The book starts with a funeral. William, Brian and Luke Drumm are brothers and now one of them is dead. We don’t know which of them ended up in a coffin and which of them maybe responsible.

“Our Little Cruelties” is an epic character driven family drama as well as a murder mystery. Each of the brothers tells us their story from their point of view. If you ever saw a dysfunctional family, consider the Drumms. This family is the real kicker. Their mother is a kind of small celebrity in Ireland. She is a singer and actress and an absolute narcissistic person. She does not love her three sons equally and they are all aware of that. But the three brothers are a piece of work themselves. We hear the story of their family from each of the brothers in turn and of course we see them through their selfish eyes so you better not trust any of them.

Liz Nugent is one of my favorite authors. I just adore her ability to create all those unsympathetic characters. Here we meet not only one but four psychopaths. The book is quite long and the author takes her time in getting to the point. She lets us see through every brother’s eyes some of the key points in their life. I enjoyed reading about those despicable characters. The reason I give not 5 stars is because something I did not like in the authors last book. There is a lot of telling. It is always a problem with a first-person narrator but here a lot of the story is just told by one of the brothers. There are interactions and dialogs but for my taste the telling gained the upper hand. The other thing I had to get accustomed to was the jumping back and forth in the timeline. At the beginning during Williams POV I got really confused what has happened at what time. I would have preferred a straight timeline. After a while I got used to it and did not care so much about it anymore but it confused me a bit.

Liz Nugent wrote again an unusual psychological thriller/family drama with quite a bunch of terrific unlikable characters. I am looking forward to her next book.

I really loved this book, I didn't think of as a psychological thriller though, but more of engrossing tale of family dynamics. Ms Nugent managed to create a page turner of a story about three very unlikable brothers and make the reader really care about what happened to them and their family. Can't wait for her next book
Thank you to netgalley and penguin books for an advance copy of this book

We know from the start that one of three brothers is dead but no idea who or how.
The story is told in flashbacks by them each putting a different perspective on their actions and their relationships. All appear flawed, each behaving badly towards each other. Luke, the youngest, believes he is unloved and suffers fragile mental health. Brian takes advantage of Luke and anyone who can further his interests. Will, the eldest, treats women appallingly. Their lives remain entwined throughout until the tragic end.
Set in Ireland, this closely examines thoroughly flawed family dynamics and the selfishness of all involved.
An excellent read - thanks netgalley for the opportunity of reading this early.

Will, Brian, and Luke are three brothers and the novel tells the tale of their dysfunctional family and interactions.

The story is told from the point of view of each brother and passes through their childhood, adulthood and present day. Each story drifts through different time periods and it is gratifying to see seeing the same scenario from different perspectives and see how different, and indeed wrongly, people can view a situation.

The story begins with the funeral of one of the brothers and which brother and how is not revealed until the end.

It is certainly interesting to see the cruelties between the family members and the fight between them for their mother's love and acceptance. It is a stage well beyond the sibling rivalries that most families know.

This novel follows the three Drumm brothers, their dysfunctional relationships and their incessant need for one-upmanship.

I found all the characters to be wholly unlikeable which hampered my enjoyment of the book and it took me a long time to finish because of this.

I enjoyed Nugent's style of writing and that the story was told from the perspective of all three brothers - even if they were the most unreliable of narrators. The non-linear structure also made the book slightly more interesting. That being said, I cannot recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books (UK) for the ARC.

Telling the life stories of the three dysfunctional Drumm brothers, this novel spans 5 decades detailing their interlocking lives from each of the brothers point of view. From the opening chapter of the three brothers at a funeral and only one of them is dead to the gripping finale when it is finally revealed which one has died it is totally absorbing. Enthralling and beautifully written it makes most families seem very normal in comparison.

I have read a number of Liz Nugents novels but for me this was the best. What an imagination she has, this is a superb psychological drama featuring a dysfunctional family with brilliantly flawed characters that are fascinating to read about
It has certainly kept me gripped from start to finish and when I had to put it down out of necessity I couldn't wait to pick it up again. Brilliant storytelling and character portrayal at it's best, an excellent read and highly recommended. Looking forward to reading Liz's next novel.

Will, Brian and Luke grow up competing for their mother's unequal love. As men, this competition continues - for status, money, fame, women... Until one of them dies - but which one? And which brother is the murderer?

Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? I absolutely agree! I could not wait to get started with this book!

In this story, you are going to meet the most dysfunctional, unlikable family EVER! So prepare yourself to get angry and disgusted while reading! Nugent creates highly unlikable characters that get more and more entangled in their web of lies, secrets and betrayals - and as the reader knows from the beginning one of them will get killed and another one will be the murderer, it is simply impossible to put this book down for too long!

I would put this more into the category of family drama (with suspense elements) rather than thriller, and the story itself did not speak to me personally, but there is no denying that Liz Nugent is a fantastic writer and I am sure a lot of readers will have a fantastic time with this book!

WOW, Another hit book from Liz Nugent, an author that just never lets you down. A great psychological thriller that will keep you guessing.

