Guilt

by Matt Nable

He was glad he existed, ecstatic; he was so close to the edge of a new life, they all were, he and his friends. Without their parents to tell them yes or no. It was freedom.

Tommy is in love with Lani. Lani is going out with Paul. Paul is having an affair with Julia, and Julia has a crush on Chris. Life is intoxicating when you're about to turn eighteen and finish school.

But something goes terribly wrong for this group of friends. One day they have the world at their feet. The next, they are all divided, destined to carry their own versions of guilt into adulthood.

What unfolds is an agonising, incisive novel about loyalty and jealousy, about the possibilities of youth and the weariness of middle age. Guilt is a heartbreaking examination of friendship, luck and the elusive nature of redemption.

Audio CD

First published April 22, 2015

Reviews

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first heard about this book I was very excited to read it. I read it in the space of 24 hours. 1/ Because it really was enthralling and 2/ Because I really enjoyed the writing

Matt has a unique style that is earthy, dark and intriguing. His descriptions of people and their mannerisms are truly impecible and he has a poetic way of setting scenes covering all five senses. I could close my eyes and I was there.

The storyline switched back and forth from 1989 to 2009 and it worked well. At first I found the list of characters hard to keep track of, having to flick back and remind myself who was who, where and when, but this settled by half way through.

As a few others have mentioned, the ending will not please all. Matt doesn't tie things up in a neat little package that will satisfy, you will be left pondering. At first I wondered where the rest of the story was, but after it lingered in my head for a few hours I realised the ending was spot on.

This is a book that you will either love or hate. It is dark, raw and goes places many other books don't. My kind of book.

[Emma Monfries · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has been told many times, often in adolescent fiction as a cautionary tale for young, male readers. The way this story is told in Guilt, however, is very compelling, very clever and very Australian. The novel's young characters are about to finish school and embark on life. They are immature, self absorbed and shallow and are totally convincing as individual characters. The narrative is structured between two time periods - before and after a cataclysmic event which affects the lives of all of the characters. The event is not revealed quickly and the reader is left to surmise and assume what could have happened. This makes the book difficult to put down and the skill with which this structure is used effectively manipulates the feelings of the reader and makes them wonder if everyone really 'got what they deserved' and to question what kind of justice could have been achieved in the situation anyway. The characters are very unlikeable and their flaws are so ruthlessly exposed, they become almost sympathetic in their imperfections. I loved that none of them were what I expected, there was no 'good guy' or any of the clichéd characters so often found in these sorts of stories. I loved how the structure kept me reading in the hope that my favourite character would turn out okay and that there was no satisfying ending - it made it seem as though this all could have actually happened and the consequences were real. The setting was very Australian, in a good, Tim Winton-esque way and the older characters were complex and reminded me a little of Christos Tsiolkas' characters. Like both of those writers, this is also a very masculine text. Highly recommend this.

[Johanna Rooy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing was raw and real and truly captured the teenage mindset and the reality that guilt is an invasive process with more than one perpetrator.

[Erin Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential. I enjoyed the author's cadence and writing style somewhat. The framework of the story interested me. But, sadly, it didn't live up to its potential. For a number of reasons, I was disappointed. I hate book bashing, but to give an honest, fair review, I need to explain my disappointments.
•Too many characters and story lines. Yes, they are all connected, but it was just too much. I needed a flow chart.
•With so many characters, some lacked the depth I think the author intended.
•The thoughts and words expressed by 17 year old girls in 1989 were unrealistic. I know. I was a 16 year old girl in 1989. Unless these specific Australian girls were just wayyyyy more advanced and comfortable talking/thinking about specific sexual acts and body parts. It's possible 17 year old girls today would talk and think this way, but not teenagers of 1989. We were a little more closed and silent about those things. Not that sex wasn't happening; no girl I know talked about it this way. Other aspects of teenager life seemed very realistic, but not this.
•I kept expecting a twist (or twists) to keep the story less predictable.
•Things that I can only assume the author thought would be a twist...well, they weren't.
•If the ending was supposed to be a little bit of a shocker, it wasn't.
I get really sad and annoyed when a book, tv show, movie, person don't live up to their potential and expectations. So, this book saddened, annoyed, and disappointed me. 2/5

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story. The characters were nuanced and real. The structure was interesting and I really enjoyed the 'slow reveal' of events throughout. My only real complaint is that I wanted more details in the ending.

[Cassie Hamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pathos-packed exploration of how a single event in adolescence can change the course of many lives.
Full review - http://bookbirdy.com/2015/06/01/revie...

[Sue Fysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a relatively short book, but packed with well described characters, flitting between 1989 and 2009, and always with the shady reference to ‘something traumatic’ that had happened in the past.
The ending was a little disappointing, but on reflection all the dots lined up and made sense.
Exploration of teenage jealousy, mateship, discovering sexuality and the nebulous ‘secret’, thrown in with their parents and everyone 20 years on, makes for a book that keeps you turning the pages to find the answer.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am usually very unhappy with a book that doesn’t cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s ( not sure that those apostrophes were necessary). This book didn’t tie everything up but it was a good ending to the book. It gives nothing away to say something terrible happened at Chris’s 18th birthday party. We are introduced to the characters then and now and how their lives have been impacted by what happened. It reminded me of Big Little Lies - we know something terrible happened but not what until the end.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost didn't finish this book. At first, I found the "navel gazing" of teenage boys be rather tiresome, but then I decided to plod along a bit longer. I am glad I did, because I became hooked after another chapter or two. What a tragic tale, resulting from the silly behaviour that is so common amongst teenages. I still didn't like the rather explicit language, having never been a teenage boy myself, but I skipped past most of that, and onto the rest of the story.

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit of a mess. There's a lot of jumping all over the place, confusion with characters and who's who.

But sit tight - it's a slow burner and the end and slow reveal makes it worth it.

[Corinne Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Matt Nable, won't be my last. The cross timelines was skilfully achieved, the ending Wow! (Matt does need a little work on parts of the female anatomy though) Want to get an idea of the mind of 17 year old boys, read this! (or not if you're put off by swearing)

[Sally Leung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed but heavy stuff, good for discussions over a glass of wine!

[Edan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t like this one as much as his newest book

[Jaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite book for this year but it wasn’t bad. Spelling error on page 95.

[Aleisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this one quickly April. Bit too much teenager type chat in it-but I did want to find out what happened at the end….so I could find out why one of the characters was in jail 🤣

[Mei Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not an easy read, but it’s a worthwhile one. Haunting and unforgettable.

[Laura Rittenhouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure if men would like this book more than I did - a lot of it takes place in the heads of men, but basically I found a lot of the imagery offputting.

The story is split into 2 timeframes - 1989 when a group of friends and class mates are in their final year of high school and 2009 when those same people are 20 years older. An "event" happens in 1989 (which is revealed in the last pages of the book) at an 18th birthday party of one of the main characters. The 1989 scenes all take place during the days before that party and involve teenage angst - primarily of the "does she like me" variety. There's jealousy and rivalry and brinkmanship and the kinds of thing you'd expect in a small town with a limited pool of hot chicks (I guess).

The 2009 sequences show the adults as they've turned out: ex-con, unhappily married woman, unfaithful husband, unstable woman. There is a constant reference to the event and that night.

I didn't ever care about any of the characters which isn't absolutely necessary but the mystery behind the story didn't compel me to pick up and read the next chapter. In the end, when the event was revealed I felt majorly let down and I honestly couldn't see why it would have so profound an impact on people for the next 20 years.

I didn't hate this book but I didn't love it either. It was ok.

[Tracey Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a previous reviewer, I was a bit lost at the start trying to remember who was who. But I enjoyed the back and forth style, seeing the story unfold from two different times. I read this fast, enthralled by the quality of the writing, but also in anticipation of how it was all going to end. I had my theories from early on, but I'm not so sure about how it finished. I'll be pondering this one for a while. It would make a great book club or reading group book, meanwhile I'll. just have to wait until someone I know reads it!!

[Deb Bodinnar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book but felt like I needed to write a "who's who to who?" list, as the chapters switched from character to character and 1989 to 2009(maybe if was because I had the flu and my head was fuzzy!). Characters were believable and story line interesting, the author allowed the reader to fill in the gaps and guess all the way through. Would probably have preferred a clearer ending but will still look at Matt Nable books for future reading.

[Danielle Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember being 17? Too cool for school and just itching to be an adult? Remember that popular couple who had it all? Remember how dull your parents world seemed? Well, Nable has nailed it again! I have to admit I 'm a big fan of his previous books (We Don't Live Here Anymore & Faces in the Clouds) so no surprise that this one worked it's way to the top of my TBR pile. It's a bit hard to follow at first - it jumps between decade and narrator but keep reading its definitely worth the ride!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tense story about the lives of four friends who are intertwined by guilt over an event that isn't revealed until the final chapter. The book alternates between their lives as 18 year olds in 1989 and as adults in 2009 and whilst we don't know what the defining event is, the story reveals how each of them is affected by the events of their youth. I found it a real "page turner" with well drawn characters and an intriguing plot. Another winner by an Australian author.

[R.W.V nee: Penny Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I thought it was going to be generic and predictable - not in a bad way - but it just took you around the bend and then some. It was so human, so realistic. Any of the characters could have been your once upon a time friend, or your neighbour, or your partner. It could even have been you. I love Matt Nable's writing, it reminds me of How it Feels by Brendan Cowell - in the no-nonsense portrayal of characters and the situations.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling read. At first it was a bit difficult to negotiate between all the competing storylines, however, this was quickly fixed.
Was not a fan of the graphic sex - there's a lot of it.
I was thoroughly pleased with how Nable handled the ending. It was fairly obvious where it was all headed from the beginning but this didn't impact the outcome at all. If anything, the foreshadowing heightened it.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah. This was a slow burn. Initially it felt a bit too similar to Nable's first two novels however it eventually found its own way. The structure here is particularly effective, switching between characters and decades, allowing the reader to put the pieces together themselves. The conclusion, even though it is foreseen, is devastating. Nable seems to have a profound understanding of the human condition, I hope he continues to write great things.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, had me captivated the whole book

[Helen Reimers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Indicative of Tim Winton's writing style.

[Tina White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an author to watch, crafty writing, loved it.

[Judith Yeabsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started really well although jumping from character to character made it hard to keep track. As the book wore on it fizzled :(

[Liana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, until the ending! Although there were allusions to the final outcome, I thought a more explicit ending would have been better.