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This Is How (2009)

by M.J. Hyland(Favorite Author)

3.56 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1847673821 (ISBN13: 9781847673824)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Canongate

review 1: An unassuming yet powerful story of a young man who is a clean cut, hard working member of society yet pays heavily for one mistake he'll never forget. Not unlike the young men of today who, full of alcohol and drugs, lash out just once and it changes their life course forever. The story follows the young man as he comes to terms with his punishment and abandonment. He isn't exactly likable but I did feel a bit sorry for him. His problem is he can't think of the other lives he has irrevocably ruined, and his only sorrow is for himself. Still, a wonderfully crafted novel and worth a read.
review 2: Oxtoby, the main character, is a strange young man whose interactions are prickly because he is extremely self-conscious and defensive. The academic promise he once d... moreemonstrated has dissipated, and he settles in a small town to begin his career as an auto mechanic. Living at a boarding house, he can't seem to settle into the rhythm of easy conversations with the other two boarders. One horrendous moment of unreasonable rage results in a life he cannot imagine, and M.J. Hyland describes his reactions, a mixture of disbelief, embarrassment and guilt, perfectly. Patrick is not a particularly likeable person; however, the course of his life's choices are riveting. M.J. Hyland has a deceptively simple style that creates a building of tension as understanding of Patrick's dysfunction grows. less

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