Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall

Century | 2018 (Hb: 3 May; ebook: 19 April) | 368p | Review copy | Buy the book

Mike and Verity have a history that goes back years. Their relationship has been passionate, intense, perhaps even obsessive. It has also been marked by games that both like to play. But the biggest game is about to begin – Verity is marrying another man, Angus, and, as Mike heads off to the wedding, he understands that the game’s stakes have never been higher. Before it can end, somebody will die.

And that is all I have to say about the plot. But the appeal and meaning of Our Kind of Cruelty goes far beyond its plot. This is a novel about character and it has a great deal to say on it. This is the purest of psychological thrillers. It has a fascinating premise but the focus is on the psychology of its main characters and the difference between the public face of a man or woman and that which they keep private. Interestingly, the psychology of the wider world and even of the reader comes into play as well. What do we think about what we’re being shown?

I read few psychological thrillers these days. This is mostly due to the repetition of themes and situations and the reliance on twists. Those I do read – and go on to finish – have to stand out in some way. Our Kind of Cruelty does just that. It’s tense throughout, agonisingly so at times, but it isn’t about twists, it’s about what’s going on in the heads of Mike and Verity. We spend the novel inside Mike’s thoughts. It’s his interpretation that we’re shown. Verity is more of a mystery, her feelings more elusive. I liked that the emphasis is on the male protagonist rather than the more usual female.

Our Kind of Cruelty is an absorbing read. I read it in two sittings. The character of Mike in particular is utterly fascinating and beautifully constructed by Araminta Hall. There are lessons to be learned from the story here but I don’t want to give any of that away. You must read it for yourself and you’ll be amply rewarded. I did feel that the novel is let down a little by its blurb, by it being made to fit within a psychological thriller slot, with all of the preconceptions that this can arouse in a reader. But once those are removed, you’ll find an expertly written and intuitive portrait of a small group of people and the tortured relationships that they put themselves through. Its analysis of society’s understanding of women is also penetrating.

I finished this book understanding that it is far more of a significant novel than I had assumed when I first picked it up. It is extremely well written and it most certainly makes you think, delving deeper into the psyche than any other so-called psychological thriller than I can think of.