What do you think?
Rate this book
Fallow
WINNER OF THE BETTY TRASK PRIZE 2017'A terrific achievement. Taut and tense.' -The GuardianPaul and Mikey are on the run, apparently from the press surrounding their house after Mikey's release from prison. His crime – child murder, committed when he was a boy. As they travel, they move from one disturbing scenario to the next, eventually involving themselves with a bizarre religious cult. The power between the brothers begins to shift, and we realise there is more to their history than Paul has allowed us to know.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 17, 2016
6 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Shand
4 books17 followersDaniel Shand was born in Kirkcaldy in 1989 and currently lives in Edinburgh, where he is a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh and a Scottish literature tutor.
His shorter work has been published in a number of magazines and he has performed at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. He won the University of Edinburgh Sloan Prize for fiction and the University of Dundee Creative Writing Award.
His shorter work has been published in a number of magazines and he has performed at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. He won the University of Edinburgh Sloan Prize for fiction and the University of Dundee Creative Writing Award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Read
February 1, 2017I'm a sucker for a well-handled unreliable narrator - and this is the best one I’ve read in a while. Bleak; funny; alarming; sad; it works on so many levels, managing to be at the same time a road trip through Scotland, a modern Biblical parable and a tense psychological thriller with echoes of Iain Banks and Cormac McCarthy. The narrative voice is distinctive without resorting to caricature, the undercurrent of violence never seems gratuitous, and the payoff is perfectly-handled and nicely, darkly unsettling. More literary than most in the genre, and yet as compelling as they come, this is one for everyone who likes their main course of words to come with a generous side of story.
November 15, 2016
Firstly, I would like to thank the author Daniel Shand, the publicist, and the publisher for sending me a physical copy of the book.
Sadly, my honest review is not all good. There are some positives and some negatives, and I know and do consider this, that this is the authors first book.
I enjoyed the travelling around Scotland, but found the book very slow and heavy going, it lacked pace and tension, and too many flashbacks.
Not too many shocks, and pretty well guessed the ending. Paul did spend a lot of his time, "rolling a fag".
But you can see the potential in this novel from the author.
My apologies, as this book was just not for me.
Sadly, my honest review is not all good. There are some positives and some negatives, and I know and do consider this, that this is the authors first book.
I enjoyed the travelling around Scotland, but found the book very slow and heavy going, it lacked pace and tension, and too many flashbacks.
Not too many shocks, and pretty well guessed the ending. Paul did spend a lot of his time, "rolling a fag".
But you can see the potential in this novel from the author.
My apologies, as this book was just not for me.
January 9, 2018
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
The publisher, Pan Macmillan Australia, sent me Fallow, by Daniel Shand for a review. I must say I was immediately taken in by the dramatic cover of this book. It features the striking image of a stag. It definitely caught my eye. When I perused the blurb, I was drawn to the setting of this novel, which takes place in the remote wilds of highland Scotland. I did read this book, or rather skim it is a better word. Unfortunately, the writing didn’t capture my attention and the dialogue turned me off (frequent coarse language). While this is my own personal opinion, fans of literary novels may find this book holds appeal. Fallow was the winner of the 2017 Betty Trask Prize, which is an award bequeathed to first time authors, under 35 years of age. Fallow has also been endorsed by respected author Joanne Harris of Chocolat fame, who states on the front cover “a road trip, a modern Biblical parable and a tense psychological thriller with echoes of Cormac McCarthy”. Decide for yourself on this one.
*I wish to thank Pan Macmillan for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The publisher, Pan Macmillan Australia, sent me Fallow, by Daniel Shand for a review. I must say I was immediately taken in by the dramatic cover of this book. It features the striking image of a stag. It definitely caught my eye. When I perused the blurb, I was drawn to the setting of this novel, which takes place in the remote wilds of highland Scotland. I did read this book, or rather skim it is a better word. Unfortunately, the writing didn’t capture my attention and the dialogue turned me off (frequent coarse language). While this is my own personal opinion, fans of literary novels may find this book holds appeal. Fallow was the winner of the 2017 Betty Trask Prize, which is an award bequeathed to first time authors, under 35 years of age. Fallow has also been endorsed by respected author Joanne Harris of Chocolat fame, who states on the front cover “a road trip, a modern Biblical parable and a tense psychological thriller with echoes of Cormac McCarthy”. Decide for yourself on this one.
