• Unraveling Oliver

  • A Novel
  • By: Liz Nugent
  • Narrated by: Sam O'Mahony
  • Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (625 ratings)

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Unraveling Oliver  By  cover art

Unraveling Oliver

By: Liz Nugent
Narrated by: Sam O'Mahony
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Publisher's summary

In this "compelling, clever, and dark" (Heat magazine) thriller, a man's shocking act of savagery stuns a local community - and the revelations that follow will keep you gripped until the very end. This work of psychological suspense, a number-one best seller in Ireland, is perfect for fans of Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Ware.

"I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her."

So begins Liz Nugent's astonishing debut novel - a chilling, elegantly crafted, and psychologically astute exploration of the nature of evil.

Oliver Ryan, handsome, charismatic, and successful, has long been married to his devoted wife, Alice. Together they write and illustrate award-winning children's books; their life together is one of enviable privilege and ease - until, one evening after a delightful dinner, Oliver delivers a blow to Alice that renders her unconscious and subsequently beats her into a coma.

In the aftermath of such an unthinkable event, as Alice hovers between life and death, the couple's friends, neighbors, and acquaintances try to understand what could have driven Oliver to commit such a horrific act. As his story unfolds, layers are peeled away to reveal a life of shame, envy, deception, and masterful manipulation.

With its alternating points of view and deft prose, Unraveling Oliver details how an ordinary man can transform into a sociopath.

©2014 Liz Nugent. All rights reserved. Originally published in Ireland in 2014 by Penguin Ireland. (P)2017 Penguin Audiobooks. All rights reserved.

What listeners say about Unraveling Oliver

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    308
  • 4 Stars
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    29
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Performance
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow!!!!

I'll try to be brief and refrain from writing a soliloquy. I enjoyed this story, immensely. And I must say that, Oliver was the most complex and disturbed character that I've read about in quite some time. The unraveling of his troubled life was sad, and horrific; to say the least. Which prompts me to wonder - are sociopaths born, or created by circumstances? I enjoyed the narration, and the story was slow in unfolding, but it kept my interest. Just when I thought I can't bear this insensitive jerk anymore, something is revealed about his past; that stops you cold. Oliver is cold, calculating and completely, self-absorbed. Everyone around him is easily manipulated, especially the women. Their either so in love with him him, that their completely docile and submissive, enduring years of misery; or talking themselves into a sexual fantasy world; hoping that one day he'll come around. He won't! His life has so many twist and turns, that its hard to keep up. And in the very end, do you feel sorry for him; or come away thinking; perhaps he has some redeemable qualities after all. Well, written lots of mystery and shocking revelations. well worth the credit.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Like an 80's Freudian novel...

The plot was powered by insane coincidences, which I guessed early on and hoped that wasn't where the book was going, but it did -- in order to explain to us exactly why Oliver did evil. Reminded me strongly of the way novels were structured in the 1980s. But the telling was good enough to hold my attention and I kept listening to hear how the Barney/Eugene story ended.

This struck me as a first try at writing a book. Publishers ultimately reject it, but the writing is good enough for the writer to receive some encouragement, so he or she goes back to the drawing board and the next novel ends up getting published and off to the races we go. The first manuscript ends up buried out back under the apple tree which is exactly where Unraveling Oliver belonged.

I didn't return it because I listened all the way through--so keep my credit. But I won't download/buy another book by Liz Nugent which is exactly why it's a bad idea to publish weak material as an introduction to readers/listeners. Win the battle, lose the war.

Skip this one.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Disturbing...but I could not stop listening.

This is one of those books where the performances really add to the experience. There are several voices (unless Sam O'Mahony is the best actor I have ever listened to! :) ) but each and every one is superb. Excellent performances.

The story is disturbing because the main character is so incredibly cold. But the way the author lets you in on what happened and why to each of the characters is mesmerizing. I really couldn't wait to get back to it when I was forced to put it down.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Portrait of a sociopath

I thought this was very entertaining, it moved along at a quick pace and kept my interest. The plot had some interesting turns, the characters were mostly interesting, and the author "answered" most the plot questions by the end. But that ending somehow was a bit unsatisfying to me; Not sure why, maybe I wanted more of a sense of justice being done ?
I would still recommend this with that partial reservation. There are multiple narrators and all were good.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Performance, Meaningless Story

I am angry that I bought this book, even if I got it on sale. I wanted to love it. I loved the narration with the thick Irish accents. Sam O'Mahony is brilliant! This book is not.

The premise is great. We start out by meeting Oliver, who has hit his wife. Then, several different characters tell how they knew Oliver. The problem is, their back stories and information is disjointed, irrelevant, and pretty annoying. It gets boring. Like as in, 'Who is this person again, and how does he or she matter to the story?'

The end.. it's like a slap in the face to the reader.

I am going to look for Sam O'Mahony narrated books. But I am going to avoid any other books by Liz Nugent. Urgh.

-Wendi

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Rambles On and On For Such a Short Book

Why I hated "UnRaveling Oliver" NO SPOILERS!!

-The only thing interesting was the first chapter
-The book switches to all these pointless characters.
-I tried listening to this book twice, I really wanted to like it yet couldn't get past two hours of boring introspection from characters that barely had a connection to the plot.
-The Irish accents are sometimes hard to understand.
-I kept thinking, "Where is this going and how is this relevant?"


Maybe the ending gets good but I can't listen through all of the boring chapters.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

this book was amazing !!!!!!!!

I am so glad I bought the audible version of this book. Excellent narrators with different accents really brought this book to life. The story is so well developed and I did not want it to be over when I finished it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

If you could sum up Unraveling Oliver in three words, what would they be?

Brilliantly written. This is one of the most twisted, darkly delicious books I've read in a long time. I think it's important to start this book with the right mindset. This is not an action-packed thriller with plot twists. It is, however, one of the most unique and engrossing character studies I have ever read.

Oliver is a poised, handsome and successful writer. Together, with his illustrator wife, they create wildly popular, award-winning children's books. The book opens with a shocking, violent crime. Oliver has knocked his wife unconscious and beaten her into a coma from which she may never recover. Why would he do this? Oliver's unraveling is told, thread by thread, in a series of captivating, first-person monologues from member's of his own family, his childhood friends and other characters from his life, allowing the reader to peer, terrified, into the sinister mind of a true psychopath.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

very entertaining

I loved the voices of the different characters. It really helps the story come to life.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Book!!!

What an original story, it kept me mesmerized! The narration was amazing and I did not want it to stop!

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2 people found this helpful