The Fury: Book Review

Today we will be reviewing Alex Michaelides’s latest thriller The Fury. It changes everything you would expect from your typical whodunit novel. Keep reading to find out if you should read this novel!

The Fury Summary

Lana Farrar is a former movie star and described as a Greek goddess by many. She wants to escape the dreary London weather and decides to go to her private Greek island with her closest friends.

But the trip is not what it appears to be. Lana wants to get to the bottom of the affair her husband is having with her best friend Kate. A murder takes place and we are left to wonder who the murderer is and the victim.

And to make it even more interesting, the marrator of the novel by Elliot Chase, a playwriter who recounts the island getaway and the murder. His narration has to be taken with a grain of salt as he omits information important to the murder.

Commentary

It is always difficult to review a whodunit novel because I don’t want to spoil any of the twists. And this novel is unlike anything you have ever read. It takes the typical whodunit novel format and flips it upside down.

A big reason for that is the narration. We are reading the accounts of Elliot Chase and his bias seeps into the narration right away. Elliot tells us that he got other people’s accounts of what happened but his personal feelings keep leaking onto the pages.

I am trying to think of another novel to compare this to but that might be impossible. Michaelides uses a writing technique that is seldomly used but it works because the narrator is who he is. And without spoiling it, I will say it makes this novel a fun read even if some of the twists are predictable.

Homage to Agatha Christie

Michaelides has admitted that this novel was inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. He even uses the same plot of an isolated island that is inaccessable without a boat. And the murderer is amongst the group. But the similarities end there as Michaelides gives us a novel that flips the genre upside down.

One of the characters in the novel is named Agathi and she is the housekeeper and Lana’s assistant. The name is of Greek origin which is why Michaelides decided to use it instead of Agatha as homage to the queen of mystery. Agathi is the Greek version of Agatha, and she is someone that Lana trusts a lot.

Conclusion

After reading The Silent Patient by Michaelides, I knew I had to read his latest novel. His writing style is unique and I can see the thriller genre changing in the near future because of him.  If you love thriller novels and want a fresh take on the genre, then you will love this novel. Happy reading!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook