Review by Magic2Mystery -- Duplicity by Fin C Gray
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Magic2Mystery
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Review by Magic2Mystery -- Duplicity by Fin C Gray
[Following is a volunteer review of "Duplicity" by Fin C Gray.]
Duplicity by Fin C. Gray is a realistic, enthralling crime thriller following the story of Daniel, a young boy who fell victim to brainwashing and his father, Tom, a drunk unable to recover from his wife’s death and his son’s hatred. The story flips back and forth between the present and the past, captivating its audience with a consistent desire to know more.
The story follows Daniel and Tom throughout their lives. Tom’s marriage struggles bring tension to the home, and after the death of his wife, Alison, he increasingly begins to use alcohol just to get through the day. A distance grows between Daniel and his father because of his drunkenness, exasperated by Daniel’s grief over his mother and his own struggles with his sexuality. Finally, Daniel’s had enough, and he moves out. While searching for a roommate, he meets Waqar, a handsome young Muslim man he’s instantly attracted to. They quickly grow close and Daniel begins to learn about Waqar’s beliefs and mission. Waqar uses to promise of a relationship and a painless future in Jannah (heaven) to lure Daniel into committing to be a part of a terrorist organization. Before the final stages of his mission, Daniel goes to see his father and finds Toms still drinking his sorrows away. Hatred stirs inside of him and he sets out to complete the remainder of his mission, effectively tearing his family completely apart.
The book is skillfully written and expertly edited. The descriptions were beautiful, and the imagery made it feel like I was there with the characters, feeling what they felt and seeing what they saw. The dialogue was realistic and very human, bringing a relatable aspect to the characters. The story kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, making it hard to put the book down. There’s a sense of upcoming action in every scene, keeping the reader hooked.
The characters were very human and realistic, with lots of flaws but good qualities as well. You could really relate to the characters and by showing them in a very real and raw way, Gray helps bring to light the darkness and capacity to do horrible things that resides in humanity. There were scenes that showed despicable, horrible things and scenes that showed love and vulnerability. The contrast was smoothly and beautifully constructed, and it made the characters completely relatable.
There aren’t a lot of things I didn’t like about this book, however, I did feel there were some unnecessary scenes, such as the trauma Daniel went through early in his life. It didn’t add anything to the story and added fuel to the stereotype that in order to do horrible things, you must have gone through something as atrocious as what Daniel went through. It was also difficult to pick up on the timeline of the story. Years could pass and we would have no idea how old the characters were now. It would have been helpful to know Daniel’s age when these events were happening. The story also seemed to skip completely over the beginning of Daniel’s brainwashing, which I felt really took away from one of the major themes of the story. It jumps from Daniel being introduced to Waqar’s religion to being a complete believer, leaving us to wonder how and why he was suddenly so willing to do something so terrible when previously he would never have done such a thing.
I rate this story 4 out of 4 stars. It was a beautiful, though dark, story about family struggles and the complex nature of brainwashing and manipulation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I love how it brings to light so many issues that get passed over in society. However, I recommend this book only to audiences 17+ because of some sexual scenes, vulgar language, and dark themes.
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Duplicity
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Duplicity by Fin C. Gray is a realistic, enthralling crime thriller following the story of Daniel, a young boy who fell victim to brainwashing and his father, Tom, a drunk unable to recover from his wife’s death and his son’s hatred. The story flips back and forth between the present and the past, captivating its audience with a consistent desire to know more.
The story follows Daniel and Tom throughout their lives. Tom’s marriage struggles bring tension to the home, and after the death of his wife, Alison, he increasingly begins to use alcohol just to get through the day. A distance grows between Daniel and his father because of his drunkenness, exasperated by Daniel’s grief over his mother and his own struggles with his sexuality. Finally, Daniel’s had enough, and he moves out. While searching for a roommate, he meets Waqar, a handsome young Muslim man he’s instantly attracted to. They quickly grow close and Daniel begins to learn about Waqar’s beliefs and mission. Waqar uses to promise of a relationship and a painless future in Jannah (heaven) to lure Daniel into committing to be a part of a terrorist organization. Before the final stages of his mission, Daniel goes to see his father and finds Toms still drinking his sorrows away. Hatred stirs inside of him and he sets out to complete the remainder of his mission, effectively tearing his family completely apart.
The book is skillfully written and expertly edited. The descriptions were beautiful, and the imagery made it feel like I was there with the characters, feeling what they felt and seeing what they saw. The dialogue was realistic and very human, bringing a relatable aspect to the characters. The story kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, making it hard to put the book down. There’s a sense of upcoming action in every scene, keeping the reader hooked.
The characters were very human and realistic, with lots of flaws but good qualities as well. You could really relate to the characters and by showing them in a very real and raw way, Gray helps bring to light the darkness and capacity to do horrible things that resides in humanity. There were scenes that showed despicable, horrible things and scenes that showed love and vulnerability. The contrast was smoothly and beautifully constructed, and it made the characters completely relatable.
There aren’t a lot of things I didn’t like about this book, however, I did feel there were some unnecessary scenes, such as the trauma Daniel went through early in his life. It didn’t add anything to the story and added fuel to the stereotype that in order to do horrible things, you must have gone through something as atrocious as what Daniel went through. It was also difficult to pick up on the timeline of the story. Years could pass and we would have no idea how old the characters were now. It would have been helpful to know Daniel’s age when these events were happening. The story also seemed to skip completely over the beginning of Daniel’s brainwashing, which I felt really took away from one of the major themes of the story. It jumps from Daniel being introduced to Waqar’s religion to being a complete believer, leaving us to wonder how and why he was suddenly so willing to do something so terrible when previously he would never have done such a thing.
I rate this story 4 out of 4 stars. It was a beautiful, though dark, story about family struggles and the complex nature of brainwashing and manipulation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I love how it brings to light so many issues that get passed over in society. However, I recommend this book only to audiences 17+ because of some sexual scenes, vulgar language, and dark themes.
******
Duplicity
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Mixed Blessings by J.M. Muse
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kimmie2128
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- Latest Review: Duplicity by Fin C Gray
I also read this book, but didn’t have the same level of appreciation as you. To me, the book was kind of hard to follow at times. I do agree, though, that the information on what happened to Daniel wasn’t really tied into the book very well. I think if the author spent more time on explaining the significance of that event, it would give the reader a better understanding to why he is the way he is.
Latest Review: Duplicity by Fin C Gray
