Home › Books › A Thread of Violence: A Story of Truth, Invention…
A Thread of Violence: A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder
by
91/99
Critics' Rating Index
9/99
Readers' Rating Index
n/a
Scholars' Citation Index
96/99
Volume of Reviews
77/99
Volume of Reader Ratings
Sign in to add to your shelf, rate, or review this book.
About This Book
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE From the award-winning author comes the gripping tale of one of the most scandalous murderers in modern Irish history, at once a propulsive work of true crime and an act of literary subversion. "A masterpiece"— The Observer • "Disturbing [and] compelling"—Colm Toíbín • "Superb and unforgettable"—Sally Rooney • "Brilliant"— New York Times Book Review • "A masterly work"—John Banville • "Fascinating"—Emmanuel Carrère • "Morally complex and mesmerizing"—Fintan O'Toole Malcolm Macarthur was a well-known Dublin socialite. Suave and urbane, he passed his days mingling with artists and aristocrats, reading philosophy, living a life of the mind. But by 1982, his inheritance had dwindled to almost nothing, a desperate threat to his lifestyle. Macarthur hastily conceived a He would commit bank robbery, of the kind that had become frightfully common in Dublin at the time. But his plan spun swiftly out of control, and he needlessly killed two innocent civilians. The ensuing manhunt, arrest, and conviction amounted to one of the most infamous political scandals in modern Irish history, contributing to the eventual collapse of a government. Winner of the Wellcome and Rooney Prizes, Mark O'Connell spent countless hours in conversation with Macarthur—interviews that veered from confession to evasion. Through their tense exchanges and O'Connell's independent reporting, a pair of narratives a riveting account of Macarthur's crimes and a study of the hazy line between truth and invention. We come to see not only the enormity of the murders but the damage that's inflicted when a life is rendered into story. At once propulsive and searching, A Thread of Violence is a hard look at a brutal act, its subterranean origins, and the long shadow it casts. It offers a haunting and insightful examination of the lies we tell ourselves—and the lengths we'll go to preserve them.
Reviews
"this book is an outstanding achievement, and a worthy addition to literary attempts to understand the human propensity for evil."
"O'Connell is a patient, thorough interlocutor, especially in conversations where his predominant feeling was frustration with Macarthur's rationalizations and evasions."
"The cliche that truth is stranger than fiction hangs over this story ..."
"These are, however, brief lapses in an engrossing study, thick with moral ambiguity and startling detail, a rare volume that should appeal equally to the exacting creative nonfiction maven and the insatiable true-crime addict."
"Which brings us back to that epigraph from Camus."
"Immaculately paced, A Thread of Violence generates a suspense that is formal and narratorial as much as it is a corollary of genre: we read it rapt with curiosity as to how the author will avoid the ethical pitfalls up ahead, how he can possibly pull this off without sensationalism or vulgarity."
"O'Connell is a gripping writer and some episodes have a scalding chill ..."
"The resulting picture of the killer is seen as if through a proverbial dark glass—and it's as chilling, in the end, as any Hitchcock film."
"He is careful, however, not to make anything up."
"But a mesmerised reader might welcome that jolt."
Preview
Reader Reviews
0 reviewsSign in to write a review.
No reader reviews yet. Be the first!