The Man Who Built the World by Chris WardMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Matthew Cassidy is a down on his luck writer, son, husband, father, and some sort of a brother. And then he gets the phone call that signaled the end.
We are introduced to the complexity of his life through entries in a diary, present interactions, and recalled encounters. The Cassidy family seems, at first glance, to have been under a curse that ruined the lives of its members. Characters behaved according to his or her predestined nature, even if that nature was of a paranormal variety.
The Man Who Built the World is dark, gritty, and can get right under your skin, the way good dark fiction should. When I wasn't reading it, I was wondering what new twist I'll discover when I go back to it because they will definitely change my perception, again. Some parts of it were starkly realistic, the one that stayed with me was Matthew's relationship with his wife, Rachel. Theirs was an abusive relationship, yet he wasn't a wife beater as she herself confesses. Yet she remained with him, listing all kinds of excuses. You might scoff at her reaction, but there are women who react the same way everyday around the world. They have hope that their partner will change back, that it was a misunderstanding, that maybe they're making a big deal out of nothing.
Now, that's real! And if you wish to read more of that reality in a fictional (and paranormal) work, go for The Man Who Built the World.
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