Shirley Marr
Released May 1st, 2011
by Black Dog Books
Goodreads / Purchase
Let me tell you my story.
Not just the facts I know you want to hear.
If I’m going to tell you my story,
I’m telling it my way.
Strap yourself in...
Eliza Boans has everything.
A big house.
A great education.
A bright future.
So why is she sitting in a police station confessing to murder?
After waiting 3 months for my copy of Fury to arrive from the other side of the world, I couldn't wait any longer and just had to dig into it. I was introduced to Aussie authors by my dear Goodreads friends and the premise of this one fascinated me. Reading it again now, though, I realize it doesn't really tell us anything at all - except that it's bound to be excellent! I mean - just read it!
So as you saw, we have Eliza who's telling us her story of how and why she's committed murder, but the bigger mystery throughout the book is who has she actually murdered? We're going into her story, meeting all of her friends and wondering for each one if they're the future victim. I had an incredible time with this because I love dishing out theories and trying to figure it out. I can tell you that I did figure out half of it, but the other half completely took me by surprise! Which does not happen very often anymore.
Eliza lives in a neighborhood that is rather lavish. Everyone is a doctor, lawyer or a CEO. Elaborate houses with snobby children. And Eliza is the snobbiest of them all! She's stubborn and domineering, and while these are usually personality traits that don't mesh well with me, somehow this author makes it work. I think it's mostly due to the fact that Eliza is the narrator. We get through the story while being inside her head. So we see that despite her high-and-mighty behaviour, she's not spiteful. She cares for her friends and she's never downright mean to anyone, unless, of course, they deserve it. The way she acts is just a way of life for her. The neighborhood is very exclusive and most of them stay away from the "outside world". It was a bit strange to me at first- their behaviour and peculiar ways- but I got accustomed to it quickly.
Don't expect this to be a mindless read: We're thrown from past to present quite a bit; since she's telling her story to the police. There are a couple of times where it's not clear if the sequence is taking place in the present or the future. So a bit of confusion settles in. But it does get cleared up as the story progresses. By the end, everything makes complete sense and once the victim is revealed, it's fun to rehash the whole thing again in your mind. Even though I wish we would have been left with a more foreseeable future, the ambiguous ending was surprisingly satisfying. I think because it was so atypical. The whole book is very unconventional. And I truly enjoyed it!
*If you're looking for a copy of Fury outside of Australia, the only affordable place to get it is on FishpondWorld.com (free shipping), however be prepared to wait a while!
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