Thank you Araminta Hall for cleansing my palate from shoddy books! I had been having a bad reading streak and this book has redeemed me, so thank you for that.
Told in multiple points of view and through different media, this one kept me turning the pages and feeling like I was listening in on the neighbours’ car crash life whilst making me seriously reconsider and think through different conceptions.
After several years of a “happy marriage”, Mel finally leaves Cole, who seems to be THE perfect guy. He then moves to the country side where he meets Lennie. A relationship starts to build; but is everything and everyone as they seem? Then, two young women go missing near Cole’s location whilst doing a hike for violence against women, so things start to rapidly unravel. The twist at the end is just brilliant, so do pick this one up.
This is definitely a “book club” book with much to discuss about modern feminism and the innate condition the opposite sex have concerning violence towards women.
A 10 out of 10 for me. ( )

The story starts out with Cole, as he begins to rebuild his life after his wife left him. As he tells the story of his marriage, how his wife would verbally attack him and how, by the end, he was an abused spouse, but that he'd still like to put his marriage back together, how his college girlfriend also inexplicably turned on him, how he is a caring feminist, fully aware of the difficulties and dangers women face, it looks like this novel is going to be utterly predictable. As Cole goes on about what a great partner he is, and how it's the women in his life who are the abusive ones, it looks like this novel is going to simply be another book about domestic violence. Don't get me wrong, it's still underrepresented in fiction, but for a genre that requires some level of suspense and a few twists and turns, and from an author whose previous books had delivered on that element of the thriller, it was disappointing.

And then it turns out that this is a completely different novel than expected. While Cole may be exactly as he appears, the people around him very much aren't and what looked like a straightforward story becomes something a lot more complex and morally ambiguous. I don't think every element of this plot held together, but it was a lot of fun and it kept surprising me, so it did what a thriller is supposed to do. ( )

“And I know, historically, it’s been hard to be a woman but, my God, it’s hard to be a man right now.”

A provocative and thought-provoking novel, One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall explores the gendered dynamic of power, the mythology of the ‘good guy’, and feminine rage.

Told in three parts primarily from the perspectives of three individuals but also through newspaper articles, podcast transcripts, Tweets, and WhatsApp chats from third parties, One of the Good Guys has an interesting structure.

Cole is the first to tell his story, that of a good guy baffled by the breakdown of his marriage who has taken refuge on a remote stretch of coast in the South of England. Melissa’s story starts seven years earlier and charts the course of her marriage to Cole. The third properly introduces Lennie, explains how and why she became involved with both Cole and Melissa, and the fate of two missing young women.

There’s a mystery here, more than one really, but it’s the complexity of the characters that offers the real intrigue. There is a thread of unreliability in each narrative that deliberately keeps the reader off balance. The way in which Hall manipulates the reveal of information is very clever, exposing conflicting points of view that forces continual reassessment of everything.

Dark, compelling, and powerful, One of the Good Guys is an impressive novel that unashamedly challenges society’s complacency with regard to violence against women. Not a pleasant read, but an important one. ( )

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was very much a book of two halves for me. The first section, told in the first person by Cole as he mulled over his failed marriage to Mel, was engaging. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that you realize pretty quickly that he's an unreliable narrator. There is a later section from Mel's point of view, which again was a thought-provoking read,. However the second half of the book, which deals more with the disappearance and presumed deaths of two women walking to protest against male violence, was entirely lacking in forward momentum. It went round and round in circles with tabloid newspaper articles, blog and podcast transcripts, and endless social media posts. I found these muddied the water even more than the actual revealed actions of the characters. This would be interesting as a starting point for a discussion on male violence, but as a novel it ultimately failed. ( )

This is a social commentary with a lot of psychological suspense.

Cole Simmonds, newly separated from his wife, Mel Connelly, leaves London and moves to a seaside cottage on the south coast of England where he takes a job as a wildlife ranger. He meets Lennie Baxter, an artist living nearby, and the two become friends. Then two young women activists raising awareness about violence against women disappear, and both Cole and Lennie find themselves in the midst of a police investigation and a media firestorm. Both have secrets that emerge.

The book is narrated from multiple viewpoints: Cole, Mel, and Lennie. Also included are samples from media such as blog postings, social media threads, op-ed pieces, and interview transcripts. Cole begins the novel. He spends a great deal of time reflecting on the failure of his marriage, concluding Mel’s relentless careerism and her unwillingness to undergo another round of IVF caused the break. He feels wronged and unappreciated because he believes he is one of the good guys since he is always caring and supportive. He even claims to understand the pressures women face.

From the beginning, I suspected Cole to be an unreliable narrator. He constantly repeats his good qualities in a rather prideful fashion and seems to take no responsibility for the marriage breakdown. He blames only Mel. I started to think he is not being entirely truthful. He comes across as rather whiny and that grates after a while. There was something about him that just made me feel icky. When we are given Mel and Lennie’s perspectives, we see a different Cole, someone manipulative and controlling. Which version is closer to the truth?

Of course, as we get to know Mel and Lennie we realize that they are not genuinely good either. They devise a scheme that pushes moral and legal boundaries. Their motivation is understandable but their methods are undoubtedly questionable. But, of course, as Lennie states, “none of us is just one thing. Especially not women, who so often contain the burden of multitudes.” And there’s certainly truth to her observation that “women aren’t meant to be strategic or cunning. Which seems unfair considering that gangsters and cowboys and superheroes are not only allowed vendettas but applauded for them. Men are allowed to act, but women, it seems, should only react.” The lines between right and wrong are blurred so who is the greatest victim and who the most blameworthy?

Character development is wonderful. Each of the characters has backstories which add depth to the narrative. The reader learns their struggles and secrets and motivations. What is not so great is the coincidence that brings two characters together. And the planning involved in their scheme may be ingenious and magnificent, as Lennie claims, but it seems far-fetched to me.

What also bothered me is that the resolution is too drawn-out. A plot almost ceases to exist so that the theme of misogyny can be emphasized. The heavy-handedness at the end weakens the novel in my opinion.

Nonetheless, I highly recommend the book. The women in the novel speak of the importance of conversations around topics like male violence, pornography, and society’s double standards for women, and this book encourages those conversations. It would be a great choice for book clubs. It is entertaining and thought-provoking – an intelligent book that stimulates discussion.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski). ( )