Review by ValeriaU -- Duplicity by Fin C Gray

[ValeriaU]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Duplicity" by Fin C Gray.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Duplicity by Fin C Gray is a fantastic book that describes the tragic lives of Tom and Daniel McIntyre, a father and son with a difficult relationship. The story explores the past and the present in both of their lives as they deal with the grief of losing someone they both love. Tom is a man who has all the wealth he could want, but after losing his wife he turned to alcoholism and lost the relationship he had with his son and daughter. Daniel, on his part, was only a child when his mother passed away, but still suffers because of it in the present. We follow him as he deals with his sexuality and the homophobia that comes with it, as he goes through life having a rough relationship with his father. He falls in love with a man who leads him towards a group of people with a very particular view on life and sin.

What I liked most about the book was the way my view of the characters' actions changed depending on who was telling the story. Fin C Gray used multiple narrators during the book, allowing the reader to see the story from multiple perspectives. This allowed him to show that each of the characters involved remembered the same events differently, or that they had excuses to act the way they did. I enjoyed how this made the relationship between Tom and Daniel more complex and complicated, as they both blamed each other for the unfortunate events in their lives.

I especially enjoyed Daniel’s side of the story. It was interesting reading the first chapter and knowing how Daniel's story was going to end, but still hoping for a happier ending. I felt confused at times because I understood the reasoning behind what he was doing, but I did not agree with it, which made the whole story even more captivating.

There was absolutely nothing I did not like about this book. The story was compelling from beginning to end, the characters felt very human and flawed, which made them more interesting. The way the book jumps from past to present to give context as to why the characters are acting certain ways is very well accomplished and made me, as a reader, feel more connected to the characters.

I give Duplicity 4 out of 4 stars. The book was well edited and had very few mistakes. The story was breathtaking. This is, in my opinion, a perfect book. I recommend this book to young adults and older people, who like psychological dramas with complex stories that feel very real. This book does contain mentions of sexual assault, descriptions of sexual scenes, crude language, including some offensive slang, and descriptions of violence against both humans and animals, so I recommend it to more mature audiences.

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Duplicity
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[Visegura]

Great description of the book. I think I'm going to read it. Thanks

[monserrat_21]

This sounds like an interesting book. I like the idea of it being told by multiple narrators and that the reader gets to experience the story from different perspectives. I will make sure to read it. Great review!

[mpaula1810]

Nice review, it really makes me want to read the book!

[Kasun Perera]

It seems to me as a bit of a psychology related fiction, and I would love to try this. Thanks for the nice review

[Chizioboli]

A true decision of what men go through living their lives without their loved ones.

[nati_alvarado]

It sounds like a very complex and interesting story. Thank you so much for the review, it helped me a lot while choosing the next book I should read.

[Mvictoria]

This book sounds intriguing, but I think I would struggle with some of of the more triggering aspects of the book that you mention in your final paragraph. Thank you for your careful review of what sounds like a great book!