Little Cruelties

Liz Nugent

Nov 2020 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of Strange Sally Diamond and Lying in Wait, a biting and masterful “dark jewel of a novel” (A.J. Finn, #1New York Times bestselling author) that explores the many ways families can wreak emotional havoc across generations—for fans of HBO’s acclaimed series Succession.

All three of the Drumm brothers were at the funeral.

But one of them was in the coffin.

William, Brian, and Luke: three boys, born a year apart, trained from birth by their wily mother to compete for her attention. They play games, as brothers do…yet even after the Drumms escape into the world beyond their windows, those games—those little cruelties—grow more sinister, more merciless, and more dangerous. And with their lives entwined like the strands of a noose, only two of the brothers will survive.

Hailed by New York Times bestselling author Shari Lapena as “brilliant, engrossing,” and perfect for fans of breathtaking suspense, Little Cruelties gazes unflinchingly into the darkness collecting in the corners of childhood homes, hiding beneath marriage beds, clasped in the palms of two brothers shaking hands. And it confirms that Liz Nugent is truly “a force to be reckoned with” (Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author) in contemporary fiction.

Ratings and reviews

Three brothers ... only one is in a coffin. You won't know who or why until the very end of this character driven psychological family drama. The Drumm family are totally dysfunctional. Mom is a small time celebrity of sorts and feels she deserves more. She really has never been much of a mother and even doesn't want anything to do with the first grandchild. After all, according to her, she has borne 3 sons ..she's done. The husband is almost a shadow. He's been beaten down by life ... and his wife's extramarital excursions. The story line jumps back and forth through time to see the things that have shaped the men they have become. They are each damaged in their own way. They've grown up never feeling loved, they are all self centered and hugely jealous of the other brothers. Each of them tell their stories .... Until one of them dies - but which one? And which brother is the murderer? This is well written with deftly drawn characters. None are really likeable .. it's like watching a train wreck in action ... you just can't stop looking. Although not highly suspenseful, it is a murder mystery with only the conclusion bearing witness to the crime. Many thanks to the author / Penguin Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this riveting tale. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

About the author

Liz Nugent has worked in Irish film, theater, and television for most of her adult life. She is an award-winning writer of radio and television drama and has written critically acclaimed short stories both for children and adults, as well as the bestselling novels Unraveling Oliver, Lying in Wait, and Little Cruelties. She lives in Dublin and has won four Irish Book Awards, as well as the James Joyce Medal for Literature. Visit her at LizNugent.com or follow her on Twitter at @LizzieNugent.