*I wish to thank Pan Macmillan for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
November 16, 2016
I have a real sense of not being truly qualified to review this book; it was a strange but utterly compelling book to read and I feel that it is deserving of a more literary critique than I can provide. However, I will do my very best to do the book justice.
Fallow follows the journey of two brothers on the run; Michael is just out of prison for the murder of a child and his brother Paul convinces him they need to go on the run for his own safety; the book follows them on a bizarre trail across Scotland
Although Micheal was just out of prison for committing a heinous crime, I actually felt sorry for him throughout the book; he is a weak and vulnerable character at the mercy of his older brother who has taken him on the run to protect him from press interest; Paul – the older brother has a real hidden darkness which is ably demonstrated through the acts he commits throughout the book; he is cruel to all he encounters and his relationship with his brother is clearly based on dominance and manipulation. Their mother is a peripheral character yet her limited input into the storyline is evidence of the level of power that Paul holds in the family unit. It is not until they come across Isaac a member of a bizarre religious cult that Paul begins to unravel and his journey to self-destruction is easily the most “out of the zone” part of the book; you have to just lose yourself to it and go with the flow.
As well as manipulation the themes of vigilantism, abuse and cults are explored in the book all with an underlying theme of the balance of power within dysfunctional relationships
I’m not sure that I would describe this book as an “enjoyable” read but it is certainly a compelling read. As a reader, I felt like a voyeur, gazing at the troubled relationship and journey of Paul and Michael. I almost had a sense that while reading it – I was watching it play out scene by scene in front of my eyes; I got a sense of Irvine Welsh (without as much swearing) in terms of a real “avant-garde” overview – I could actually see and hear Ewan McGregor play the role of Paul. At times I felt as though I was in some psychedelic drug induced Alice in Wonderland experience – a dark, dark read. At some points I thought “this is ridiculous” and stretching credibility a little too far – but the more I read, the more the book “made sense”. It’s not a crime procedural nor would I describe it as a thriller – it is more a dark almost comical, surreal and most definitely disturbing journey into some kind of personal hell for both brothers.
Fallow follows the journey of two brothers on the run; Michael is just out of prison for the murder of a child and his brother Paul convinces him they need to go on the run for his own safety; the book follows them on a bizarre trail across Scotland
Although Micheal was just out of prison for committing a heinous crime, I actually felt sorry for him throughout the book; he is a weak and vulnerable character at the mercy of his older brother who has taken him on the run to protect him from press interest; Paul – the older brother has a real hidden darkness which is ably demonstrated through the acts he commits throughout the book; he is cruel to all he encounters and his relationship with his brother is clearly based on dominance and manipulation. Their mother is a peripheral character yet her limited input into the storyline is evidence of the level of power that Paul holds in the family unit. It is not until they come across Isaac a member of a bizarre religious cult that Paul begins to unravel and his journey to self-destruction is easily the most “out of the zone” part of the book; you have to just lose yourself to it and go with the flow.
As well as manipulation the themes of vigilantism, abuse and cults are explored in the book all with an underlying theme of the balance of power within dysfunctional relationships
I’m not sure that I would describe this book as an “enjoyable” read but it is certainly a compelling read. As a reader, I felt like a voyeur, gazing at the troubled relationship and journey of Paul and Michael. I almost had a sense that while reading it – I was watching it play out scene by scene in front of my eyes; I got a sense of Irvine Welsh (without as much swearing) in terms of a real “avant-garde” overview – I could actually see and hear Ewan McGregor play the role of Paul. At times I felt as though I was in some psychedelic drug induced Alice in Wonderland experience – a dark, dark read. At some points I thought “this is ridiculous” and stretching credibility a little too far – but the more I read, the more the book “made sense”. It’s not a crime procedural nor would I describe it as a thriller – it is more a dark almost comical, surreal and most definitely disturbing journey into some kind of personal hell for both brothers.
March 6, 2018
Appalachian noir style fiction but set in the Scottish Highlands, an unreliable narrator manipulating those around him with his dubious moral code, I've read it all before and I've read it done better. Far better.
July 25, 2017
Magnus Mills's book The Restraint of Beasts is one of the best books of the last couple of decades, and the first half of Fallow is very much in the same vein, with that similar very dark humour.
Paul and Mikey are camped out in a Scottish hillside keeping well clear of people. Years before Mikey has committed a terrible crime and the media won't let it rest, even though he is on parole. The similarity to Mills is as they find labouring work at an archeological dig close by. However whereas with Mills the humour is the key, Shand's story gets darker and darker.
This is a compelling and page-turning read, thoroughly entertaining throughout. Though some parts of the story are disturbing, this sort of fiction is read as a type of fantasy, though Shand's real skill is in keeping it firmly down to earth.
Paul and Mikey are camped out in a Scottish hillside keeping well clear of people. Years before Mikey has committed a terrible crime and the media won't let it rest, even though he is on parole. The similarity to Mills is as they find labouring work at an archeological dig close by. However whereas with Mills the humour is the key, Shand's story gets darker and darker.
This is a compelling and page-turning read, thoroughly entertaining throughout. Though some parts of the story are disturbing, this sort of fiction is read as a type of fantasy, though Shand's real skill is in keeping it firmly down to earth.
November 15, 2016
I have been a big fan of cross-country, road-trip type novels ever since reading The Talisman, so I was excited to get my hands on this book. Fallow was some trip! The details of the incident that landed Mikey in jail are fed to the reader bit-by-bit, and the more you start to realize what happened, the harder it is to put this book down. Once I spotted the twist headed my way, I had to keep reading until I got to the end. I just had to know what exactly happened years ago, and how it would all end up in the present. This was a thrilling debut novel, and I’ll be watching for more from this author.
NOTE: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book.
NOTE: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book.
November 29, 2016
Dark, disturbing but difficult to put down, Fallow tells the story of Paul and Mikey, two brothers who are on the run from someone or something.
We first meet them both camping out in woods. As the narrative unfolds, we follow them as they travel around Scotland, from one disturbing incident to another, working on an archaeology site, travelling with a tramp in a camper van, visiting the island of Arran with two American tourists and finally ending up staying on a campsite with a strange mix of activists and a religious cult.
Throughout their journey, we learn more about their past, and discover that Mikey has just been released from prison after being convicted of the murder of a child. Paul was with him that day, and the past is revealed from his point of view. In fact, everything that has happened in the past and everything that happens on their journey together is only shown from Paul’s perspective so we only see the truth when Paul allows us to; everything we know is distorted and manipulated by Paul, to fit his idea of the world. Paul’s influence on Mikey also raises questions about their relationship – is Paul really protecting Mikey from the press who are harassing him, or is there more to it?
With such dark subject matter, and with some very disturbing moments, it would have been easy for the author to rely on shocking the reader with graphic detail, but there is a good, strong story here and the things that happen have a horrible inevitability to them; that is the reality of what would happen if these two brothers were actually in the situations depicted.
Characterisation is excellent – Paul’s true nature is revealed slowly and carefully, and the reader feels manipulated too. The relationship between the brothers is skilfully drawn and believable and the little details added about the trials of their everyday existence add an authenticity to the narrative.
Clever and compelling, there are shades of Iain Banks’ Wasp Factory here, but Shand restrains himself somewhat, avoiding some of the more gratuitous detail of Banks’ novel. There is also more motivation here – unsettling as it is, there is a warped reasoning behind what happens.
A gripping read, and recommended.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy.
We first meet them both camping out in woods. As the narrative unfolds, we follow them as they travel around Scotland, from one disturbing incident to another, working on an archaeology site, travelling with a tramp in a camper van, visiting the island of Arran with two American tourists and finally ending up staying on a campsite with a strange mix of activists and a religious cult.
Throughout their journey, we learn more about their past, and discover that Mikey has just been released from prison after being convicted of the murder of a child. Paul was with him that day, and the past is revealed from his point of view. In fact, everything that has happened in the past and everything that happens on their journey together is only shown from Paul’s perspective so we only see the truth when Paul allows us to; everything we know is distorted and manipulated by Paul, to fit his idea of the world. Paul’s influence on Mikey also raises questions about their relationship – is Paul really protecting Mikey from the press who are harassing him, or is there more to it?
With such dark subject matter, and with some very disturbing moments, it would have been easy for the author to rely on shocking the reader with graphic detail, but there is a good, strong story here and the things that happen have a horrible inevitability to them; that is the reality of what would happen if these two brothers were actually in the situations depicted.
