Dovetail

by Jeremy Hughes

Tim is emasculated by a gang of bullies at the age of fifteen and devotes his life to revenge. He plans to build a machine that will kill each member of the gang one by one. Each death must be aesthetically beautiful, and so Tim apprentices himself to a brilliant craftsman to acquire the skills he needs. Then he begins to practice the perfect murder. A psychological thriller set in Spain and south east Wales, focused on obsession and the far-reaching evils of perfectionism. Jeremy Hughes was one of the first students to study for the Master's in writing at Oxford University, from which he graduated with distinction. He is an award-winning poet and Dovetail is his first novel.

200 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2011

About the author

Jeremy Hughes was born in Crickhowell, South Wales. He was awarded first prize in the Poetry Wales competition and his poetry was short-listed for an Eric Gregory Award. He has published two pamphlets - breathing for all my birds (2000) and The Woman Opposite (2004) - and has published poetry, short fiction, memoir and reviews widely in British and American magazines. He studied for the Master's in creative writing at the University of Oxford. His first novel Dovetail was published in 2011.

Reviews

[Shirley Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It isn't often I am conflicted over how much I like a book. What does it mean to like something anyway? Is it enjoyment, relaxation, stimulation, or education that one seeks?
This just secured a four star rating and the tipping from three to four was because
a) I could relate to the partial Welsh setting (albeit the opposite end of that fine country to my own)
b) my taid and his forebears were master carpenters so there was resonance over subject matter
c) I thought it well conceived as a passive thriller
and d) the narrator was beguiling.
It was a bit bogged with superscript numbers and their citations - many the latin names for birds. This was particularly irritating later when the story really gained pace and there was a great tension at Tim's new home. The author breaks that tension with explanations of types of wood and this seemed odd given how many an author would benefit from being able to create just such anticipation from page to page.
I enjoyed that Tim's revenge plans did not always go smoothly and he was unemotional for the most part. I did learn a thing or two about some works of art and where to find them, about carpentry tools and about birds and some trees but I doubt I shall retain the knowledge.
All in all slightly weird and with some huge gaps requiring suspension of belief but quite clever and different.

[Salli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an astonishing book. The first book I have voluntarily read all evening for a long long time. I was astonished at the authors knowledge of woodworking etc, at his knowledge of art and astonished at his understanding of and protrayal of an obsessive mind. I agree with all those who criticise the end with the character of Elena changing so suddenly, I would have liked a few chances to guess the end, and the newspaper article ending stuff was weak. I got a bit confused about where he spent his time in Spain, at one time I thought he said that Salamanca was on the coast (it's not). I can also see that people might get bemused by the footnotes and changes in text and tempo and question the need for such grounding or even grinding detail, but I thoght it illustrated the type of personality who (I think) would carry out these deeds. This did bring the review back to 4 stars.

I also think that as I consider the book over the next few days further flaws will become apparent but I will still be in awe of the achievement to get right under the skin of his character and illustrate it in such likely ways

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual and quite charming novel, set in Wales, with an interesting, sinister premise that grips from the start. A story of revenge for adolescent crimes, but much more besides. It's also a romance, and that part of it - the last 1/3 perhaps - is well done. What's also clever is that Tim/Sebastian, the narrator, never quite reveals how his bizarrely crafted 'darling' - a kind of chair/torture instrument - kills its victims. Some question marks remain in the mind of this reader, but she enjoyed her few hours in the company of a master craftsman, learning about different woods, carpentry tools and why the making of a dovetail joint is such an accomplishment. A strange mix of voices and other media, at times, but it'll linger in the memory.

[linda lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful book
Unsure why author used Latin terms during the text with a key to inform the reader
Graphic in parts

Interesting use of font change to differentiate between certain aspects of the text

[Coral Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS - mainly because the ending was such a dreadful disappointment I can't possibly keep my mouth shut.

TO START: I found this a difficult and clunky read; the timeline jumps around with no indication of where you are along the protagonists timeline and the text is literally littered with inane footnotes while the storyline is constantly punctuated by descriptions (tedious ones) of woodworking and how to look after your tools.

HALF WAY THROUGH: I loved the book. I understood then the idiosyncrasies that at first I found irritating were an excellent insight and tool to help me understand the psychotic, obsessive personality of the man telling the story, Sebastian. I found each nugget of information intriguing. I wanted to read more.

THE END: Until the last chapter rolled in. He completed his life's long task, to murder the 4 boys who had bullied and mutilated him as a teenager, leaving him a eunuch and irreversibly broken as a human being. It wasn't grotesque, it was, as intended, beautiful. However, the revelation that followed about Elena, his childhood love, was not. It turned out she was the one who dealt the fatal blow castrating him but she never had any remorse for what she did. In fact she pursued a love interest in him when he came back to Wales to seek his revenge. And her personality switched from sweet and understanding to remorseless and cruel. I found it beyond difficult to believe. Plus it ends with him disappearing and a random 'article' in a furniture magazine saying that no matter what he did, he was a great artist.

Perhaps he runs away as his life long ambition was to kill those who had 'killed' him all those years ago and when it turned out they hadn't been the ones to truly harm him, instead it was the love of his life, he could not reconcile those facts and ran away. Perhaps he went to hell with the imaginary dead French man who kept asking him not to kill people? Who knows. I felt it was as clunky to end as it was to start and it irritated me enough to knock two stars off.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved about this book is how Hughes portrays Obsession. The main character, Tim, is a Welsh man who was maimed by grammar school bullies and spends years and years planning his revenge. His obsession with revenge consumes him. I also liked the main character's parallel obsession with carpentry and all facets of it. But I especially liked how Hughes merges the two obsessions to fulfill Tim's revenge. It was a very interesting look at a madman who could very well be your neighbor. Good ending, I did not see that coming. And yes, I will always look before I sit anywhere...

[Teena Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I think part of the reason why I enjoyed it was due to the familiarity of the location and use of Wales. The other part was the writing; Jeremy lets you build up your own picture of how "She" would be and almost become fond of the "Strawberry" bad character, then shock ending. Brilliant!! I enjoyed piecing this together myself and trying to understand the enigmatic mind of a complete psycho!

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy story of obsession and murder. Similar in feel to Iain Banks seminal book The Wasp Factory. The only thing I did not like about this book was the way the character of Elena changed dramatically in less than a paragraph at the end of the book. Too abrupt. Did no feel real. Diminished the rest of the work in my opinion.

[C.W. Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mine and my brother's old English teacher in college! Great read, creative story telling and maniacal main character.