Helpful Score: 1
"Why was the onus always on the weak when it was the strong that had the liberty to act? Why were the weak obliged to be so brave when the strong had license to behave like such cowards?"
So asks DI Lucia May in A Thousand Cuts, the debut novel from author Simon Lelic. May is the detective charged with investigating the seemingly open and shut case of a shooting at a North London comprehensive school (the equivalent of an American public high school) that leaves five dead, including the gunman. The investigation that unfolds is not so much a whodunit as a whydunit, as it is clear from the outset that the shooter was one of the schools teachers, Samuel Szajkowski, who opened fire during a school assembly killing three students and a fellow teacher before turning the gun on himself.
Szajkowski, a young man new to both teaching and the school, is described by students and faculty alike as having been somewhat of a misfit, odd and aloof, who never quite found his footing at the school. This, however, does not seem to DI May to be sufficient explanation for Szajkowskis murderous outburst, and her interviews with students and faculty indeed uncover a truth which is much more sinister.
Lelic reveals the events which led up to the shooting through chapters which alternate between DI Mays first person perspective and monologues from various people - students, parents, faculty - involved with and affected by the tragedy. The monologues are meant to represent transcriptions of interviews taped by DI May during the course of her investigation, but they omit Mays side of the conversation. Its an interesting technique, one which lets the reader imagine what was said by May to elicit certain responses, to feel almost as though they were the one asking the questions.
Unfortunately, they are questions which neither the schools headmaster nor Mays boss seem to want asked, let alone answered. Szajkowski, it turns out, was the victim of bullying from both students and teachers, bullying which slowly escalated from merely verbal disrespect and defiance, to malicious and cruel pranks, and finally outright physical violence. And Szajkowski wasn't the only one. DI May learns that bullying seems to have become endemic at the school, and that only a few days before the shooting a student had been attacked and beaten so viciously that he ended up in the hospital.
Throughout the course of the story Lelic presents an interesting juxtaposition of the bullying occurring at the school with sexual harassment being experienced by DI May in her CID unit, where she is the lone female member. And just as the schools headmaster was willing to turn a blind eye to the bullying within the halls of his school in order to maintain the schools positive public perception, Mays boss seems equally willing to take an its not my problem, it will sort itself out approach to the increasingly aggressive and hostile treatment May is receiving in the squad room. Precisely how repeated bullying and harassment, left unchecked, sorts itself out is the question explored by Lelic through Szajkowski and May's stories.
Given the recent suicide of Massachusetts high schooler Phoebe Prince after months of relentless bullying at the hands of her classmates (six of whom now stand charged with crimes in conjunction with her death), A Thousand Cuts is both timely and thought provoking. Simon Lelic is definitely an author to watch.
So asks DI Lucia May in A Thousand Cuts, the debut novel from author Simon Lelic. May is the detective charged with investigating the seemingly open and shut case of a shooting at a North London comprehensive school (the equivalent of an American public high school) that leaves five dead, including the gunman. The investigation that unfolds is not so much a whodunit as a whydunit, as it is clear from the outset that the shooter was one of the schools teachers, Samuel Szajkowski, who opened fire during a school assembly killing three students and a fellow teacher before turning the gun on himself.
Szajkowski, a young man new to both teaching and the school, is described by students and faculty alike as having been somewhat of a misfit, odd and aloof, who never quite found his footing at the school. This, however, does not seem to DI May to be sufficient explanation for Szajkowskis murderous outburst, and her interviews with students and faculty indeed uncover a truth which is much more sinister.
Lelic reveals the events which led up to the shooting through chapters which alternate between DI Mays first person perspective and monologues from various people - students, parents, faculty - involved with and affected by the tragedy. The monologues are meant to represent transcriptions of interviews taped by DI May during the course of her investigation, but they omit Mays side of the conversation. Its an interesting technique, one which lets the reader imagine what was said by May to elicit certain responses, to feel almost as though they were the one asking the questions.
Unfortunately, they are questions which neither the schools headmaster nor Mays boss seem to want asked, let alone answered. Szajkowski, it turns out, was the victim of bullying from both students and teachers, bullying which slowly escalated from merely verbal disrespect and defiance, to malicious and cruel pranks, and finally outright physical violence. And Szajkowski wasn't the only one. DI May learns that bullying seems to have become endemic at the school, and that only a few days before the shooting a student had been attacked and beaten so viciously that he ended up in the hospital.
Throughout the course of the story Lelic presents an interesting juxtaposition of the bullying occurring at the school with sexual harassment being experienced by DI May in her CID unit, where she is the lone female member. And just as the schools headmaster was willing to turn a blind eye to the bullying within the halls of his school in order to maintain the schools positive public perception, Mays boss seems equally willing to take an its not my problem, it will sort itself out approach to the increasingly aggressive and hostile treatment May is receiving in the squad room. Precisely how repeated bullying and harassment, left unchecked, sorts itself out is the question explored by Lelic through Szajkowski and May's stories.
Given the recent suicide of Massachusetts high schooler Phoebe Prince after months of relentless bullying at the hands of her classmates (six of whom now stand charged with crimes in conjunction with her death), A Thousand Cuts is both timely and thought provoking. Simon Lelic is definitely an author to watch.
Helpful Score: 1
I had this sitting in my TBR pile for awhile, so I decided to pull it out to read based on the great reviews. Told in multiiple voices, you don't know who is speaking until the end of the narrative. Although it took a little while to get used to this technique, I was immediately pulled into the story, which is about bullying. Will be looking to read the author's next book soon. Highly recommended.
