The Farm

by Tom Rob Smith

Apenas han pasado unas horas desde que la vida de Daniel ha sufrido un vuelco radical. Esa misma mañana, mientras regresaba a casa del supermercado, una llamada inquietante ha roto el hilo de sus pensamientos: Chris, su padre, le informa de que su madre ha sido ingresada en un sanatorio, presa de delirios. Antes siquiera de sobreponerse al impacto, otra llamada igualmente perturbadora estalla en sus oídos. Esta vez es la voz temblorosa de su madre, Tilde, asegurándole que Chris es un mentiroso, que ella no está loca, que ha salido del centro por su propio pie, pero que teme por su vida y se encuentra de camino a Londres para verlo y explicárselo todo.

Así, en cuestión de horas, Daniel escuchará dos versiones opuestas de la crisis. Con una creciente sensación de horror, descubrirá que bajo la faz de una apacible vida de jubilados, la relación entre sus padres es de una tensión y una paranoia insoportables. Ante su asombro, surgen del pasado secretos familiares, incluso posibles crímenes, y un retrato aterrador de sus seres más queridos, que lo fuerzan a descifrar la verdad y lo emplazan a la difícil decisión de tomar partido por uno de ellos. ¿A quién creer? ¿Cómo evitar caer en un juicio equivocado? ¿Acaso su vida ha sido una gran mentira? A Daniel no le queda otro remedio que volar a Suecia e investigar por su cuenta, aunque su propia identidad pueda salir dañada por la verdad.

Con La granja, Tom Rob Smith reafirma su pulso acelerado para el thriller, partiendo de una premisa intrigante, una astuta dosificación de la información, un empleo preciso del giro narrativo y el firme compromiso de no engañar nunca al lector.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Book Club, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

352 pages, Hardcover

First published February 13, 2014

About the author

Tom Rob Smith (born 1979) is an English writer. The son of a Swedish mother and an English father, Smith was raised in London where he lives today. After graduating from Cambridge University in 2001, he completed his studies in Italy, studying creative writing for a year. After these studies, he worked as a scriptwriter.

His first novel, Child 44, about a series of child murders in Stalinist Russia, appeared in early 2008 and was translated into 17 languages. It was awarded the 2008 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the year by the Crime Writer's Association. It was recently a Barnes & Noble recommended book. On July 29, 2008 the book was named on the long list for the 2008 Man Booker Prize. In November 2008, he was nominated for the 2008 Costa First Novel Award (former Whitbread).

Child 44 followed-up by The Secret Speech (2009)and Agent 6 (2011).

Japanese: トム ロブ スミス

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

and that is why we don't keep secrets.

this is one of those psychological thrillers with a possibly-unreliable narrator, a maybe/maybe not crime, and a boatload of both family and smalltown secrets.

daniel is 29, living in london with his boyfriend mark, and working a job that is not making the most of his expensive educational background. his parents have retired after selling their business and properties, and moved to a small town in sweden, near the place his mother tilde grew up, and then ran away from at the age of fifteen.

daniel hasn't told them he's gay.

his parents haven't disclosed the true state of their finances.

these secrets are the result of a family habit of unconditional love and a veneer of "everything is perfect and all problems are suppressed so only good things are experienced by all." daniel worries that his parents will be disappointed in him, and his parents don't want to worry him with their own difficulties. as a result, they have not been in close contact and the unruffled false surface covers up the true state of their lives.

until the day daniel receives a call from his father chris, telling him: “Your mother... She's not well... She's been imagining things – terrible, terrible things.”tilde has been institutionalized - has had a psychotic episode after making wild accusations against chris and several other members of their town, specifically a powerful local man named håkan greggson. she was brought in for evaluation, but escaped the facility, and just as daniel is about to hop on a plane to go to sweden, he gets a call from tilde herself, telling him she is coming to london and not to believe a word his father says. “Daniel, listen to me carefully... I'm sure your father has spoken to you. Everything that man has told you is a lie. I'm not mad. I don't need a doctor. I need the police.

she arrives, wild-eyed and clutching a leather satchel, making daniel promise to hear her out and let her tell this story in her own way; to listen to her and then decide whether she is crazy or whether there really is a conspiracy invested in covering up a series of terrible crimes, including murder.

this puts daniel in the difficult position of having to choose a side - to believe his mother's bag full of "evidence," or to trust in his estimation of his father as a good man, unwilling to believe chris could have gotten caught up in so much evil. it is an aggressive situation that puts daniel in the middle of a conflict between two people who have only ever shown him love.

but tilde is not above twisting the guilt-knife: If you refuse to believe me, I will no longer consider you my son

so he listens, not sure if he is simply trying to placate her by hearing out her paranoid delusions or if there really is some truth in her accusations, and either way unsure what his next steps should be.

this book is completely engrossing, and the pages fly by. the first 2/3 of the story is mostly tilde reading to daniel from her extensive notes, and it is written in a breathless, manic pace that completely sucked me in and sounded convincingly like someone in the middle of a psychotic break. tilde is intense, hyperanimated, unyielding in her chronology, anticipating daniel's potential objections and addressing them before he manages to ask, insisting on the conspiracy, citing numerous examples pointing to håkan's immediate and unfair dislike of her and the petty ways in which he showed it and how he eventually turned chris against her. and she does, indeed, sound a little nuts, especially when she keeps slipping in imagery from fairy tales, particularly involving trolls. but she also sounds a little plausible.

the final 1/3 of the book is daniel's story - the steps he eventually decides to take, and the truths that come out. it is both a satisfying ending and one that is a little too tidy. the scene in the shed, in particular, seemed a little too "well, there you go" to me. the ending dragged the rating down a bit, but otherwise, this was the kind of book that once you start, you really want to finish in one gulp. and it's possible to do it, if you don't have a pesky job that gets in the way like mine did with this one. hhmph.

imma call this a 3.5

come to my blog!