The story begins with the funeral of one of the brothers from the Drumm family. But you don’t know who it is until the final reveal at the end. The story weaves around the upbringing of these three brothers, told in four parts, three of them as the brothers each go over their childhood and growing up, jumping back and forth in time. The final part is the brothers leading up-to the incident that caused the death.

Melissa Craig is the mother of three boys William the eldest and favourite son, Brian and Luke. William is a film producer, a misogynist and overall not a nice person, Brian is not much better, he is a mean, grasping and cruel brother to Luke the youngest and most fragile of the three, he is a pop star, struggling with mental health issues. I think Luke is the only brother that elicits some sympathy.

The mother is a selfish and narcissistic show business woman. William and Brian seem to sail through life, with no morals or scruples, they are selfish, arrogant and entitled as well as very annoying, I wanted to slap them numerous times. Luke is much more vulnerable. This is a story filled with cruelty, murder, addiction, adultery, mental health issues, rivalry, along with some #MeToo. An engrossing read.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #PenguinIreland for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

A beautifully crafted narrative about some very twisted people. A great psychological thriller that has you guessing until the end

Having enjoyed this author’s previous book, Skin Deep, I was delighted to get a chance to read this book.

The story starts at the funeral of one of the three Drumm brothers, but which of them has died. I adore this author’s style of writing which draws you in from the start, her character descriptions are so clear that you feel like you know these people. Although quite an intense read, the humour comes through to lighten things.

Highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed Skin Deep, Liz Nugent’s previous novel so was excited to receive a review copy of her new book. Our Little Cruelties is more of a story about family relationships than a crime mystery which was unexpected but made it interesting and compelling. This author is really good at characterisations which is reflected in this book and her last. However her characters do not seem to be very pleasant!
At the beginning of the novel two brothers are attending a funeral of their sibling but it is not clear who the two surviving brothers are nor how their brother died.
The rest of the books jumps backwards and forwards covering the life of all three, relating events that happened during the course of their lives but from each of their viewpoints.
At the heart of the plot is the question which brother has died.
This Dublin family is indeed dysfunctional and really none of the siblings are particularly likeable. Luke, the youngest, is the most sympathetic, suffering from mental health issues which manifest themselves in childhood but are exasperated by his subsequent success in the music industry which comes at a young age.
Brian and Will are not close and although they help each other out at different times in their lives as well as trying to sort out Luke’s issues, they usually do so for some sort of financial or personal gain. Will does not respect anyone and treats women incredibly badly. Brian has few relationships but is close to his niece, Daisy.
Luke is an addict, an alcoholic and suffers mental health issues from a young age.; however he is the most pleasant of the three siblings.
I reflected at the end of the book how much one’s upbringing can affect one’s later life. Petty jealousies and rivalries remain with these siblings and even when they are in their 40s they have not gotten over events that happened in their childhood.
I liked the Dublin setting which was atmospheric and certainly added another dimension to the novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Three brothers are at the funeral but one lies in the coffin. They betray each other, over and over, until one of them is murdered but which one? From that blurb, I was expecting a psychological thriller with lots of twists and trying to work out who had killed who. However, that's not really what this turned out to be.

It started that way with the funeral, but then it turned into more of a dark family drama following the lives of each brother as they inflicted multiple cruelties on one another through childhood and into adulthood and the present day. The biggest cruelty of all was obviously one of their death's but during the telling the mystery of the murder sadly became almost forgotten - disappointingly there were no clues, suggestions or twists and turns to untangle along the way.

The book is essentially in four parts; Will's story, Brian's story and Luke's story followed by present day events. However, the stories are not only not chronological but also don't follow any kind of pattern with chapters switching to a different random year in logical order. It's all credit to the skill and talent of author that this actually even works although it is definitely a little confusing initially until you get to grips with it and the story and characters.

Liz Nugent also has a real gift for character development, creating three extremely complex personalities full of both light and dark. Unfortunately, however, I didn't actually like any of them and therefore even care who got murdered. At first I thought it was the all-male cast but in reality it was the fact that between them the brothers possess pretty much every negative character trait possible from sexism, abusiveness, manipulativeness, meanness, selfishness, and obessiveness. Perhaps it's karma but these truly horrible characters experience a plethora of hard-hitting life situations including rape, addiction and mental ill health which altogether makes for rather depressing, dark and shocking reading.

So, despite me wanting to read this award-winning author for ages, disappointingly this just really wasn't for me. It really is best enjoyed as a dark humour and not a psychological thriller - which is what I was expecting/hoping for.

My absolute favourite type of story is a coming of age tale featuring a dysfunctional family, and this ticks all of the boxes. Liz Nugent is a brilliant storyteller and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

The Drumm family in this novel would have to be one of the most dysfunctional and toxic fictional families ever!

