The Dismantling

The Dismantling

  • by Brian DeLeeuw
  • Narrated by Robbie Daymond
  • 9 hrs and 55 mins
  • Unabridged Audiobook
3.52 (56
Ratings.
)

Publisher's Summary

How much of yourself are you willing to sell?
Brian DeLeeuw hits that sweet spot between literary and commercial suspense with his brilliantly adept, ingeniously plotted novel - a chilling, fast-paced drama that urges listeners to question the meaning of atonement and whether revenge might sometimes be the only way we can liberate ourselves from our past.
Twenty-five-year-old med-school dropout Simon Worth is an organ broker, buying kidneys and livers from cash-strapped donors and selling them to recipients whose time on the waitlist is running out. When a seemingly straightforward liver transplant has an unexpectedly dangerous outcome, Simon finds himself on the run. In order to survive, he must put aside his better moral judgment and place his trust in a stranger who has a shocking secret.

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What the Critics Say

"With its high tension plot and atmosphere of unease, The Dismantling is a morally ambiguous thriller in the grand tradition of Graham Greene and Patricia Highsmith. It has smart things to say about memory, redemption, and what it's like to live in a world where everything is for sale, but it says them by telling a gripping story." (Christopher Beha, author of Arts & Entertainments)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful

Eloquent, gritty thriller. Terrific narration.

I'm writing this review because the previous raters left only a few stars no explanation. The Dismantling deserves a written review because is something of a chimera. I don't know if I would call it "genre straddling"-- it's more like a thriller with a touch of realistic horror written with the craft of a fluent, artful writer. I took a risk on this book and was surprised by how well worth the credit it turned out to be. I listened to it in a few sittings, propelled by the brisk story development, riveting action, and delightful narration performance by Robbie Daymond.

Fair warning, this book contains unflinching, graphic descriptions of medical procedures including an extensive blow by blow of a medical school cadaver dissection. These descriptions are not gratuitous, in fact, they add to the humanity of the struggles of the characters and provide symbolism for deterioration, exposure, and vulnerability in their lives and personal stories. The characters in this book are morally ambiguous, conflicted, and very real. Just as the vivid descriptions of violence, injury, and dissection may be too raw for some readers, so may be the behaviors and motivations of the characters. But if you can get past moral outrage, you will be rewarded with richly developed, complicated characters acting in an engrossing medical/ crime/ revenge thriller written by a skilled novelist and performed by an entertaining and talented narrator.

The greatest reward of this novel, for me, was I got to indulge my page-turning thriller thirst for something accessible and action-packed, but without sacrificing the art of something well-constructed and meaningful.
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- M. Foster

DeLeeuw needs to be discovered

The best thing about this book is that all of it was unexpected.
Based on the description, I thought I knew how the book would go, it didn't.
Based on the first chapter, I thought I knew how it would go, it didn't.
Based on 3/4 of the book, I thought I knew how it would end, it didn't.
But there also weren't shocking twists or disingenuous turns, just really, really smart writing that kept me on my toes and completely invested in everything that happened next.
I liked the book from the first few sentences. I was thrown in to the lives of the characters and was interested from the start.
I also loved the ending. I stopped and said "wait, what?" I was surprised that's how it ended, but it also seemed just right.
The character development was intense. The characters were all so perfectly flawed that they seemed like people I knew, they were very real.
The narration was great. Daymond's female voice may be the best on Audible.
DeLeeuw doesn't seem well known yet, I hope he is discovered. I will be watching for his next books.
I highly recommend this book.
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- Marci

Book Details

  • Release Date: 04-28-2015
  • Publisher: Penguin Audio
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