The book was originally published with the title "Rupture" in the UK--a much more appropriate title, I thought. Blast publishers who feel the need to tweak titles in different countries!
This is a first novel, a police mystery about a school shooting in London where the perpetrator was a teacher who shot several students, a fellow teacher, and then himself. The teacher, Samuel Szajkowski, was the new history teacher at an exclusive prep school and had apparently endured unremitting bullying and pranks from everyone from the headmaster down to the students almost from his first moments at the school.
The investigation is conducted by DI Lucia May, who is unwilling to glide through her investigation--which on the surface, seems cut and dried. We know whodunit--does it really matter why? Eventually, Lucia wonders if the shooting was connected somehow to the vicious beating of another student that had already been under investigation. She also wonders why her boss is so eager to put the 'closed' stamp on the case and is attempting to rein Lucia and her investigation in well before she thinks it's time.
The story is told partially in first-person as Lucia listens to the various witnesses, and partially in third-person narrative from Lucia's point of view, alternating chapters. It's a very effective and interesting tool, and the author skillfully brings each witness into focus without ever naming who they are. A very timely piece of fiction, focusing on bullying, which has been so much in the news of late.
I can't say I really enjoyed the story itself--the whole scenario is just plain gut-wrenchingly horrible. But I did very much enjoy the author's thought-provoking telling of the story. Going to be looking for more from Mr. Lelic, to be sure!
This is a first novel, a police mystery about a school shooting in London where the perpetrator was a teacher who shot several students, a fellow teacher, and then himself. The teacher, Samuel Szajkowski, was the new history teacher at an exclusive prep school and had apparently endured unremitting bullying and pranks from everyone from the headmaster down to the students almost from his first moments at the school.
The investigation is conducted by DI Lucia May, who is unwilling to glide through her investigation--which on the surface, seems cut and dried. We know whodunit--does it really matter why? Eventually, Lucia wonders if the shooting was connected somehow to the vicious beating of another student that had already been under investigation. She also wonders why her boss is so eager to put the 'closed' stamp on the case and is attempting to rein Lucia and her investigation in well before she thinks it's time.
The story is told partially in first-person as Lucia listens to the various witnesses, and partially in third-person narrative from Lucia's point of view, alternating chapters. It's a very effective and interesting tool, and the author skillfully brings each witness into focus without ever naming who they are. A very timely piece of fiction, focusing on bullying, which has been so much in the news of late.
I can't say I really enjoyed the story itself--the whole scenario is just plain gut-wrenchingly horrible. But I did very much enjoy the author's thought-provoking telling of the story. Going to be looking for more from Mr. Lelic, to be sure!
When Detective Inspector Lucia May is charged with investigating a shooting by a teacher at a school assembly, her supervisor expects a quick wrap up of the murder/suicide since there were hundreds of witnesses. Lucia's suspicions are raised by the fact one of the pupils from the school is hospitalized after being beaten and traumatized; a crime which no one claims to have witnessed. Rather than writing the report her governor requests, Lucia investigates further and uncovers a culture of bullying at the school that is perpetrated by both the faculty as well as the students. The hostile work environment the shooter faced is similar to the misogynistic climate of the police force, where she is the only female detective.
About half of the chapters in A Thousand Cuts are written in third person and focus on Lucia's investigation and life. The other chapters are the statements from witnesses Lucia interviews. At first the format is a bit jarring as it takes a few paragraphs to figure out who each narrator is, but the way that Simon Lelic gives each character a distinct voice and presents the testimonies in such a way as to tell a coherent and engrossing story makes this book truly unique. This is the author's first novel, and I will be eagerly awaiting his future works.
About half of the chapters in A Thousand Cuts are written in third person and focus on Lucia's investigation and life. The other chapters are the statements from witnesses Lucia interviews. At first the format is a bit jarring as it takes a few paragraphs to figure out who each narrator is, but the way that Simon Lelic gives each character a distinct voice and presents the testimonies in such a way as to tell a coherent and engrossing story makes this book truly unique. This is the author's first novel, and I will be eagerly awaiting his future works.
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In the wake of a London school shooting, Det. Insp. Lucia May finds herself unable to accept the simple version of what transpired in Lelic's outstanding debutthat Samuel Szajkowski, a new history teacher, gunned down two students and a colleague in an assembly hall before turning the weapon on himself. While Szajkowski was the subject of cruel pranks from his first day on the job, pranks that escalated to serious physical injury, May resists her supervisor's directives to write a straightforward final report, and looks into a possible link between the massacre and an off-campus beating of a student. Artfully offering a range of perspectives on the events leading up to the fatal day, Lelic manages to make the murderer sympathetic as he sensitively explores the varying degrees of responsibility for the tragedy borne by others whose response to bullying was inadequate. This deeply human and moving book heralds a bright new talent.
Starred Review. In the wake of a London school shooting, Det. Insp. Lucia May finds herself unable to accept the simple version of what transpired in Lelic's outstanding debutthat Samuel Szajkowski, a new history teacher, gunned down two students and a colleague in an assembly hall before turning the weapon on himself. While Szajkowski was the subject of cruel pranks from his first day on the job, pranks that escalated to serious physical injury, May resists her supervisor's directives to write a straightforward final report, and looks into a possible link between the massacre and an off-campus beating of a student. Artfully offering a range of perspectives on the events leading up to the fatal day, Lelic manages to make the murderer sympathetic as he sensitively explores the varying degrees of responsibility for the tragedy borne by others whose response to bullying was inadequate. This deeply human and moving book heralds a bright new talent.
I enjoyed this book very much.