Characterisation is excellent – Paul’s true nature is revealed slowly and carefully, and the reader feels manipulated too. The relationship between the brothers is skilfully drawn and believable and the little details added about the trials of their everyday existence add an authenticity to the narrative.
Clever and compelling, there are shades of Iain Banks’ Wasp Factory here, but Shand restrains himself somewhat, avoiding some of the more gratuitous detail of Banks’ novel. There is also more motivation here – unsettling as it is, there is a warped reasoning behind what happens.
A gripping read, and recommended.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Read
July 25, 2017I will start by saying that if there is such a thing as intended audiences for stories, I don't know that I would fall in this category for Fallow. This isn't to say it's a bad book, just an uneven one for me personally. Things it does excellently (which it did quite often) was make me feel uncomfortable and disturbed while reading it, and that is something I don't find happen too often when reading. I read somewhere that it reminded the reviewer of Ian Banks, and reading this I felt shades of The Wasp Factory throughout the story. I am not a fan of Wasp Factory; not because it was a bad book, but more because I felt that novel had a lot of missed opportunities in exploring the psychology of its central character. In this regard, Fallow is excellent most of the time, but it felt uneven to me. I did blaze through this, as it's a page-turner. I won't give this a rating because I don't know that I can give a numerical value to my experience reading this, but if you're looking for something that's a bit shocking and still entertaining, then certainly give this novel a look.
May 9, 2018
This was right up my street, as I'm a huge fan of both Scottish books and books that deal with crime from different angles.
Shand produces a wonderfully unreliable narrator, and from chapter to chapter you'll be wondering if he's trying to help his brother or is the worst thing that's ever happened to him. The plot zips along at a great pace, with plenty of events and believable characters along the way. The backstory is revealed well in snippets and keeps the reader guessing at what really happened in the characters' past and what's going to happen to them in the end. The ending really packs an emotional punch. Brilliant.
Shand produces a wonderfully unreliable narrator, and from chapter to chapter you'll be wondering if he's trying to help his brother or is the worst thing that's ever happened to him. The plot zips along at a great pace, with plenty of events and believable characters along the way. The backstory is revealed well in snippets and keeps the reader guessing at what really happened in the characters' past and what's going to happen to them in the end. The ending really packs an emotional punch. Brilliant.
November 5, 2022
Enjoyable read - fast paced with lots of twists and turns.
November 17, 2016
Fallow is a novel that takes the reader on a journey, accompanying two brothers as they flee from the a situation that has consumed both of them for much of their lives.
Paul and Mikey are travelling light, with just a tent and a few clothes, they've camped out in the hills. Paul leads and Mikey follows. Paul buys the food, calls the shots and makes the decisions.
It is quite a while before the reader realises that Mikey has spent the past ten years in prison, we are teased with Paul's memories of the day that changed their life. The day that Mikey was annoyed with his teacher and the two boys skived off school. The day that they came across a small girl; Gail Shaw, and tempted her into the woods. The day that Gail Shaw didn't return to her family.
It is clear that Paul does not want to lose Mikey again, and he convinces himself, and the reader that it is because he cares. He doesn't want Mikey to undergo more interviews, and tests. He wants them to put things behind them, to start again. Paul will stop at nothing to make sure that this happens.
Some of the people that the brothers meet on their travels are friendly, some are not. Some are suspicious, some want things from them. Most of them are dealt with by Paul. Coolly, calmly and with no hesitation. Until the day that they find themselves amongst a strange collection of people who follow a bizarre cult leader, this is when Paul falters and Mikey strengthens.
Tense, brutal, threatening and with sparks of deeply black humour, this is a story unlike any other that I've read. The author has written a novel that is deviously chilling, he has picked apart this intense relationship between two brothers and inspected each part, exposing the hidden and revealing the truth.
Fallow is compelling, convincing and incredibly accomplished. At times it is unflinchingly violent, yet there is a compassion and vulnerability woven into the madness. Chilling and powerful, Daniel Shand is a talented new author, certainly one to watch
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
Paul and Mikey are travelling light, with just a tent and a few clothes, they've camped out in the hills. Paul leads and Mikey follows. Paul buys the food, calls the shots and makes the decisions.
It is quite a while before the reader realises that Mikey has spent the past ten years in prison, we are teased with Paul's memories of the day that changed their life. The day that Mikey was annoyed with his teacher and the two boys skived off school. The day that they came across a small girl; Gail Shaw, and tempted her into the woods. The day that Gail Shaw didn't return to her family.
It is clear that Paul does not want to lose Mikey again, and he convinces himself, and the reader that it is because he cares. He doesn't want Mikey to undergo more interviews, and tests. He wants them to put things behind them, to start again. Paul will stop at nothing to make sure that this happens.
Some of the people that the brothers meet on their travels are friendly, some are not. Some are suspicious, some want things from them. Most of them are dealt with by Paul. Coolly, calmly and with no hesitation. Until the day that they find themselves amongst a strange collection of people who follow a bizarre cult leader, this is when Paul falters and Mikey strengthens.
Tense, brutal, threatening and with sparks of deeply black humour, this is a story unlike any other that I've read. The author has written a novel that is deviously chilling, he has picked apart this intense relationship between two brothers and inspected each part, exposing the hidden and revealing the truth.
Fallow is compelling, convincing and incredibly accomplished. At times it is unflinchingly violent, yet there is a compassion and vulnerability woven into the madness. Chilling and powerful, Daniel Shand is a talented new author, certainly one to watch
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
November 18, 2016
Well if you want something that is totally different to current books on the market then this is it. The story is absolutely fascinating, mysterious and creeps around you so that you can't escape until it ends. After Mikey's release from prison his brother Paul whisks them both away into the Highlands of Scotland, away from the hounding press trying to get a glimpse of 'The Buchanan Beast'.
At first I thought how is this book going to keep my attention just two blokes trying to avoid everyone and hiding in the countryside but boy the tension soon grew. I soon realised that getting on the wrong side of this pair or being too inquisitive wasn't good for the health. At this point in the book I really did not like either of the brothers.
The story goes from present time back into the past where they are both still children 13 and 15 to a day that would change so many peoples lives forever. A breaking point of bubbling emotions that couldn't be reeled back in. A little of this fatal day is revealed bit by bit until the reality of it all has to be faced again. As the book progressed I realised, be it right or wrong, I had mellowed to these broken brothers. I don't know if that was what the author had intended or not, but I had.
This novel is beautifully written and draws you into a very special bond between these two brothers. There are some pretty violent scenes in this book but wow please read it, it is a belter!
I was gifted this novel from the publisher and chose to leave a review
At first I thought how is this book going to keep my attention just two blokes trying to avoid everyone and hiding in the countryside but boy the tension soon grew. I soon realised that getting on the wrong side of this pair or being too inquisitive wasn't good for the health. At this point in the book I really did not like either of the brothers.
The story goes from present time back into the past where they are both still children 13 and 15 to a day that would change so many peoples lives forever. A breaking point of bubbling emotions that couldn't be reeled back in. A little of this fatal day is revealed bit by bit until the reality of it all has to be faced again. As the book progressed I realised, be it right or wrong, I had mellowed to these broken brothers. I don't know if that was what the author had intended or not, but I had.
This novel is beautifully written and draws you into a very special bond between these two brothers. There are some pretty violent scenes in this book but wow please read it, it is a belter!
I was gifted this novel from the publisher and chose to leave a review
July 23, 2017
I've just finished reading Fallow, a novel about two twenty-something brothers on the run in Scotland. Mikey has recently been released from a decade in prison after committing a horrendous crime and Paul is his big brother who whisks him away to protect him from a whirlwind of press who have labeled Mikey the "Buchanan Beast". As the novel begins, they're camping in the vast wilderness of the Highlands and have been in hiding for some time. The story is told entirely from Paul's perspective and over the course of the narrative one begins to sense that his account of the fateful day as well as the details of their travels is not to be fully trusted.
My favorite part of the novel is the encroaching sense of suffocating claustrophobia despite the extremely picturesque and wide open spaces of the Scottish landscape. The story has a ticking clock feeling throughout as the brothers meet a cast of quirky characters and continue to make choices that dig them in deeper and bring them closer towards what feels like their long-due fate. It was a chilling read and I don't think I'll be able to look at lochs and woods quite the same way.
My favorite part of the novel is the encroaching sense of suffocating claustrophobia despite the extremely picturesque and wide open spaces of the Scottish landscape. The story has a ticking clock feeling throughout as the brothers meet a cast of quirky characters and continue to make choices that dig them in deeper and bring them closer towards what feels like their long-due fate. It was a chilling read and I don't think I'll be able to look at lochs and woods quite the same way.
June 6, 2017
I actually didn't read this it was an audio book. I had this book on my to read list and ordered it from my local library and I accidentally ordered the audio book version. I have never listened to an audio book before and was sure I would absolutely hate it. But it was brilliant! The narrator, Angus King, is absolutely bloody marvellous! Once I could get past his rather thick accent and stopped picturing him as a fat Scottish guy wearing a kilt with a grisly orange beard and wild hair and eyebrows sitting in an armchair reading me a book, (google helped with this, he's actually a rather nice looking lad!) I was able to picture the story itself. Now my only dilemma is did I like the book for its content and how it was written or because of the dashing man reading it? It definitely had suspense especially in the first half, though by the end I was rather bored by the whole cult thing and it was rather obvious what was going to happen next and I knew that Paul was actually the guilty one pretty much from the beginning. So maybe it was the narrator that was doing it for me in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2017
Im Mittelpunkt des turbulenten Debüts von Daniel Shand stehen Michael, frisch aus der Haft entlassen, und sein Bruder Paul, der ihn vor übersteigertem Medieninteresse schützen will. Michael ist ein Mörder, er hat ein abscheuliches Verbrechen begangen.
Weil sein Bruder offenbar zu Hause nicht mehr sicher ist, begibt sich Paul mit ihm auf eine Reise quer durch Schottland.
Mäuse und Menschen?
Wer sich zu Beginn dieses Romans an John Steinbecks Epos erinnert fühlt, wird sich schon bald fragen, wer hier der Held ist. Michael ist schwach, geistig träge, benimmt sich oft wie ein Kind. Paul, den der Autor perfide zum unzuverlässigen Erzähler dieser Geschichte gemacht hat, tritt als der große Beschützer auf, der sein Leben opfert, um dem Bruder nach der Haftentlassung zu helfen. Wir treffen die beiden vor ihrem improvisierten Lager, das sie oberhalb einer schottischen Kleinstadt aufgeschlagen haben. Paul scheint sich rührend um den schwerfälligen, recht unsympathischen Michael zu kümmern. Paul ist also der Gute, Michael der Böse – oder nicht? Es dauert nicht lang, da gerät dieses Bild ins Wanken.
Oder Natural Born Killers?
Die Dynamik zwischen Michael und Paul ist schnell klar. Bemüht sich unser Erzähler Paul zunächst noch, die Mär vom bösen Bruder und seiner edlen Heldenrolle aufrechtzuerhalten, verliert er schon bald die Kontrolle über seine Geschichte. Doch kaum ist ihm die Maske verrutscht, trägt er sein wahres Gesicht regelrecht zur Schau. Wie ein Küken sich aus der Schale befreit, gibt auch Paul nach und nach seine altbewährten Schutzbehauptungen auf und lebt seinen Drang unkontrolliert aus. Was als Lüge begann, wird schnell Wahrheit: Die Brüder sind nun tatsächlich auf der Flucht – und hinterlassen dabei eine Spur der Verwüstung.
Guter Ansatz – schlechte Ausführung
Daniel Shands Debüt beginnt mit einer interessanten Konstellation. Doch leider bleibt die Geschichte genau da stecken. Die Beziehung zwischen Michael und Paul hat viele Facetten, die er Autor leider nicht auslotet. Er wandelt auf den Spuren von Irvine Welsh und Iain Banks, reicht allerdings nicht an seine Vorbilder heran. Gerade die psychedelischen Szenen gegen Ende des Buches sind wirr und wenig unterhaltsam.
Fazit: Ein rasantes Debüt mit kleinen Schwächen.
Die vollständige Besprechung und mehr lesen Sie hier: www.krimiscout.de
Weil sein Bruder offenbar zu Hause nicht mehr sicher ist, begibt sich Paul mit ihm auf eine Reise quer durch Schottland.
Mäuse und Menschen?