Mother Melissa Craig, a self obsessed musical show biz celebrity was mostly to blame, as her family always came second to her career. Any maternal love she had was reserved for William, the eldest of her three sons who could do no wrong in her eyes, resulting in jealousy from her middle son Brian while her youngest, most sensitive son Luke couldn't understand why his mother doesn't love him. Melissa also openly flirted and had affairs with other men, while her quiet and loyal husband cooked and kept house for the boys when she was on stage. Not surprisingly all the boys grew up with a range of issues, including misogyny and difficulty forming relationships.

The novel opens with two of the brothers attending the funeral of the third. How he died and which brother was involved isn't revealed until the end of the book. Each brother gets a turn to relate their experiences during their childhood and later adulthood. The time line jumps around but as each brother relates the same experience from a different perspective it all fits together into some distorted jigsaw. All the little (and the big) cruelties that the brothers (mostly Brian and William) inflict on each other as children and adults come to light and shape their lives and relationships with each other.

None of the characters are likeable, in fact they are often totally despicable, but they are brilliantly depicted and fascinating in a train-crash waiting to happen way. Luke was the only character I felt any sympathy for. Basically a kind and good hearted kid with a musical talent, he became a famous rock star but struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and his life and happiness was badly affected by his both his brothers. The writing is sharp and clever and there is a touch of dark humour that makes this book so engrossing to read.

A tale of a very dysfunctional family, which opens strongly and concludes with a shock, with plenty of dark humour and suspense along the way. The characters are well drawn and the pace is enjoyable. It's interesting to compare the various characters' individual takes on the same events. This is a fun and engaging read.

Liz Nugent you have done it again. This was such a fantastic read. Liz does characterisation so well. And her way with words is so Irish, I love it. I can picture the family at dinner, at mass, cringing at the panto. William, Brian & Luke beating the heads off each other and switching sides when it suited. Liz Nugent has such a way of putting into words, what we all know so well. Her turns of phrase can be so funny sometimes too although this most certainly wasn’t a comedy. The quest to view tits, hilarious! William reminds me of Delia in Skin Deep, and Brian is not much better. And poor Luke. He never really stood a chance overshadowed by his two myopic, self centred brothers. This book was so wonderful. I couldn’t wait to get stuck in each night. I’d highly recommend it to all!!

FEBRUARY 25, 2020 BY VERONIKA JORDAN
Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent
Will, Brian and Luke grow up competing for their mother’s unequal love. As men, the competition continues – for status, money, fame, women …
They each betray each other, over and over, until one of them is dead.
But which brother killed him?

Our little Cruelties

The book is divided into four distinct parts plus an intro. It starts with the funeral of one of the brothers but you don’t know which one. Then each of the three brothers tells his version of the events leading up to the death. Finally you have the coming together of the whole story. My God these are three ghastly people! Probably even ghastlier than their ghastly mother – a self-centred singer and actress. First it’s the turn of William, an ass-grabbing misogynist who thinks it’s OK to sleep with women and offer to further their careers in exchange. Even after he is married to long-suffering Susan. Remind you of anyone? He is so awful I wasn’t sure if I wanted to carry on reading. Then it’s Luke. A fading pop star with a drink and drug habit who is (I think) a paranoid schizophrenic who rarely takes his meds. As a child he was obsessed with religion and even turned up at a Halloween party dressed as Jesus with real self-inflicted stigmata. I tried to sympathise with his mental health but the drink and drugs tipped me over. Then finally it’s middle brother Brian. Probably the least worst of the three apart from being mean with money, ripping of his brother Luke and some dodgy social media stuff for money which comes later. I can’t say I enjoyed it until the final part when it all starts to become clear. Why does Luke’s mother dislike him so much? How does it all affect Daisy?

Anyway stick with it. It is brilliantly written but distasteful to the point of ditching it many times. Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not finish this book as I found the characters very hard to like which made it difficult to engage with and enjoy the story.

Thanks for letting me review this book

William, Brian and Luke Drumm are all brothers but not particulalry close. And now one of them is dead, and his death may not have been an accident.

This book is not a fast-paced action thriller - it's very similar to all of Liz Nugent's other books in that it's very much a character study of the three Drumm brothers and all the nice and horrible parts of their personalities, the complexities of their relationship with each other and their mother, and what could have led to two brothers killing the third.

I really enjoyed examining the three brothers as we heard each of their stories and trying to figure out who could have done what, and honestly which out of the three I'd be tempted to do in myself as they're all so irritating and selfish. The story is not told in a linear way - it jumps back and forth over the years but with each brother we end up getting a really well-rounded version of their life. For example, in William's part we learn about their cousin Paul who died from leukaemia, in Luke's part we learn about the day Paul died and in Brian's we hear how close he was to Paul and the day of Paul's funeral.

There is possibly trigger warnings for extreme mental illness in this book. We learn early on that Luke suffers from depression as well as psychotic episodes which could be linked to some form of schizophrenia. The reader learns from Luke what he's seeing/hearing and struggling with pretty much all the time and how that affects him.

I just love Liz Nugent's style of writing and story-telling. Our Little Cruelties is full of characters so horrible, we can't look away from their ugliness to see how it will all play out. Nugent is a master at wickedly-evil people who are actually very ordinary.