A powerful but quite flawed debut novel from a new British author, gifted to me by Ellie Bond. Monster feels very much like a zeitgeist work, focusing on the often shallow and superficial existence imposed on the younger generation by social media; drug-taking and pornography feature heavily. Some of the sex and violence scenes felt gratuitous, and some of the writing verged on the student-like in terms of its trite observations about the world. Nonetheless, there is a narrative thrust and a tantalising element attached to the story: are the narrator and his partner murderers, and, if so, will they get away with it, particularly when encountering a figure from their past? The claustrophobia of university (Cambridge) is contrasted nicely with the unfamiliar yet intense environment of Istanbul. Flashbacks to Cambridge ramp up the tension. Monster is indebted to Donna Tartt's The Secret History but fails—as all imitations do—to reach its heights. Others drew comparisons with The Talented Mr Ripley. What I found frustrating is that not only are none of the protagonists, not even the hapless Benny, very likeable, but none is fully credible. In an attempt to create "interesting" characters, Gilbert creates cliché combined with implausibility. The reader is forced to ask whether being unhappy is a product of the modern world or a contrivance on the part of the author to provoke.
By Sean Gilbert