Wer sich zu Beginn dieses Romans an John Steinbecks Epos erinnert fühlt, wird sich schon bald fragen, wer hier der Held ist. Michael ist schwach, geistig träge, benimmt sich oft wie ein Kind. Paul, den der Autor perfide zum unzuverlässigen Erzähler dieser Geschichte gemacht hat, tritt als der große Beschützer auf, der sein Leben opfert, um dem Bruder nach der Haftentlassung zu helfen. Wir treffen die beiden vor ihrem improvisierten Lager, das sie oberhalb einer schottischen Kleinstadt aufgeschlagen haben. Paul scheint sich rührend um den schwerfälligen, recht unsympathischen Michael zu kümmern. Paul ist also der Gute, Michael der Böse – oder nicht? Es dauert nicht lang, da gerät dieses Bild ins Wanken.
Oder Natural Born Killers?
Die Dynamik zwischen Michael und Paul ist schnell klar. Bemüht sich unser Erzähler Paul zunächst noch, die Mär vom bösen Bruder und seiner edlen Heldenrolle aufrechtzuerhalten, verliert er schon bald die Kontrolle über seine Geschichte. Doch kaum ist ihm die Maske verrutscht, trägt er sein wahres Gesicht regelrecht zur Schau. Wie ein Küken sich aus der Schale befreit, gibt auch Paul nach und nach seine altbewährten Schutzbehauptungen auf und lebt seinen Drang unkontrolliert aus. Was als Lüge begann, wird schnell Wahrheit: Die Brüder sind nun tatsächlich auf der Flucht – und hinterlassen dabei eine Spur der Verwüstung.
Guter Ansatz – schlechte Ausführung
Daniel Shands Debüt beginnt mit einer interessanten Konstellation. Doch leider bleibt die Geschichte genau da stecken. Die Beziehung zwischen Michael und Paul hat viele Facetten, die er Autor leider nicht auslotet. Er wandelt auf den Spuren von Irvine Welsh und Iain Banks, reicht allerdings nicht an seine Vorbilder heran. Gerade die psychedelischen Szenen gegen Ende des Buches sind wirr und wenig unterhaltsam.
Fazit: Ein rasantes Debüt mit kleinen Schwächen.
Die vollständige Besprechung und mehr lesen Sie hier: www.krimiscout.de
July 20, 2018
I enjoyed this story, although I saw the ending coming from about half way as the twist was revealed. The relationship between Paul and Mikey is well done. The people they meet on the route were mostly credible although maybe the hippie/religious combo was a stretch far fetched. As an example of unreliable narrator, Shand pulls it off quite well. This was an easy read.
November 25, 2016
I enjoyed reading this, even though I thought the ending was a bit predictable. I thought the characters were very well portrayed, especially Paul, and I thought the author did a good job in making me feel like I was travelling round parts of Scotland with the brothers too.
3 1/2 stars.
3 1/2 stars.
January 2, 2019
A wee bit disappointing. A little bit undermined by The Wasp Factory
March 10, 2020
Slow but entertaining. Good funny parts and great detailing about Scottish lands.
Story was more on the generic side. Rate 3 out of 5.
Story was more on the generic side. Rate 3 out of 5.
May 3, 2020
There were some areas of the book that I wasn't too sure of, but I thought the ending was very good and it was worth the read for that.
January 25, 2018
http://jessjustreads.com
Fallow is a darkly comic novel about the evolving relationship between two brothers — Paul and Mikey — and the terrible crime that both of them were involved in when they were young boys. This is a tense psychological thriller, deliberately making the reader feel uneasy and anxious about what is to come.
“My main concern that morning had been the tube of newspaper jammed into Sam’s armpit. I wasn’t able to make out the title but if it was a tabloid then Mikey was almost certainly somewhere inside.”
The cover of Fallow is incredibly striking, with orange and brown colours and a single image of a stag in an open field. It’s an inviting book, and I was intrigued. Fallow is under three hundred pages, so it doesn’t take too long to read the entire thing — in fact, I imagine some readers would be able to get through it in one sitting.
Fallow is a novel that explores unreliable narration, manipulation and control. Paul lies and twists his explanation of events in order to control Mikey. In some parts of the novel, Micky commits horrific acts because he thinks he needs to, even though he doesn’t. Paul has lied to him and made Mikey fearful, to the point where Mikey has committed a crime for no reason.
And then, because of this, Paul has yet another thing that he can hold over Mikey. It’s a twisted relationship because Mikey feels guilty, but also confused. And over the course of the novel, he starts feeling indebted to Paul, even though he doesn’t need to.
“Mikey reached over and got him by the head and neck and I pulled his legs out from beneath him and we held his body and pushed and carried him out into the deeper water…we held the body until the water held it by itself.”
