The Cruelty of Lambs by Angelena Boden

The beauty of reviewing books is that you get to read so many outstanding books written by some incredibly talented writers and the year 2016 has proved to be a real classic year and now in Angelena Boden here is another one of those writers. In her debut novel The Cruelty of Lambs Angelena Boden has written a thriller based around domestic abuse. I urge you to read on.

Iain Millar is an acclaimed Cellist but now his entire life lies in ruins. What could possibly have happened to make this happen? Iain was teaching at a school when some pupils made allegations of a sexual nature against Millar and he was forced to leave the job he loved. But for Iain things only got worse. Now his wife Una is against him as her own business is suddenly struggling and she believes there is a connection between the allegations that have ruined he career and now her own. At the same time Iain decides to fight to clear his name and his reputation. The strain on the marriage is at breaking point and all the blame lies with her husband. With Una being successful woman and her business taking her to different locations around the world it is all coming as a shock and she vents her fury at Iain who has now shrunk into his own world and his ‘priceless’ cello for which Una suddenly is eyeing up as a quick source of revenue. The two children are hardly seen as their mother tends not to keep in touch and Una prefers the company of men she meets on business trip or on social occasions.

Iain a quiet man by nature is now falling into a spiral of depression the life he once loved is now nothing more than a distant memory and over the course of the half year that this novel is based on it shows just how suddenly and quickly life can fall apart especially a marriage were one is the stronger dominant half and seeks to psychologically damage the other as with Una. At times this deeply shocking to read but at the same time incredibly riveting a tense thriller being played out and you have no idea how the story will end for both.

The story is so well written with characters so believable you actually think you know them very well. At times you feel totally helpless as you watch a marriage descend into anarchy. With the story based on domestic abuse not from the man but from the woman in the marriage this is an important read and one I would strongly recommend.

Thank you to Matthew at Urbane Publications for the advanced review copy.

The Cruelty of Lambs by Angelena Boden is published by Urbane Publications and is available through Waterstones, Amazon and all good bookshops.