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel hasn't visited his parents in years; he's living his 'closeted' (from them) gay life with his partner when his dad calls him out of the blue, in dire straits, to report that his mum has been placed in an asylum; a few days later his mum has left Sweden to come to Daniel in London, with news and evidence that his father is dangerous and had forcibly got her committed! Yikes! This is the opening salvo in a nicely unpredictable and thus original family mystery thriller. Daniel's mum shares her truth, a complex and dark conspiracy possible rooted in her past.

Purchasing and moving to a farm in rural Sweden was meant to be his parents' final swansong before their retirement, but instead became a living nightmare. Tom Rob Smith can sure tell a dark story and this thriller continues in that vein, although I found the 300+ pages of the mum relating the conspiracy to her son Daniel, whether true or not, a bit too much. Definitely worth a read through, with a clever and interesting story within a story storytelling device used. 6 out of 12.

2022 read

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired by the real life psychotic episode experienced by his own mother, Tom Rob Smith has crafted a powerful and affecting study in the disguise of a crime novel, as to the effect of a similar incident on the very fabric of a family. Daniel resides happily in London with his partner Mark, and with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and the less frequent communication with family, believes his mother and father to be happy and secure in their retirement to Sweden from the UK. However, following a frantic phone call from his father Chris, and the appearance of his mother, Tilde, in London having seemingly escaped from a secure hospital in Sweden, Daniel’s life is turned upside down by the strange tale of abduction, conspiracy and murder his mother begins to recount…

Aside from the fact that every nuance, character and indeed word of this book is practically perfect, I will divulge nothing more of the plot at this juncture. Suffice to say as Daniel’s mother begins to present evidence in the form of journals and objects of the strange goings-on in her sleepy Swedish rural community, the reader experiences the same level of confusion as to the veracity of her claims. Through these journals and the use of dual narrative, Smith perfectly evokes the atmosphere and setting of rural Sweden so familiar to regular readers of Scandinavian crime fiction. The suffocating atmosphere of this locale that so affects the mind and actions of Daniel’s mother is beautifully wrought, and those who dwell within it are amplified and layered with sinister attributes as Tilde constructs her version of events, that have supposedly led to the disappearance of a local teenage girl. Sensing the threatening behaviour of her former friends and neighbours, and her husband Chris, Tilde sets out to accrue as much physical evidence as possible to prove her claims, and to avoid her incarceration in a hospital as others make claims as to the state of her mental health.

What is most intriguing about the book, and accomplished by the exquisite pace of the narrative, is how a family structure can be so quickly thrown into turmoil. Daniel has withheld his homosexuality from his parents, his parents have not been entirely truthful about the happiness of their retirement, and Daniel is cast into the unenviable position of questioning which parent to believe in the light of Tilde’s claims. Cleverly, we as readers are able to participate in Daniel’s confusion, bearing witness to the unfolding of Tilde’s claims, as we are hearing the story along with Daniel at the same pace, and constructing our own theories and conclusions on Tilde’s story as the contents and evidence of her journals is divulged. The use of the journal form works extremely effectively for this very reason. Daniel is also guilty, as many are, of having taken the stability of his family relationship some what for granted, so this in turn makes the confusion and divided loyalty he experiences all the more palpable within the novel.

Having read this book some time ago, I believe it to be a testament to the strength of Smith’s writing that I am so easily transported back to the events and characters of the novel, This is a book that has stayed so vividly in my mind, that I can instantly recall the characters and their traits, and have not just pressed the mental delete button that follows the ending of a book- it has stayed with me. Consequently, I cannot recommend this book highly enough as an incredibly rewarding and thought-provoking read, and a book that I will certainly revisit in years to come.

[Dem · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Having read and absolutely loved Child 44 I was very excited and had pre ordered my hard copy of The Farm by Tom Rob Smith.

The praise on the blurb of this novel really leaves you to believe you are about to embark on a " Chilling, hypnotic, and thoroughly compelling novel. You will not read a better triller this year"

The Novel is set in Sweden and tells the story of Chris and Tilde who retire there to a farm in a remote area to recapture what could only be considered the good life while their son Daniel remains in London. Daniel receives a call from his mother who sounds stressed and she tells him she has uncovered a terrible conspiracy, He later receives a second call from his father to say his mother is delusional and has just discharged herself from psychiatric hospital and so the mystery begins.

I was very disappointed with this novel and my disappointment began with pace of this story as the author slowly builds the story (very slowly) and while Tilde revels the details of the conspiracy to her son throughout the first 3/4 of the novel I became bored and found myself wishing she would just get on with it as the slow reveal just took the suspense and good out of the novel and it became repetitive and had none of the zest and imagination of Child 44. I didn't find enough drama in the story to make it a compelling read.

I found the characters very bland and their actions within the story not believable.

The only part of the novel I enjoyed was the descriptions of rural Sweden and the customs of the people and while interesting not enough to keep me engrossed or satisfied.

There was one paragraph that I wondered about...... My mum reached into the satchel and pulled out a knife instinctively I recoiled, a reaction that concerned my mum. The entire knife was carved from wood, including the blade painted silver to resemble metal. Would you really get through security with this knife in a carry on satchel going on a flight to London while I was stopped on numerous occasions for having a bottle of water and lipstick in my carry on bag.

To sum up ............... This novel did not have the wow factor for me and while it was an ok read it is not going to be a favorite of mine.

[Jasmine · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an anticlimax. I'm confused by the great ratings this book has received. The entire story was transparent, at best. The characters, who ended up being important, were under developed, and Daniels motives and reasons were flakey. And the ending...what was that about? I was really waiting for so etching MORE or BIGGER than how it ended. I feel short changed, and felt this could've been SUCH a better story, written in someone else's hands.

[Zoeytron · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unsettling phone call from a distraught father to his grown son, quickly followed by an equally disturbing call from the son's panicked mother.  Father claims mother has completely lost touch with reality, while the mother boldly states that anything his dad has told him about her is a lie.  Who to believe?  Mum or Dad?

Moving to a small isolated farm in Sweden should have been a little slice of heaven for Daniel's retired parents.  Instead, before the year is out, it has all gone terribly wrong.  Paranoia blooms, lies abound, and all play into this slow burner of a mystery/suspense tale.  Not a lot of action here, but I was hanging on every word.

[alittlelifeofmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This for me is a 3.5 star book, but for once I will round it up instead of down.

So a short synopsis: this book is about a man who gets a call from his father one day telling him that his mother is unwell and they've entered her into a mental asylum. The man then gets another call after from his mother and she says to him that everything the father said is a lie and that she's fine. So this novel follows the story that the mother is telling the son and why her husband had her committed.

Someone on my Goodreads friends list reviewed this book saying it's a "5 star book with a 3 star ending." This accurately portrays the novel for me. It was intriguing! From page 1 I was hooked, I needed to know what was going on and what this woman was talking about. I wanted to see this conspiracy out and I kept flipping pages because it was addicting and mysterious!
But that ending. I enjoyed the actual conclusion to the story. It was a little convenient for me, but it was NOT predictable. I actually never would have guessed it on my own. But the last 2 pages is where the problem stems. I won't say what the problem I had with the ending is really, but there was one and I just felt like the author could have ended the novel a little differently.

But overall a pretty good novel. Interesting characters. There was no one likeable in this story, but I didn't dislike anyone. It kept me on my toes, wondering who to believe and who to trust. And the mystery wasn't predictable to me! But definitely a disappointing ending.

[Έλσα · Rating 3 out of 5]

Δεν μπορω να πω πως ενθουσιαστηκα! Το εξωφυλλο με ειχε ενθουσιασει. Βεβαια, υποψιαστηκα απο τη βαθμολογια πως κατι δε θα μου αρεσει αλλα του εδωσα μια ευκαιρια. Επι της ουσιας πολλες σελιδες για μια απλη αφηγηση ... δεν ενιωσα αγωνια, δεν περιμενα τι θα γινει. Μια παρωχημενη κ επιπεδη ιστορια χωρις διακυμανσεις. Ειχα μεγαλυτερες προσδοκιες!

[Patrice Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Farm is the first novel I've read by Tom Rob Smith. There's been a lot of praise for his other crime novel Child 44 so I figured why not give him a chance. Plus the premise of a woman gone mad who needs to defend her delusions is always a good story.

The Farm begins with Daniel receiving a call from his father warning him that his mum is not well and has been committed. Not too long after that call, Mum arrives to London hoping to have an ally in her beloved son. This is the first time Daniel has witnessed any sort of turmoil between his parents and is not sure who to believe. The novel progresses as Tilde tells her story of their family's demise because of a "villain" who has Chris, her husband, eating out of the palm of his hand.

Although The Farm is written as a first person narrative being told from Daniel's point of view, it shifts to Tilde reading from her journal and notes she's taken over the few months they've been living in the remote Swedish farm they bought after falling on hard times. For all intents and purposes, she seems of sound mind... seems. Her rantings become paranoid, delusional, and inconsistent. It becomes hard to decipher what is real or not.

Daniel listens to his mother's story and is constantly pulled from one side to the other. Does he believe his mother and assume his father is up to something sinister? Or could his father's warning of his mum not being well really be the whole truth, and nothing but. While trying to make his way through the muck that his mum places at his doorstep, he also must come to terms with the fact that there are secrets, scandals, and lies by omission that could possibly threaten to tear this family apart.

Tom Rob Smith writes a gripping, Psychological crime thriller that will have readers unable to stop reading. The chapters are short and seem to always end on a cliff-hanger which is a good formula when you want the audience to continue on the journey with your characters. Even though this novel is fast-paced, I still felt it was descriptive and engaging. The characters never felt one-dimensional but rather true relatives that could possibly be living down the street.

I definitely recommend The Farm to lovers of psychological thrillers set in the Swedish countryside. Tom Rob Smith has me on his team now and I look forward to reading his other crime thrillers. He has proven that family secrets is always a worthwhile read. It's no better pleasure than knowing there is a family out there that is more screwed up than your own.

