Book review: The Chain by Adrian McKinty

Available here

I read an interview given by the author Adrian McKinty telling the story behind The Chain  and was immediately intrigued. Chain letters were something that happened a lot when I was a kid too and I'm sure Agatha Chritie also used them as inspiration for a couple of her novels. Theri insidiosness, their anonymity plays on our frailties as human beings and can be very distressing. Of course social media has made the chain letter a thinng of the present in the form of those meassgaes asking us to share a message with our friends to show our comittment to or support of a particular cause. McKinty however takes the basic concept of the chain letter one humungous step further and much as I 'd like to believe that particular atrocity is confined to the pages of McKinty's novel, I can't let go of the thought that maybe ... just maybe .....

With that said, here's the blurb: 

VICTIM.

SURVIVOR.

ABDUCTOR.

CRIMINAL.

YOU WILL BECOME EACH ONE.

YOUR PHONE RINGS.

A STRANGER HAS KIDNAPPED YOUR CHILD.

TO FREE THEM YOU MUST ABDUCT SOMEONE ELSE'S CHILD.

YOUR CHILD WILL BE RELEASED WHEN YOUR VICTIM'S PARENTS KIDNAP ANOTHER CHILD.

IF ANY OF THESE THINGS DON'T HAPPEN:

YOUR CHILD WILL BE KILLED.

YOU ARE NOW PART OF THE CHAIN

What I think

The Chain is one of the most thought provoking novels I've read this year. Apart from the inevitable, 'Oh my god, what would I do in this situation?' I was intrigued by the structure of the novel and kept thinking to myself 'McKinty's written himself into a corner here, there's no way he can get himself out of this one.' 

So, the basic question, how far would you go to save your own child, takes on a whole new meaning in The Chain. You are reliant on the chain working, but have no guarantee it will. McKinty takes us right to the edge of desperation, taunts us to take sides, to think outside the box and to confront the sort of questions we , hopefully, would never have to touch in reality. 

The Chain  is one of those novels that takes you to the brink of your own humanity and makes you confront unpalatable thoughts. By the time i was half way through it I had run a gamut of emotions from anger to dread, to fear to deapsiar and more ... I guess that's pretty much what McKinty wanted us to feel -  thanks, Adrian , for leaving me feeling like a wrung out rag.

Then there was the whole question of how would it end. How could any of the unwilling chain participants break the cycle? And as I got into the final quarter of the book a faint dread began to tease me. What if I was disappointed with the ending? What if it was a damp squib? However, rest assured, the ending is as twisty, sinister and satisfying as the rest of the novel. 

As an author myself, I am impressed by the structure of The Chain. McKinty is a master of plotting, of twisting and of tricking. 

So, did I enjoy it? - Damn right I did! The range of characters was impressive and each voice was distintive. The story was smoothly woven with each chapter making you want to read the next before switching the light out ... talking of lights ... I had to sleep with the hallway light on for a week after reading it , for everyone knows nothing bad happens if you leave the hallway light on!
The emotional journey was more than tranistory ... it still makes me ask myslef that what if question - just how far would I go, how far could I go. Loved it!