Book Review: The Antagonist by Lynn Coady

I felt I knew these college boys; they we so like those I met in my early 20s. Struggling to figure themselves and their relationships out as they moved from boys to men and from their parents' home to life on their own. Rank's anger and aggression were so believable and his testy relationship with his father was so real I felt I was in the same room as them. Lynn Coady managed to create characters you root for but don't always like. There were strong elements of mystery as well and a careful unfolding of events that made it suspenseful to the end. Coady's observations about the role of violence, running away from one's problems, and the pain of unmet expectations and unfulfilled dreams were poignant. I can't think of any way this book could have been improved. I really enjoyed the story-telling structure too, which flipped from first to third person, and was appropriately structured as a set of Facebooks messages sent to an old friend. I strongly recommend this book. Bravo Lynn Coady, I hope one day to write something as meaningful.