Tuesday, July 21, 2015

I Saw A Man

This is the second post in two days where I have taken the advice of Ann and Michael from Books on the Nightstand.  Owen Sheers' novel I Saw a Man was discussed and recommended a few weeks ago, and since I totally trust these two and their recommendations, I promptly ordered it from Amazon Vine.



This is an interesting novel in many ways.  The lives of four characters intersect.  All are important, none are the lone or central figure in the book.

Michael and Caroline were just newly married when she left for work, going to Pakistan to do some reporting. While there she is accidentally killed by a drone and Michael is devastated, moving from their Wales home to London.

In London Michael is befriended by his neighbors Josh and Samantha who have two young daughters, Rachel and Lucy.  Josh struggles with his high pressure finance job, and Samantha begins to pursue photography more seriously.

The fourth character is Daniel, a man these other characters never meet, but who is the person responsible for Caroline's death, the one who was in control of the drone that killed her.  His guilt has caused him to leave his family and to write Michael a letter explaining his guilt and how the attack happened.

As the novel unfolds the friendship between Michael and Josh and Samantha is a central part of the plot.  

As Josh and Samantha face an enormous tragedy, Michael continues to stand by them.  And unbeknownst to them, Michael is also the person responsible for the tragedy.

Sheers has provided a great deal to think about with the comparisons between to tragedies and what impact the truth has on everyone.  Michael was angered by Daniel's confession, yet he wants to do the same.  Will the truth be better for everyone? 

I Saw a Man is a well written novel with highly developed characters that book clubs will enjoy discussing.  I'm excited to go back and read other books by Sheers and to discuss this one with other readers.

1 comment:

Kay said...

That book sounds very sad, but thought provoking. You are definitely getting some good recommendations lately.