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The Detainees
John Palmer had never ventured far from the narrow-minded small town near Dublin where he was born and the cracks in his psyche are beginning to show despite his material success. But it is when John's childhood tormentor, Red, returns with a desire to rekindle a relationship with John's wife, that he decides to take control with a comprehensive, meticulous act of revenge that no one could forsee or ever forget.
- GenresFictionIrish Literature
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Sean Hughes
134 books12 followersAn Irish stand-up comedian, writer and actor, noted for his dark, acerbic sense of humour.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 22, 2014
It's ok. It's written well, it's contemporary, full of references I could relate to and it's not too long. It paints life the way it is and has a decent storyline. It highlights the dissatisfaction we all feel with life and the questions we ask ourselves about the hand we've been dealt. But they are the wrong age! John's ailments are those of a man in his 40s and the main couple's reflections on life and their past are too profound for 28 & 30 year olds. It just doesn't add up that this guy who makes no effort for anything could have become a millionaire pillar of the community (a reluctant one, but still...). There is a difference between jaded middle aged acceptance and youthful disenchantment... and in this book, Hughes has mixed them up.
I didn't dislike it, but too many things were left unexplained- the horror of their last meeting with Red for example. It was a decent enough read, but felt ultimately pointless. Yeah the bad guy got his comeuppance but ultimately I was left thinking 'yeah, whatever'
I didn't dislike it, but too many things were left unexplained- the horror of their last meeting with Red for example. It was a decent enough read, but felt ultimately pointless. Yeah the bad guy got his comeuppance but ultimately I was left thinking 'yeah, whatever'
November 2, 2014
A brilliantly dark tale of revenge and broken relationships. The characters are drawn expertly to give just enough of a window into their thoughts to make it engaging, but opaque enough to keep twists hidden from view. Language and themes not to everyone's taste, but as the first page uses the c-word liberally, this should be clear from the start!
June 6, 2015
Yawningly introspective, uninteresting and a bit nasty.
July 6, 2023
Sean has an exceptional talent for being able to pick out the absurdities of daily human life and that is what elevates this book. The plotline meanders for quite some time supported only by Sean's ability to pick apart the intricacies of human relationships which I really enjoyed but anyone looking for a fast-paced read should look elsewhere. The book is advertised on the front cover as being a black comedy thriller but I felt it was far removed from being a thriller, however it does feature black comedy in bounds and Sean's dark comedic wit shines throughout this book.
The plot is centred around three main characters; John, Michelle and Red with a number of supporting characters, the beauty of the plot is the slow breaking down and examination of the relationships between the characters, the different relationships that they have and the dissection of what motivates human action. It is a story of pent-up anger spanning decades eventually resulting in revenge, the book addresses how incidents that occur in your childhood and adolescence have the potential to shape your character as an adult and I liked that none of the characters are perfect, all the characters are flawed as is true of real life with their insecurities laid bare to the reader. The plotline is never obvious and I enjoyed that the twists to the story popped out when you were least expecting it. It is well written, gritty and realistic with some great music references along the way and the music, interests and setting of the book are all unmistakably Sean.
I would have liked to have known what happened with John and Michelle's relationship following the end of the book but maybe that was Sean's intention to leave it open-ended with the reader not knowing what happened to them, was the comfort and acceptance of the deep platonic love that they had for one another enough or did they chase the heady passionate love they craved elsewhere? I also would have liked to have known what happened with Red but I think that plotline alone had the potential to form the plotline of another book, I recall reading that Sean wanted to write a trilogy of books bringing together the characters from his two novels so it makes sense that this plotline was left as it was if that was Sean's intention.
This was an enjoyable read and it was the last of Sean's books that I had yet to read, I'm sad that there cannot be anymore.
The plot is centred around three main characters; John, Michelle and Red with a number of supporting characters, the beauty of the plot is the slow breaking down and examination of the relationships between the characters, the different relationships that they have and the dissection of what motivates human action. It is a story of pent-up anger spanning decades eventually resulting in revenge, the book addresses how incidents that occur in your childhood and adolescence have the potential to shape your character as an adult and I liked that none of the characters are perfect, all the characters are flawed as is true of real life with their insecurities laid bare to the reader. The plotline is never obvious and I enjoyed that the twists to the story popped out when you were least expecting it. It is well written, gritty and realistic with some great music references along the way and the music, interests and setting of the book are all unmistakably Sean.
I would have liked to have known what happened with John and Michelle's relationship following the end of the book but maybe that was Sean's intention to leave it open-ended with the reader not knowing what happened to them, was the comfort and acceptance of the deep platonic love that they had for one another enough or did they chase the heady passionate love they craved elsewhere? I also would have liked to have known what happened with Red but I think that plotline alone had the potential to form the plotline of another book, I recall reading that Sean wanted to write a trilogy of books bringing together the characters from his two novels so it makes sense that this plotline was left as it was if that was Sean's intention.
