Six Stories

Goodreads Description

The novel is constructed as a series of podcasts, in which an investigative journalist describes the circumstances around the death of a teenaged boy in an outward-bound centre, interviewing witnesses, suspects and people close to the incident. Their six accounts form the six stories of the title, creating a "chilling and compelling, page-turning thriller that also delves deep into notions of truth, perception and loyalty".

My Review

This book has been published by Orenda Books, a publishing house that I've been hearing a lot about lately. Being a book blogger myself, I obviously follow other book bloggers and many of them have been raving about the books that Orenda publish. Those in the know seem to feel that everything Orenda touches turns to gold, or rather, that Orenda only touches books that are gold. Unfortunately, Orenda Books do not publish in South Africa, but I bought my copy of this book from the online store, Loot, so you are able to get it there.

I now have a number of Orenda books sitting on my bookshelf, and this was the first one that I decided to read. And I must say, I was rather taken with it, although I don't think I felt quite as passionate about it as some of my fellow bloggers. This book doesn't fit squarely into a single genre: it's part murder mystery, part thriller, with elements of mystic fable. But what I can say with certainty is that it's a book that's been exceptionally well received, and many readers are going crazy about it.

This book is about the death of a teenage boy. It's told in a very different way however. In the story we hear six podcasts with six different people who were linked to the boy in one way or another, and who were some of the last people to see him alive. So what actually is a podcast? Well, it's a digital audio file that people can download and listen to. Podcasts often take the form of a series, and so people can listen to a podcast each day, or each week to follow a specific series or story. The book thus consists of six interviews, where the host is asking questions, and the guests are answering them.

I loved the format of this book. It really made for interesting reading. I'm also a fan of interview style writing, and it's probably also why I'm a fan of good courtroom dramas. I love the question and answer type narratives. So overall, I did enjoy this one. The characters were interesting, although a number of them were rather unlikable at times.

I did toy with what my rating would be for this book. I couldn't decide between 3 and 4 stars, but decided to settle on 3 stars because although I liked it, there were parts of it that I didn't love. I also think that I may have read this book at the wrong time for me, which can also affect one's feeling towards a certain book. Crime novel lovers have been going dilly about this book, and perhaps that was also part of the problem. I had heard such praise about this read that perhaps my expectations were too high. As for me, I maintain that it's a good read that is bound to entertain if you're in the right mood.

My Rating: * * *

Publication Date: March 2017

Genre: Literary thriller / murder mystery

Format: Paperback

Source: My own purchased copy: Purchased through Loot at www.loot.co.za