Copy provided by Grand Central Publishing via Netgalley

[آبتین گلکار · Rating 4 out of 5]

مثل سه‌گانه‌ی قبلیش فوق‌العاده نفسگیر و پرکشش نوشته شده، هرچند آخرش، به نظر من، یک مقدار افت می‌کنه. جالب‌ترین بخش ماجرا برای من این بود که چطور در سوئد هم یک آدم بانفوذ و قدرتمند می‌تونه کسانی رو که تن به زورگوییهاش نمی‌دن در هم بشکنه و زندگی رو به کامشون زهر کنه. یک جاهاییش یاد «افول» اکبر رادی می‌افتادم

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

From some of the negative reviews i have read, I understand that lots of people seem to have been disappointed by the plot. But this is not a novel in which the plot is king, it is about the nature of indiviudal perception and memory. That we all have such different views of the novel speaks to the essence of the very theme it explores.

I, personally, really like stories that play with ideas of truth, who it belongs to and who creates it, what happens when one person's truth clashes against another. Reality to us all is what we see and feel and believe, but also what those around us agree to be real. What happens when the consent of the collective pushes back against what we believe to be true? Do we have the strength to stand firm against the majority explanation or do we change ourselves? This is the essential crux of this book. Tilde holds to her own story, and this forces her into such a position of isolation that she is believed to be crazy. For the reader, the tension is in the pursuit of truth, who do you believe?

Imagine yourself in a situation like hers. What would you do to pursue your truth?

SPOILERS


What is the truth? Well that is answered at the end by the merging of individual stories to form a collective understanding. The author does well not to entirely vindicate Tilde, but reveals how she was both right and wrong.
Overall, the novel was a brilliant examination of human psychology, very different to the usual crime thriller.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a hard time pigeon-holing this in the thriller category, since two-thirds of the narrative takes place at a kitchen table in a London apartment in the form of a conversation between a mother and son. It's a testament to Smith's confidence as a writer that he spools out a story in a nearly all tell, very little show fashion. That doesn't mean it always works. After repeated cutbacks of scene to that London kitchen, I began to roll my eyes and wish SOMEONE WOULD GET TO THE BLOODY POINT ALREADY.

For readers of Smith's truly thrilling, hardcore, hardboiled Davidov thrillers, set in Cold War Soviet Union, you should know The Farm is a major departure of style and substance. I first learned of the novel from an NPR interview with the author, so I went into this book knowing it was ... inspired doesn't seem the right word ... but perhaps driven by the author's experiences with his mother and father during his mother's psychotic break a few years ago. That knowledge certainly serves as a bit of a plot spoiler, but even without that insight, it's hard to get too wrapped up in the story's central question: Whom do you believe?

Oddly, though it's NOT hard to get wrapped up in this novel, despite the drag-down of the mechanics. The chapters are short and punchy. The story within the story is creepy and full of sturm und drang, nudged along by the characters Tilde and Chris, the protagonist's mother and father. Tilde, who left Sweden as a teen, and Chris have sold their London-based garden supply business and retired to an isolated farm in Sweden's hinterlands. They raised their only child, Daniel, in an idyll of calm and security but oddly, at 29, he is too afraid to tell them he is gay and living with his boyfriend. Despite the close bond, he seems relieved to be free of his parents and gradually their contact ebbs. The novel opens several months after Tilde and Chris's move, when Chris calls to tell Daniel that his mother has gone mad.

Tilde tells a very different story. And her version is the meat of the novel, an unraveling of a sordid, dangerous community-straight out of Scandi-crime Land- and a cover-up of devastating proportion.

Much more than that and I'll ruin it for everyone. This is a psychological thriller set inside a padded room of high-concept talkety-talk. Even from the beginning there's a sense of anticlimax. But still. It's a hard one to put down.

[Ana Cristina Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este thriller me ha recordado en algunos momentos a las películas clásicas de Hitchcock, en las que no sabemos si un personaje está loco o está contando la verdad. La fina línea entre la locura y la cordura, la dificultad de conocer lo que realmente ha pasado. En esta novela - un caso extremo - el protagonista tiene que decidir si creer a su padre o a su madre.

Daniel, que vive en Londres, recibe una llamada de su padre diciéndole que su madre se ha fugado del hospital psiquiátrico de Suecia donde estaba ingresada. Pero poco después la madre se presenta en Londres para explicarle su aterradora versión de la historia. Le irá relatando todo lo sucedido desde que ella y su marido compraron una granja para vivir su jubilación en Suecia.

La novela se va enredando con un Daniel cada vez más confuso, que se ve obligado a viajar a Suecia para esclarecer los hechos. El planteamiento es interesante pero adolece de un cierto estancamiento en la parte central. El final no complacerá a todo el mundo porque como sucede en este tipo de thriller 'tramposillo' puede decepcionar las expectativas creadas por el trepidante comienzo. Eso sí, el autor tiene oficio y la lectura es bastante amena.

[La loca de los libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoy les traigo la primera reseña del año de la mano de Tom Rob Smith, el autor del bestseller El niño 44, galardonada con el International Thriller Writers Award a la mejor ópera prima y el CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, el cual aún no he leído pero espero ponerle remedio pronto 😅

El mundo tranquilo y apacible de Daniel, nuestro protagonista, empieza a desmoronarse tras recibir una llamada de su padre diciéndole que su madre ha sido ingresada tras sufrir un brote psicótico. Tras esta llamada, a los pocos minutos, le sigue otra pero ésta vez es su madre quien le advierte que su padre está mintiendo y ella está perfectamente, tanto es así que le han dado el alta. Empezamos en este punto acompañando a Daniel en la escucha que hace del relato de su madre, Tilde. Quien viaja a Londres desde Suecia, donde estaba con su marido Chris disfrutando de su jubilación en una apacible granja en un entorno idílico, para refugiarse de una posible conspiración y obtener la comprensión de su único hijo.
La trama se traza entre Londres y Suecia. Alternando así el presente y el pasado en la narración.
Se describe un paisaje sueco en una localidad sin nombre que es un personaje en sí mismo. Algo a lo que admiras y a la vez temes. Por eso, la atmósfera creada es maravillosa. La única pega para mi ha sido el ritmo.
La novela está narrada en primera persona por Daniel y se va intercalando con la voz de su madre cuando nos expone su relato de lo ocurrido desde que se fue con su marido a vivir a Suecia. Partiendo de un desafortunado acontecimiento de su adolescencia vamos tirando del hilo hasta su sorprendente final.

Reza en la contraportada: "Escalofriante, hipnótica y totalmente absorbente. No leerás un thriller mejor este año."
Pues no tanto, al menos para mi. La historia tiene intriga pero está demasiado condensada, muy a cuentagotas y me ha desesperado en algunos momentos. Además, al principio me ha costado empatizar con la narración de Tilde, por momentos ha sido desconcertante y no he conseguido conectar con ella hasta bien avanzada la novela.

Los personajes son potentes, muy bien construidos,  y los sentimientos que transmiten logran traspasar el papel. Es una novela con una carga emocional muy fuerte.

La introducción de elementos del folklore sueco me ha encantado. Ese toque de magia que toda historia necesita 😍

El final es de una crudeza brutal. No me lo esperaba en absoluto. Hasta las últimas veinte páginas no se sabe que es verdad y que no. Aunque reconozco que me ha faltado algo en la última página para que fuera redonda. Ha sido muy emotivo aunque demasiado abrupto, me he quedado con ganas de saber más de Tilde y su evolución.

Antes de terminar me gustaría comentar que no la clasificaría dentro de la novela negra puesto que no hay investigación propiamente dicha, no hay policías ni detectives que investiguen el caso. Se trata más de un thriller psicológico con toques de drama y elementos psicopatológicos.
Me ha gustado saber que tiene tintes autobiográficos, el propio Tom ha sufrido en sus carnes lo que Daniel con su madre.

En definitiva , es una novela muy bien estructurada que peca de un ritmo lento y algo repetitivo hasta llegar a un desenlace al que le ha faltado algo para terminar de convencerme. Aún así, me ha gustado y mantenido en tensión por saber qué pasaba. Muy recomendable 😊

La línea que separa la locura de la cordura es muy fina. La disyuntiva que aquí se plantea no es fácil, creer o no a tu madre.
Tendrás que adentrarte en las páginas de La Granja para saber quién dice la verdad y quién miente 😉

➡ "El poder de cometer un crimen y el poder de salirse con la suya, y aunque me repugnaba pensar que todavía gozara con el recuerdo del primer crimen, era evidente que sí se regodeaba con el crédito que le concedían." ⬅

https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib...

[Michael Robotham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful psychological thriller that never lets the reader get comfortable. Structurally it is a triumph because so much of the information must be fed slowly to the reader, building up false layers that sound completely plausible, yet can be interpreted in different ways.

[Nasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

True pageturner, γενικά είμαι φαν της γραφής του Tom Rob Smith και του τρόπου που χειρίζεται τους πρωταγωνιστές του. Το διάβασα μέσα σε 2.5 μέρες, κάτι που έχω αιώνες να κάνω.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel’s parents, Chris and Tilde, have retired to a farm in the Swedish countryside. All is going well, he thinks, and the only problem is how he’s going to reveal to them that he’s gay. That is until he receives a strange email from his mother and then a phone call from his father - Tilde is insane, says Chris, and she needs help. Meanwhile Tilde, arriving in London alone to meet Daniel, insists that she’s being hunted by a group of murderers, including Chris, after she uncovered a horrific conspiracy. Daniel has only hours to decide: who’s telling the truth?

That setup is a bit misleading - it makes you think that there are two sides to this story when it’s basically all Tilde. With all the comparisons other reviewers have made to Gone Girl I was expecting a half and half approach, with Chris and Tilde telling their stories to Daniel. Instead Chris is more of a background character and The Farm is mostly Tilde’s tale. That’s not to say that’s bad in any way at all, it’s just a warning for what to expect going in.

I flew through The Farm at a pace I rarely set with novels these days. Tilde’s increasingly dark tale is so beguiling and the atmosphere conjured up is so menacing and paranoid, you find yourself putting off things you should be doing so you can read 10 more pages… and then 10 more… and then you realise you’ve read a third of the book in one sitting, your eyes are tired but you so want to keep going, you have to see what happens next! It definitely wasn't predictable and, even though I knew Tilde was an unreliable narrator, some of her story was bound to be true - the excitement was in discovering what was and what wasn't. In other words, this is the best kind of story any fiction fan would want to read.

The supporting cast are wonderfully intimidating. At the head of it all is the farmer Hakan, a giant of a man who controls the small community under him including the sleazy mayor and the celebrity “doctor” who uses his power to have Tilde committed. Tilde takes Daniel (and us) through the beautiful Swedish landscape where terrible things happen - young girls go missing, trolls lurk in the shadows, convoys of cars travel through the night, and hidden, locked doors hold forgotten secrets deep within.

Because the story is so one-sided, there were only really a few ways the story could’ve ended but, without giving anything away, I’ll say that the finale is a bit unsatisfying. Tilde’s story leading up to the final act was so breathless and exciting. The ending is a let down because it’s not as dramatic, though it does explain everything in a level-headed way. It’s like in some mystery stories where the focus is so intense on this one villainous character that it’s like it couldn’t be them in the end because that’d be too obvious, so the reveal of the baddie is instead some character who’s barely in the story - that kind of resolution is ok but not great.

Aside from the weak third act, The Farm is a really fun, really engrossing read that I highly recommend. There’s some interesting themes explored like the power of storytelling and families and secrets but mostly it’s a terrific thriller that does exactly that.

[Eloise Blaise | Bibliophel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the pacing was completely off, I fear it needed tightening for me to actually be invested at the point where the plot twist occurred . I also don’t think the structure of this actually helped either as it read a lot like a ‘he said she said’ to the point where I clocked off. Also the ending…seriously?

[Alcides Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hablar del autor de este libro es hablar de las ligas mayores. Autor del EL NIÑO 44. Productor de series como London Spy y American Crime Story Versace.
En esta novela se reafirma como un narrador de primera, manteniendonos al filo y robandose nuestras horas de sueño ya que es imposible soltar el libro. 3 aspectos que describen el libro
INTRIGA
NARRATIVA LACERANTE
PERFECCION

Tom Rob Smith es todo en uno. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Lucy'sLilLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say this is a 3.5 for me, although the premise of the book was really interesting there were a few things that let this book down for me. The things I loved about this book were the unreliable narrating aspect, something that I really enjoy in a thriller, I liked how the plot and the unreliable characters story got more and more convoluted and complex too.

I enjoyed the way this book was written, fast paced and easy to read. I think Tom Rob Smith did a really good job of engaging the reader into the conspiracy of it all.

However, the main issue I have with this book is that there was too little resolution, we literally have about 40-50 pages where we find out the truth. When I say find out the truth I use it loosely as I don't think everything was completed resolved in the end. I don't mind this kind of ending if it is done well, but for it just felt like the story got away from the author and he was desperately trying to claw it back.

I would read from this author again because I really got on with the writing style and I thought the general concept was pretty good!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up randomly last year to use a giftcard balance that was going to expire. The premise sounded interesting enough (and gave me the sort of vibe that the movie The Visit gave me... Something is REALLY wrong here.)... but upon reading it, I'm just not sure how I felt about it.

Everything was wrapped up nice and neat at the end, all mysteries solved and all questions answered, but I just can't help feeling like there's something missing.

When we first open the book and meet our narrator, Daniel, he talks about how his parents never, ever argued. They always presented a united front. He was sheltered, coddled, wrapped in bubble-wrap and styrofoam padding lest any unpleasant difference of opinion sully his childhood. And, OK, maybe some parents do that. But I don't get why THESE parents did. Even after finishing the book and learning what there is to learn... I just don't get it.

Yes, she does mention that one time she slapped her hand on the table, and little toddler Daniel mimicked and started slapping himself, and then they decided to never again so much as disagree in his presence. Is that a plausible reason to completely fail to teach your child conflict resolution? Is that a reason to shelter your child to the point that he believes that his life was so perfectly docile and agreeable that his coming out will RUIN the image of the family and the memories of all that utter perfection? WHO IS THE PARENT HERE? WHO IS SHELTERING WHO?

That shit's unhealthy, yo.

And don't even get me started on financial planning matters. O_O Such sheltered ridiculousness.

Anyway, I get why it's sort of relevant to the story - because it's all adding up to show that this dude don't really know his parents at all. He knows the facade they've always shown him, and that's it. And so, all of the accusations and allegations could be plausible. They could, because who really knows who anyone is, or what anyone is capable of?

In some ways, this reminded me of both Rosemary's Baby and The Yellow Wallpaper. Both stories strongly rely on not believing women, and on husbands conspiring against them, "for their own good". Obviously, what we see here is not QUITE the same, but the feel of it at times is. And as those are both amazing stories, it's not a bad comparison to make, though I don't think that this book lives up to them.

It does do a good job at presenting plausibility right alongside completely unhinged conspiracy theories, and takes the premise of conspiracy to its natural conclusion - if you're denying the conspiracy, you must be IN ON the conspiracy. Alex Jones would be so proud.

But this book also does show how trauma and time and lies can play tricks on memory. This is why eye-witnesses can't actually be 100% relied on, because it's easy as shit to plant false memories in people's heads, and guide someone to believe something that never happened, or to swear that the person they saw murder someone is the defendant... except he's not.

Our minds are malleable, and as they say in Mid-world, "Time is a face on the water". Our perceptions change, out memories alter, we eventually start believing our own lies. It's fascinating. I mean, in a completely horrifying way. O_o

Anyway, this was a pretty decent book. I found that it dragged on at times, and I found some of the decisions and actions from the characters to be frustrating and confusing. But overall, definitely not the worst book I've read.

[Repix Pix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leer no es la palabra... ¡¡lo he devorado!! Impresionante, de verdad. Qué giros. Me ha encantado.

[fคrຊคຖ.tຖ · Rating 3 out of 5]

امتیاز حقیقی ۳.۵ یک داستان معمایی با کمی هیجان و پایانی جالب (برای من قابل حدس نبود)

[Rata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is an excellent book. The story's so compelling and gripping I read it in one go.

The story revolves around Daniel and his parents who returned a few months ago to Sweden, the homeland of Daniel's mom, to relish their retirement at a farm: one day, Daniel is called by his dad and confronted with shocking news: his mother behaved strangely for quite some time now, accused her neighbors and husband of some mysterious crime and was finally brought to section herself into a psychiatric ward. Daniel's father doesn't know what to do anymore, and Daniel who loves his parents dearly books a flight to Sweden immediately.

However, before he even gets into the plane, he gets a call from his mom herself! She tells him, sounding very serious and in her right mind, that his father is not to be trusted, that she isn't insane, out of the psychiatric, and on her way to London to meet with Daniel.

The book then consists mostly out of dialogue between mother and son: she tries to convince him in chosen words and with a bag full of gathered proof that something bad has happened in Sweden, and Daniel's father was involved. Piece by piece she lays out what happened since she returned to her home country and its mythic-appearing landscape. It's a puzzle of subtle hostility, secrets, observations that sum up to a disturbing picture of rural conspiracy to which she now poses a thread and is therefore in great danger.

...or so she says. Daniel, while listening and questioning, tries to fathom what to make out of it all: is his mother really mentally ill? Or is she to be kept safe from Daniel's father who's already on his way to London as well? Whom to trust?

I enjoyed this book so much because it’s so well told on a personal level, meaning the interpersonal dealings are really nicely fleshed out: Daniel learns that he's not alone with keeping secrets from his family. His parent's marriage wasn't so harmonious as he thought, and the farm in Sweden is more a flight from monetary problems Daniel knew nothing about than a heartfelt desire. The whole situation is intense: does he really know his own father? Can he trust his mother? What has really happened? Who are these people his mom accuses and what have they really done?

The descriptions of events and thoughts in this book are very good. It doesn't really happen all that much, it's almost all clues and overtones, but it's exactly that that kept me so captivated. The story is subtle and for that all the more disturbing.

I like the writing style a great deal. Plot-wise it's nicely plausible, thrilling, and the end doesn't disappoint!
It is a great book for people who prefer their thriller without gore.

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a good book, a little disappointed with the last page but the story is solid and the revelations are very interesting. A story is told from one point of view at first but there is so much more to find out and we do once the second point of view is analyzed. It is a very fast paced book and if you like mysteries, you’ll like this one .

[☮Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I know one thing about this author it is his tendency to write slow, detailed stories that will almost bore the reader into sleep, and then end it all with a big explosive bang to wake you up and place you firmly back into the plot. I think this applies to every one of his four books that I've read. Daniel, an adult son living in England, is called by his heretofore idyllicly married parents to act as a sort of judge and jury to what they are experiencing on their farm in Sweden. Chris, his father, warns Daniel that Tilde, the mother, is not well in the head and has in fact checked herself out of a mental institution, of which Daniel knew nothing until now.

Daniel patiently hears both sides of the fantastical story, and his mother insists on telling every little detail from her childhood up to recent events, from trolls to class differences to child abuse. You have to wonder what is true and what is not, as much of it is Tilde's interpretations of events. This is where my mind sometimes escaped from the monotonous voice droning on in my ears. But if you get through this, you will be well rewarded, as in his other books. It's a lesson in how one indiscretion in one's childhood can have a profound impact on that person even decades later. 3.5 stars rounded down.

[Martin Rondina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una novela interesante, con un argumento bien planteado. Por momentos la narración se me hizo muy abrumante y exasperante, ya que el autor metía los elementos muy a cuenta gotas alargando demasiado todo.

Tiene mucho folk sueco y eso estuvo fascinante, fué lo que más disfruté. El final venía muy bien pero lo cerró abruptamente dando la sensación de que faltó "algo". Eso sí, tiene un buen ritmo de lectura y hace que quieras leer más y más.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel lives in London with his partner, Mark. His parents, Chris and Tilde, have retired to a remote farm in Sweden – the homeland his mother left many years before. He believes them to be content and well and uses his image of them as happy and busy in their new life as the reason why he has distanced himself from them. For Daniel has made excuses not to visit – rather than explain that his career is not going well or introduce Mark to them, he has contented himself with emails and vague promises. However, one day he receives a frantic phone call from his father to say that his mother is not well. As he rushes to the airport, his mother contacts him to say she is arriving in London.