This was an enjoyable read and it was the last of Sean's books that I had yet to read, I'm sad that there cannot be anymore.
March 5, 2020
An unusual book, and not at all what I was expecting from either seeing Sean Hughes doing stand-up comedy, or from the blurb on the back, I enjoyed this a lot. Except when I didn't, which was at least half the time.
Starting with the positives, it's viciously, bitterly funny in places and the characters feel real. It's well-written, sharply observed and delivers some shocking reveals. It's also very recognisably Sean's work. His upbringing, his love of music, and of drugs all jump off the page and the man was an honest, confrontational and unflinching storyteller.
Unfortunately, there isn't really much of a story here and the pace lags terribly. For much of the book, this is just a bunch of unlikable, self-obsessed people doing nasty things to themselves and others. And, even for me (a reader, watcher and writer of horror) a few incidents felt gratuitously unpleasant.
Essentially, I wanted to like it more than I actually did. I even considered giving it a ** rating but felt that wasn't giving enough credit to the frustratingly inconsistent brilliance of a man who came close to delivering on the claims made by the quotes on the back of the book, but just fell a bit short.
Starting with the positives, it's viciously, bitterly funny in places and the characters feel real. It's well-written, sharply observed and delivers some shocking reveals. It's also very recognisably Sean's work. His upbringing, his love of music, and of drugs all jump off the page and the man was an honest, confrontational and unflinching storyteller.
Unfortunately, there isn't really much of a story here and the pace lags terribly. For much of the book, this is just a bunch of unlikable, self-obsessed people doing nasty things to themselves and others. And, even for me (a reader, watcher and writer of horror) a few incidents felt gratuitously unpleasant.
Essentially, I wanted to like it more than I actually did. I even considered giving it a ** rating but felt that wasn't giving enough credit to the frustratingly inconsistent brilliance of a man who came close to delivering on the claims made by the quotes on the back of the book, but just fell a bit short.
December 31, 2018
Irish comic Hughes loses the comedy in favor of a fairly clever piece of revenge fulfillment. The jacket blurbs speak of it being "a riveting thriller and blackly comic novel" and being an "urban gothic" a la Welsh, Kelman, Amis, and Self. I don't really see any of that: it's entertaining, though not riveting, and takes a while to get going before it can really be considered as a thriller, and I didn't get any comedy--black or otherwise--from it. It's a pretty decent tale about an antique dealer outside Dublin with a psychologically messed-up wife, and what happens when an old bully moves back into town and into their lives. There is a great twist at the end, but other than that, nothing too memorable.
November 29, 2017
Had this one on my bookshelf for years. Decided to read it not long after I heard about Sean Hughes passing.
Reminded me a little bit of Roddy Doyle’s writing with its dark humour and gritty descriptions of life in Dublin. Won’t stick around in my memory for too long, but enjoyed it enough to keep an eye out for his other work.
Reminded me a little bit of Roddy Doyle’s writing with its dark humour and gritty descriptions of life in Dublin. Won’t stick around in my memory for too long, but enjoyed it enough to keep an eye out for his other work.
April 16, 2018
it’s fun to read
August 13, 2018
Funny in places, I could hear Sean's voice in some of the dialogue. Surprisingly insightful and dark. Well worth a read.
July 12, 2022
The cover is incongruous with the content, but that doesn't spoil the book. The author goes to some surprisingly dark places in this revenge thriller, with plenty of sauce along the way.
January 24, 2016
Ultimately, I wasn't sure where to place this book in relation to others I had read before. It was Will Self but less literary, Colin Bateman but less funny, all mixed in with a little Irvine Welsh. I don't really remember Sean Hughes as a comedian, but he's shown himself to be an interesting and impressive writer here, exploring Irish families and friendships, modern culture and themes of trust, revenge and purpose. Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy it all that much - it took a long time to get going, and though it was peppered with moments of great wit and insight, it was pretty depressing and felt a touch laboured at points.
July 28, 2007
Fantastic book. Incredibly dark and accomplished and utterly unexpected from comedian Sean Hughes.
March 2, 2010
Surreal, quite nasty, rather entertaining. What's the history with Red? Can he be as stupid as he seems?
February 19, 2012
A remarkable first novel from Sean Hughes: really dark and bleak; unloveable characters; articulatation of thoughts we all have but would never make public.
January 9, 2013
Started ok, but too much sex and drugs for my liking.
July 16, 2013
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10420349
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10420349
January 3, 2016
Bitter, dark cut with comedy. Surreal and ultimately sad
December 17, 2017
Prescient.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews