Book Review: The Fury

Title: The Fury

Author: Alex Michaelides

Publisher: Celadon Books

Publication Date: January 16, 2024

Rating: 4 out of 5

In his third book, Michaelides employs the literary trope of a narrator, Elliot Chase. And he not only narrates portions of the story, but he breaks the wall and speaks directly to the readers. Here's an example:

But before you start laying bets on which of us did it, I feel duty bound to inform you that this is not a whodunit. Thanks to Agatha Christie, we all know how this kind of story is meant to play out: a baffling crime, followed by dogged investigation, an ingenious solution—then, if you’re lucky, a twist in the tail. But this is a true story, not a work of fiction. It’s about real people, in a real place. If anything, it’s a whydunit—a character study, an examination of who we are; and why we do the things we do.

As he points out, this is not your typical "seven people on a beach island with a dead body" whodunit. Indeed, it takes more than half the book for the identity of the murder victim to emerge. So, it is both a whodunit and a whydunit. And it is a fun read trying to figure out both.

The story alternates in time and location, giving us 5 acts, like any decent play. Indeed, the narrator is a playwright and the heroine is a movie star, so should not be surprised that we revisit different scenes from the perspective of different players. And I enjoyed that. 

What I didn't really enjoy was Elliot's monologues to the reader. Here is another comment early on: "I wish I knew how you felt about me, right now. Are you slightly charmed, even beguiled, as Lana used to be? Or like Kate, do you find me irritating, self-dramatizing, self-indulgent?" If I could have answered him, I would have agreed with his later statements. The book could have done with fewer of these "insights".

Still, in my opinion this is a better book than his last, but not quite up to the lofty standard he set with his debut novel, The Silent Patient.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.