What follows is a compelling tale, as his mother claims that her husband, and other men in the community where they live, are involved in a terrible crime – while Daniel’s father insists that his mother is imagining the events. Most of this novel consists of Tilde and Daniel alone, as Tilde reveals what has happened since she moved to Sweden. Both Daniel and his parents have secrets and Daniel is bewildered by accounts of events in which he recognises neither his mother or father. We hear of the couple’s nearest neighbour, Hakan Greggson, his wife and adopted daughter. Of Tilde’s hidden childhood, rumours and accusations. Yet, is Daniel’s mother a liar, a fantasist or a victim of a conspiracy?

Although much of this book reads like a play, with Tilde recounting events, it is not at all slow moving. Rather you are always kept slightly unsure; discovering things alongside Daniel as he attempts to uncover the truth. Daniel is a likeable character, aware of his faults and unwilling to give up on his mother. This is a really interesting and original novel and I could not wait to read on and find out what happened.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

[Steven Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I began reading THE FARM, Tom Rob Smith’s new book I had certain expectations having read his trilogy of thrillers dealing with the Soviet Union; CHILD 44, THE SECRET SPEECH, and AGENT 6. From the first paragraph I grew curious, but very surprised. The story line was nothing like his previous books. This effort begins with a phone call from Chris, living in rural Sweden calling his son, Daniel who resides in London. Daniel’s parents had lived in London, but because their finances had succumbed to the 2008 recession they had taken what funds remained and purchased a small farm in Sweden, hoping to live out their retirement in that idyllic setting. Chris informs Daniel that his mother, Tilde was on her way to London, having been released from a psychiatric hospital. Chris had taken her there because of her strange behavior and he wanted to warn his son that doctors felt she was suffering from a psychosis and she was not to be believed once she arrived at Heathrow Airport. Each character seems to have a number of secrets that emerge during the course of the story. For Daniel, it was the fact that he was gay and living with his partner Mark. Daniel had been unable to tell his parents, which was why he had not visited them since their departure for Sweden. Once Tilde arrives, Daniel is faced with the core of the novel, was his mother mentally ill, or where her suspicions against his father true. Who was he to believe?

Most of the story is told by Tilde as she reads to Daniel from her Journal. She maintained the journal while she suspected that Chris and another farmer, Hakan Greggson, and others were involved in a criminal cover-up that she had investigated. Tilde argues that there was a conspiracy against her which is why she left Sweden, feeling the only one she could turn to was her son. As the narrative evolves Daniel questions whether he really knows either parent based on his mother’s strange presentation. He blames himself for neglecting his parents as he sees that the situation he is confronted with holds a great deal of information he was unaware of. Daniel wonders that if he had paid greater attention to what was occurring while he was growing up he would be able to make sense of what was now happening. Once his father follows his mother to London the novel becomes even more seductive as it draws the reader further into its plot.

The question throughout is whether Tilde is mentally incapacitated. But one must ask, is her behavior abnormal, or is the situation she has been placed in abnormal. As the existential phenomenologist, Thomas Szaz argued, it is not the person who is ill, but the environment that they must survive in that is responsible. Perhaps, Tilde is just behaving as she is as a coping mechanism to survive an emotionally debilitating situation. The reader doesn’t really know as they continue the journey that the author has prepared for them. It has been suggested by another review that some of what Smith has created is based on his own experiences. Be that as it may, the narrative is in part suspenseful, and in part deeply distressing. I will stop here as to not delve any deeper because the story will continue with many twists and turns as Daniel tries to come to some sort of closure as to how he feels about his parents, and what is the truth. In a sense the book is all about truth and the journey to find peace. It is a superb story and Tom Rob Smith has provided further evidence as to what a talented writer he has become. I read the book in two sittings; if you open its cover, and turn the pages you should experience the same desire to read on.

[Paul Lockman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book a little difficult to rate but in the end I am going with 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. The main reason I found it hard to rate was that the first 150 pages or so are a bit of a slog, I can imagine many people not persevering with it but I did persevere and I was interested in the story and the characters thus my rounding up to 4 stars.

Daniel’s mum Tilde has arrived at his London apartment from Sweden and is scared out of her whits that her husband Chris questions her mental stability and wants to put her away in a psychiatric asylum. Tilde was born in Sweden and left for the UK when she was sixteen. She and her English husband Chris are now in their 60s and had retired to a farm in rural Sweden, mainly because their finances in the UK had taken a hit and it was the only thing they could afford to do.

Tilde was finding it difficult to make new friends in the small community but she did befriend a teenage girl Mia who one day disappeared mysteriously and Tilde is convinced that something sinister has happened to her. The rest of the community including the local mayor, the local police and the most powerful landowner Hakan, who is also Mia’s father, seem somewhat nonchalant and indifferent to Mia’s disappearance. Tilde becomes obsessed with the matter to the point where Chris starts to question her sanity and has her committed to an asylum. Tilde manages to convince the doctors that she is not crazy and manages to escape and flies to London to tell Daniel everything that happened. She desperately needs Daniel, her only son, to believe her version of events and not think she is losing the plot and needs to be put away.

What makes the first half of the book hard going is that Tilde insists on Daniel listening patiently while she goes through everything in minute and meticulous detail – the petty politics, bitching and gossip in the community, the power plays, the local dances, the rituals and so on. Whilst it was well described and mostly interesting, I found some of it a bit tedious. I must admit there were a couple of times where I nearly gave up.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. But with the disclaimer that it is definitely not for everyone and you may need a bit of patience to get through it.