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Debris
Two Brothers
Two Sisters
One Past
Nick and Hannah have a compelling, complicated relationship, undermined by gambling, infidelity and lies. When Nick’s brother, Patrick, reappears on the scene his presence sparks uncomfortable memories and unearths hidden truths which Nick, aided by Hannah’s sister, Jessica, then seeks to unravel. But Nick finds the past to be negotiable, subjective. Whose memories can he trust?
Debris is a rich slice of relationship noir, driven by unexpressed needs and simmering familial tension.
“Andrew Humphrey has a gentle, lovely feel for the emptinesses within us, and for all the floorings – personal, social, spiritual, worldly – we fall through. He knows that the lives we imagine are a fine script, the ones we live but a scrawl.” – James Sallis
Two Sisters
One Past
Nick and Hannah have a compelling, complicated relationship, undermined by gambling, infidelity and lies. When Nick’s brother, Patrick, reappears on the scene his presence sparks uncomfortable memories and unearths hidden truths which Nick, aided by Hannah’s sister, Jessica, then seeks to unravel. But Nick finds the past to be negotiable, subjective. Whose memories can he trust?
Debris is a rich slice of relationship noir, driven by unexpressed needs and simmering familial tension.
“Andrew Humphrey has a gentle, lovely feel for the emptinesses within us, and for all the floorings – personal, social, spiritual, worldly – we fall through. He knows that the lives we imagine are a fine script, the ones we live but a scrawl.” – James Sallis
226 pages, Paperback
Published May 2, 2022
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 27, 2023
In Debris, set in and around Norwich, we meet two brothers, Nick and Patrick. As the book is narrated in the first person we see everything through Nick’s eyes. We quickly learn that the brothers are estranged in the present day and that Patrick has recently returned after a long absence. He is living in a rundown cottage in the fens whilst Nick appears to be either living with, or seeing regularly, Hannah, who the reader guesses must be Patrick’s ex-wife. The encounter is tense between the brothers and brief. In just a few pages the reader is quickly plunged into the brothers’ worlds and left with a lot of questions as to what happened between them.
In the next few chapters we see more of Nick’s world. He is living with Hannah but they don’t appear to be very happy. We also discover that not only does he gamble but he is not a very honest business partner and that he is having an affair. So not your average nice guy. But there is a mystery here that Humphrey deftly hints at and the reader is compelled to keep reading.
Nick has a dry wit and so too his betting agent but my favourite character is Hannah’s sister Jessica. I definitely underestimated her.
“Jessica’s expression changes. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” We had a fling once. A brief one, years before, when Hannah was with Patrick.
“Dream on.”
“I’ve seen you looking at me.”
“I still care about you. You’re Hannah’s sister, after all.”
Her face goes wistful. “Hannah,” she says. “It’s her you should be worried about.”
In Chapter 9 the narrative goes back to when Patrick meets Hannah and from then on the storyline interweaves past and present. The pacing is skilful and so too the gradual revelation of each character’s past. It reminds me of a novel I heard about where the story of an unhappy marriage is told backwards instead of forwards. Debris is just as masterful with the events of the present contrasting and sometimes echoing the events of the past. I thought I knew where the story of these two brothers was going but I was completely surprised by the ending. A challenging and satisfying read. Highly recommended.
In the next few chapters we see more of Nick’s world. He is living with Hannah but they don’t appear to be very happy. We also discover that not only does he gamble but he is not a very honest business partner and that he is having an affair. So not your average nice guy. But there is a mystery here that Humphrey deftly hints at and the reader is compelled to keep reading.
Nick has a dry wit and so too his betting agent but my favourite character is Hannah’s sister Jessica. I definitely underestimated her.
“Jessica’s expression changes. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” We had a fling once. A brief one, years before, when Hannah was with Patrick.
“Dream on.”
“I’ve seen you looking at me.”
“I still care about you. You’re Hannah’s sister, after all.”
Her face goes wistful. “Hannah,” she says. “It’s her you should be worried about.”
In Chapter 9 the narrative goes back to when Patrick meets Hannah and from then on the storyline interweaves past and present. The pacing is skilful and so too the gradual revelation of each character’s past. It reminds me of a novel I heard about where the story of an unhappy marriage is told backwards instead of forwards. Debris is just as masterful with the events of the present contrasting and sometimes echoing the events of the past. I thought I knew where the story of these two brothers was going but I was completely surprised by the ending. A challenging and satisfying read. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 of 1 review