should be a clear case of murder of pupils and a fellow teacher by a teacher and explores the motivations that drove a history teacher to commit the crime. Lucia May is a police inspector who does not fit in with team of bigots she works with and the novel is her story as well as that of investigating the crime. Many chapters are the interviews, one-sided, of witnesses and these people give their own perspective on events. An interesting detective novel. ( )
An incredibly gripping book which examines bullying from every angle. I never thought I would feel the slightest sympathy for a school gunman but as we learn more and more about Samuel and the other victims I did find myself appreciating the intense pressure that he was under. My only criticism would be that on occasion I had difficulty working out who was speaking and what their relationship to the story was but that was fleeting. A though provoking read. ( )
This book is just what I needed to get out of the funk the last book I read had put me into. This story speaks for itself and reads itself, actually. It's all about the terrible consequences bullying carries. We all know them too well, yes? Well, I suggest you read this book so you can sympathize even more. Lucia is an Inspector who is assigned a case in which a teacher suddenly goes bonkers and shoots two children, a colleague and then himself. What follows will make your skin crawl and desperately wish to be able to jump in the book and start whacking some extra people as well. Excellent read! ( )
An interesting debut novel, taking a murder in a school and recounting it from multiple viewpoints. I found the policewoman lead character unlikely to have suffered the bullying at work, given her seniority, although the ranks of her colleagues were never given. ( )
What an awesome book this was. Getting across its message about bullying in large organisations with a minimum of fuss - much of it done though interview transcripts - it proved you don't need lots of "he said, she said" etc and you don't need lots of detail about facial expression. The different characters in this novel emerge through their voice alone, and each one is three dimensional. I was initially disappointed when the first chapter came to an end and I realised its gloriously sweary narrator wouldn't appear again, but all the other characters were brilliant too. An absolute masterclass in showing not telling, and great writing in general. ( )
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:A stunning debut novel that unravels the hidden story behind a school shooting It should be an open-and-shut case. Samuel Szajkowski, a recently hired history teacher, walked into a school assembly with a gun and murdered three students and a colleague before turning the weapon on himself. It was a tragedy that could not have been predicted. Szajkowski, it seems clear, was a psychopath beyond help. Yet as Detective Inspector Lucia May- the only woman in her high-testosterone office in the Criminal Investigations Department-begins to piece together the testimonies of the various witnesses, an uglier and more complex picture emerges, calling into question the innocence of others. But no one, including Lucia's boss, is interested. As the pressure to close the case builds and her colleagues' sexism takes a sinister turn, Lucia begins to realize that she has more in common with the killer than she could have imagined, and she becomes determined to expose the truth. Brilliantly interweaving the witnesses' accounts with Lucia's own perspective, A Thousand Cuts is a narrative tour de force from a formidable new voice in fictio
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It should be an open-and-shut case. Samuel Szajkowski, a recently hired history teacher, walked into a school assembly with a gun and murdered three students and a colleague before turning the weapon on himself. It was a tragedy that could not have been predicted. Szajkowksi, it seems clear, was a psychopath beyond help. Yet, as Detective Inspector Lucia May — the only woman in her office in the Criminal Investigations Department — begins to piece together the testimonies of the various witnesses, an uglier and more complex picture emerges, calling into question the innocence of others. But no one, including Lucia's boss, is interested.
As the pressure to close the case builds and her colleagues' sexism takes a sinister turn, Lucia begins to realize that she has more in common with the killer than she could have imagined, and she becomes determined to expose the truth. Brilliantly interweaving the witnesses' accounts with Lucia's own perspective, A Thousand Cuts is a narrative tour de force from a formidable new voice in fiction.
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