The strengths are Daniel’s writing. The prose flows so well and the imagery is beautiful. Just one sentence can say so much about the relationship between these two brothers; Daniel Shand has a real talent for using as few words as possible to convey the most meaning.
There are a few things about this novel that I know some readers won’t like. The pace is deliberately slow, to draw out the characterisation and to force the reader to anticipate what’s coming next. The plot is also a little stagnant, so there are a few times in the book where I was wondering where the story is going and why certain events were important to the overall plot.
But, the writing is beautiful and the two main characters are incredibly well-crafted and three-dimensional. Daniel Shand has done an excellent job of characterisation through actions, attitudes and dialogue.
I recommend this to literary fiction lovers. Yes, there’s a fair bit of crime in the book. But it’s not your average crime or thriller novel. It’s a slow build, and it’s more character driven than plot driven. Some of you might be wondering what the point of it all is, but the ending to this novel is just extraordinary. It was surprising but also satisfying. This is a novel you have to stick with until the end.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Fallow is a darkly comic novel about the evolving relationship between two brothers — Paul and Mikey — and the terrible crime that both of them were involved in when they were young boys. This is a tense psychological thriller, deliberately making the reader feel uneasy and anxious about what is to come.
“My main concern that morning had been the tube of newspaper jammed into Sam’s armpit. I wasn’t able to make out the title but if it was a tabloid then Mikey was almost certainly somewhere inside.”
The cover of Fallow is incredibly striking, with orange and brown colours and a single image of a stag in an open field. It’s an inviting book, and I was intrigued. Fallow is under three hundred pages, so it doesn’t take too long to read the entire thing — in fact, I imagine some readers would be able to get through it in one sitting.
Fallow is a novel that explores unreliable narration, manipulation and control. Paul lies and twists his explanation of events in order to control Mikey. In some parts of the novel, Micky commits horrific acts because he thinks he needs to, even though he doesn’t. Paul has lied to him and made Mikey fearful, to the point where Mikey has committed a crime for no reason.
And then, because of this, Paul has yet another thing that he can hold over Mikey. It’s a twisted relationship because Mikey feels guilty, but also confused. And over the course of the novel, he starts feeling indebted to Paul, even though he doesn’t need to.
“Mikey reached over and got him by the head and neck and I pulled his legs out from beneath him and we held his body and pushed and carried him out into the deeper water…we held the body until the water held it by itself.”
The strengths are Daniel’s writing. The prose flows so well and the imagery is beautiful. Just one sentence can say so much about the relationship between these two brothers; Daniel Shand has a real talent for using as few words as possible to convey the most meaning.
There are a few things about this novel that I know some readers won’t like. The pace is deliberately slow, to draw out the characterisation and to force the reader to anticipate what’s coming next. The plot is also a little stagnant, so there are a few times in the book where I was wondering where the story is going and why certain events were important to the overall plot.
But, the writing is beautiful and the two main characters are incredibly well-crafted and three-dimensional. Daniel Shand has done an excellent job of characterisation through actions, attitudes and dialogue.
I recommend this to literary fiction lovers. Yes, there’s a fair bit of crime in the book. But it’s not your average crime or thriller novel. It’s a slow build, and it’s more character driven than plot driven. Some of you might be wondering what the point of it all is, but the ending to this novel is just extraordinary. It was surprising but also satisfying. This is a novel you have to stick with until the end.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 31, 2017
Daniel Shand's "Fallow" manages to be simultaneously disturbing and funny. The overall feeling of the novel reminded me of reading The Wasp Factory, though the story is nothing like it. It's dark and troubling but injected with a black humour and compelling characters, so it's still entertaining. All of my favourite books have an element of "what's really going on here?" mystery and this aspect of Fallow is what makes it a surprisingly addictive read.
If you like the sound of a Scottish road trip with a feeling of dread weaved throughout, give this a whirl.
If you like the sound of a Scottish road trip with a feeling of dread weaved throughout, give this a whirl.
March 22, 2018
Narrator a psychopath. Road novel, camping and roaming Scottish highlands with his younger brother, cognitively impaired and a murderer. Abandoned after 1/3. Having a psychopath as a narrator leads to a very flat affect. Plus I felt the story was going to become more and more degraded, didn't want to go on the journey. Well written, but. ./10
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews