The Other Boy

by Yvonne Cassidy

A dark, psychological suspense novel about the destructive nature of familes and the sins of our past

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Siany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definately very gripping, however am left feeling slightly unsure about the ending etc

It is about JP and his family history, his relationship with family members as well as his "now" relationship with Katie and daughter Abbey.

I thought the book was written very well and it drew me into JP's story and I wanted to find out what happened to Mark and what else his horrible brother Dessie would do to try to destroy him.
I honestly couldnt imagine having a sibling as vile as Dessie, my take on him was that he was jealous of his brothers friendship with Mark and then his relationship with Katie and of him having a daughter. He was pretty evil to be honest and reading the various parts of the story put chills down my spine.

The ending totally threw me, I was not expecting it in any way.
I didn't think it was going to have a super happy ending but I didn't expect things to go the way they did, until I was literally on that page.
I can't say I disliked the ending but I can't help but feel something was missing. It has kind of left me feeling a little unsatified, because in the end surely the bad guy won in a roundabout way..?

Although saying the above, I did enjoy the book and I would read more from this author in the future. I just feel bad for the main character, poor man just couldn't catch a break.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book some years ago so forgive me if I mess up the storyline a little. I loved this book, the story of two brothers who chose different paths in life after an appalling childhood incident. I'm being deliberately vague as I don't want to spoil the story for you. Suffice to say one brother takes to a life of crime while the other boy leaves Dublin and goes to London where he invents a totally new persona for himself. He works in the world of high finance meets a wonderful girl and they have a baby together. He never tells this woman the truth. Then his past comes back to haunt him when his brother turns up and threatens to blackmail him. The protagonist, an unreliable narrator manages to embezzle money which he brings to a train station to give to his hardened brother. I won't spoil the ending for you. Ms Cassidy is a fine writer and builds the tension and the psychology of fear or of being found out remarkably well. I haven't read her other book 'What Might Have Been Me' yet but I'm sure it will be as satisfying a read as The Other Boy

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this book off the library shelf after skimming the back and thought it sounded interesting. It's a while since I finished it, (I need to review quicker!!), so I can't remember exactly the sequence of events. Or, maybe that's a testament to how memorable the story is?

However, I do remember that it was interesting enough, a dark little past family secret threatening to destroy a present happy family.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read despite the very traumatic subject matter from which JP was attempting to escape by reinventing his life.
I thought the author created a very believable plot line and she kept me guessing until the very last page.

A visual storyline, easy to imagine being in the same room as JP because of the intelligent writing and I was kept interested throughout.
I would have liked a different ending but then it would have been my ending - not Ms Cassidy’s and in truth, the author wisely tied it up her way.

Very clever writing by Yvonne Cassidy and I look forward to reading more of her books.

[Lorraine Kehoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story I enjoyed reading it

[Jayne Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read, but an uncomfortable read. You want to know what happens but you know it won't end well. The book starts with a happy domestic set-up in which JP, a financial analyst in the City of London who left a dark past behind him in Ireland, and his girlfriend Katie, have just had a baby. It's all perfect until ghosts from his past start emerging, and it is clear he has told her nothing about them.

To start with I was pretty sure I knew how it would pan out, and was mentally yelling at him "Just tell her, you idiot, how hard can it be?", but it wasn't as simple as that. I liked the way the past and present were interwoven and just enough information was given out at a time. The pressure builds and builds to a shattering conclusion. To say I enjoyed reading it wouldn't be quite true - I read it with a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach, but that's the aim. As a piece of writing it is tremendous. It is one of those books that leaves something of itself behind in the reader long after it is over. It is such an accomplished piece of work it is hard to believe it's a first novel.

[Iuliana Naughton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book club choice for this month....I will start by saying that it is very easy to read and it flows quite well. I always admire women authors writing from a man's perspective, but this time it was very poorly executed. She went for the obvious and portrayed what women think men think, rather than a credible man's perspective. Therefore, she made the main character impossible to believe or empathise with.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Ciara Geraghty · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite of Cassidy's books. Gripping, compelling, unputdownable, and so beautifully written. The whole package!