Mad
A Novel
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3.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In this compulsively readable debut, set between London and Sicily over one blood-drenched week in the dead of summer, an identical twin reveals the crazy lies and twists she'll go through to not only steal her sister's perfect life, but to keep on living it.
Alvie Knightly is a trainwreck: aimless, haphazard, and pretty much constantly drunk. Alvie's existence is made even more futile in contrast to that of her identical and perfect twin sister, Beth. Alvie lives on social media, eats kebabs for breakfast, and gets stopped at security when the sex toy in her carry-on starts buzzing. Beth is married to a hot, rich Italian, dotes on her beautiful baby boy, and has always been their mother's favorite. The twins' days of having anything in common besides their looks are long gone.
When Beth sends Alvie a first-class plane ticket to visit her in Italy, Alvie is reluctant to go. But when she gets fired from the job she hates and her flatmates kick her out on the streets, a luxury villa in glitzy Taormina suddenly sounds more appealing. Beth asks Alvie to swap places with her for just a few hours so she can go out unnoticed by her husband. Alvie jumps at the chance to take over her sister's life--if only temporarily. But when the night ends with Beth dead at the bottom of the pool, Alvie realizes that this is her chance to change her life.
Alvie quickly discovers that living Beth's life is harder than she thought. What was her sister hiding from her husband? And why did Beth invite her to Italy at all? As Alvie digs deeper, she uncovers Mafia connections, secret lovers, attractive hitmen, and one extremely corrupt priest, all of whom are starting to catch on to her charade. Now Alvie has to rely on all the skills that made her unemployable--a turned-to-11 sex drive, a love of guns, lying to her mother--if she wants to keep her million-dollar prize. She is uncensored, unhinged, and unforgettable.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the opening chapter of Esposito's overwrought second thriller featuring Alvie Knightly (after 2017's Mad), Alvie's twin sister, Beth, slips and hits her head before falling into the swimming pool of her Sicilian villa. Alvie, who was with Beth at the pool's edge, does nothing to save her from drowning. By chapter's end, Alvie, now posing as Beth, has murdered or arranged the murder of a number of men, including Beth's mob-connected husband, before running off with assassin Nino and 2 million to London, where they check into the Ritz. The next morning, Nino steals the euros and leaves her with no clothes. But the resourceful Alvie soon is chasing Nino across Europe with revenge on her mind, using her sister's passport. The plot spins along on wry humor, well-placed pop culture references, and Alvie's outsized personality. But Alvie's self-centeredness and perpetual lack of self-control gets tiresome after a while. Some readers won't be in a hurry to spend more time with her in the trilogy's conclusion.
Customer Reviews
Vapid, Rotten to the core
I had high hopes towards reading this book. Had just competed LS Hilton’s Trilogy on Judith Rashleigh, and was rather amused with reading another female Oxford writer on an anti-heroine’s summer junket after being fired from her job.
First, this book is vacuous, vapid and has a deeply superficial character who’s extremely hard to like. She is funny at times, but those moments seem accidental rather than planned.
It’s clear the author was trying too hard to be shocking; like no one describes their mouth as feeling like the “Sahara” when thirsty and saying it may be a “mirage” perpetrated by their brain.
The character is just too much—a walking wreck that’s too reckless to be real, or credible—even with the suspension of disbelief.
Second, the only people she thinks are beautiful, which are all the people that exist in her head are blue eyed blonds—both male and females. The book does little to connect with readers who may not be “pale” blue eyed whites—because that’s all the people who exists in this book. Was rather surprised it’s an international book despite its cultural narrow mindedness.
Plus, the author’s designer brand consciousness is quite pathetic; the outfits are that of the imagination of a 13 year old budding fashionista fresh off reading Vogue for her first time, not a sophisticated adult woman—and definitely not a seductress.
I couldn’t finish the book. Yes, Alvina is quite extreme, but you give up rooting for her because she doesn't change. Character development is deeply lacking. You think her non-college educated background may be a reason for her uncouth behavior and intellectual rot, but she never changes even after being exposed to the moneyed/educated world (although dirty money).
My verdict is that the book was motivated mainly by monetary gain rather than creating an enjoyable trashy summer read. I’ve read far trashier novels, but they were honest and fun, I can’t say that about this book. Nor the author either who is far more interested in her own story when talking about the book rather than on the characters in the book. That should tell you everything. Simply, don’t buy.
Amazing!
Such a good book, so many twists! Can't wait for the next one!!