Cover Image: The Other Son

The Other Son

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Member Reviews

A dysfunctional family story if there ever was one!
I enjoy Nick Alexander's stories with a lot of emphasis placed on human interests and family dynamics and more complicated relationships. The people in his stories, especially this one come across as flawed and real. They could be your next door neighboors or even distant family members.

I liked Alice, but didn't love her. I wanted her to leave her husband a.s.a.p. and to start over and I was thrilled when she finally did and really liked when she got in touch with her "other son" and his own story was also touching.

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"From the outside, Alice’s marriage looks successful. It’s true that Ken was never her first choice, but four decades in, she’s learned to tolerate him. Their two sons have chosen their own paths, Tim as a successful banker and Matt a carefree globetrotter she can’t keep up with. But when circumstances collide to make her question the life she’s quietly accepted, Alice realises she’s been lying to herself for years."

This was another brilliant book from Nick Alexander. I liked the way we saw the book in 3 parts from Alice and her husband, Alice and her son Tim, then Alice and her "other son" Matt (he was my favourite character, and his charming partner too).

A lovely wander through domesticity and family life and making us all realise that we put a front on for everyone and most people have no idea what about our lives, thoughts, hopes and dreams we are masking. A lesson to be more authentic, please yourself and take control of your live.

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I loved this book more than Nick Alexander's last one!
Even though I couldn't relate personally to Alice's plight, I still found myself to be sympathetic to her situation and i'm glad the end of this book was so satisfactory.
The characters and setting for The Other Son were perfect - another easy read that i'll pick up again and again!

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A compelling story of a completely dysfunctional family, the characters are not likeable but you can't stop reading it and it works well being told by the different points of view. Definitely not light easy reading but a good book

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Alice has finally left her horrible bullying abusive husband and is at loose ends. She reaches out to her son Tim but that doesn't go well. Matt, her other son, has been traveling for years but he's the one who will help to heal her. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Fans of novels about dysfunctional families will welcome this one as an example of a mature woman with adult sons who comes into her own.

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This is the story of a completely dysfunctional family
The story covers hard hitting topics including abuse and human trafficking
It is told from many points of view. The characters are so unlikeable

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An enjoyable read that I will go on to recommend. I found the characters interesting and the plot line engaging. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I have read a few of Nicks books now and he definitely does not disappoint. I love his style of writing and makes you feel there. Good book.

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Despite being a fan of Nick's books ordinarily, I really didn't click with this book, with the plotline or with the characters.

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I have read Nick Alexander books before and have always enjoyed them. He writes beautifully and tells a great story. This book centres on Alice and her relationships with her husband of 40 years and her two sons Tim & Matt. The characters are complex and you are torn between like and dislike; pity and scorn at different times.

Loved this book and highly recommend this and any other Nick Alexander book you can get your hands on.

Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Having read previous nick Alexander books I had high hopes for this one. Just couldn't seem to get into it. Thats not to say the story is bad, quite the opposite. Just couldn't find a rapport with the characters

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First of, many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC copy.


Alice is ot happy. Her husband is abusive and her sons don't want to spend any time with her. Alice is her own worst enemy. One of her sons is marries and doing well. The other son is away travelling the world.

This is a out as dysfunctional a family you can get. It covers some delicate subjects: abuse, human trafficking and prostitution to name a few. The story is told from multiple points of view. The characters are not likeable. None of the char5are very likeable. Nons of them are happy in their situations. It did take me a little while to get into the book, but once I did, I couldn't put it down.

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I enjoyed this book, the story of Alice, whose been unhappily married for 50 years, and tells us about the relationship she has with both her sons, Matt and Tim. An unhappy tale of a family where the children has witness domestic abuse and how its affected their relationships.

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I loved this book. What I like about this particular book and all the books by Nick Alexander is that the way that he writes is as if he is writing real life stories about real people. They feel real, believable, as though he's writing about my family or about people I know. This book is a wonderful story about a non functioning family and about people finding themselves, however long it takes.

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An interesting story about a family that is not by any definition perfect. The flawed characters may be hard to like, but as the story progresses, they come alive and I found myself empathizing with them.. Alice has been unhappy in her marriage to Ken for many years, yet she cannot imagine a different life. She trudges on in her unhappiness and does not realize how this affects those around her. Her husband is a bully who always expects to get his way.

Tim, their son, tries his best to watch over his parents and maintain a relationship with them. His wife sees how negatively their visits affect him and tries to protect him by limiting their interactions, much to Alice's disapproval. The other son, Matt, is in Europe and has not been home in several years. Whilst Tim seems to have made a good life for himself, Matt appears to wander from country to country doing one dead-end job after another.

This story is told from the different perspectives of the main characters, giving us a first class view of events. I loved how the author uses this to enrich the story. For example, when Alice describes her relationship with Tim's wife, Natalya, we get the impression that Natalya is frosty and mean. This made me imagine she was keeping Tim away from his parents out of malice, till I got to see events from Natalya's point of view and realized that Alice is not very nice to her and Natalya is just protecting her husband. The only character whose perspective we do not get to see is Ken. I wonder what flavour that would have added to the story?

I found this book engaging and well written. Although it has very deep themes, such as forbidden love and domestic violence, and featured a dysfunctional family, it manages to entertain as well. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers and family dramas.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Great read. Well written and plot is well thought through and strong characters within.
Highly recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book

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Enjoyed this book was very gripping & could not put it down did not take me long to read once I got into it I would recommend it to a friend!

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Another lovely book by this author examining the relationship between parents and their sons. Sad and thought provoking at times and uplifting at others.

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Family dynamics are a powerful thing. Alice and Ken have been married for 50 years. Fifty years of anger and unhappiness. Their two sons, Tim and Matt have pretended that all is well, just as their parents have. But one day, Alice has had enough. She leaves Ken and eventually finds herself forging a new, strong relationship with Matt, who had always been the child she least understood. In getting to know who Matt is, Alice is able to acknowledge who she really is. And with acknowledgement, comes acceptance. Perhaps even a brighter future.

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The first time I picked this up, the depression of the mother was way too much for me and I put it down. I waited a month and tried again and I'm glad I did. When you look for excuses, like going out in the rain to buy bread you don't need, just to get away from your husband, you really need to wonder why you are still there. The local son has so much wealth, but no happiness or even congrats from the picky and nagging parents. no wonder the other son left years ago as you just can't win with these folks!
The story did turn around and I did finish it, but it was still dragging me down more than picking me up. 2.5 stars is the best I can say. Others may disagree, but I need more uplifting books if I am to read for pleasure.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

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