Ships on the Sea: 'This is How' by M. J. Hyland

Oh dear...a book I don't love. In fact, a book I truly dislike.

To set the scene, This is How by M. J. Hyland is (again) a book that I was very kindly given and did not choose for myself. The likelihood is that I wouldn't ever have picked this book up on my own (I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but I'm not a great one for violence or 'chilling consequences', both of which are mentioned in the book's blurb), so I suppose I should be glad that I've had the opportunity to stretch my literary horizons. True to form though, making myself read it to the end was a bit of a slog.

Which is not to take away anything from the writing - as I say, this was never likely to be a book that I'd enjoy and far wiser people than I have given it rave reviews. This is How is the story of Patrick, a troubled young man who has just moved away from home following the breakdown of a relationship. He has an unjustified superiority complex, lies with ease and is generally not very pleasant. It's also hard not to feel a little sorry for him though - he seems to just want a quiet, easy life, away from the family that have given him little support.

For me, it is the essence of the story that is more interesting than the story itself; the fact that one random act, done with little or no thought, can change the course of a life. That you don't have to be an truly evil person to carry out an evil act. And that, as well as changing the course of a life, one act can have a knock on, spiral effect, taking you further and further away from where, or who, you were trying to be. This book features an extreme version of this, but it is an interesting way of thinking - are we all capable of similar things? Could this happen to any one of us? Are other people where they are now because of similar sets of circumstances?

So, certainly an interesting book, just too downcast for me, too miserable and pessimistic, to the point where I just can't personally recommend it. If you like your stories dark and bleak though, this one might be a good challenge.