Publishing information: Paperback; 252 pages
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd; 25 August 2010
ISBN 10: 1848764561
ISBN 13: 978-1848764569
Standalone
Copy provided by author
Reviewer: Tyson
Back of the Book "Reminiscent of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, this debut novel, The Elephant Tree challenges the reader's sense of morality with shocking plot twists and vivid characters. Mark Fallon is an overworked detective investigating a spate of attacks at a string of high profile city centre nightclubs. Scott is a dejected 24 year old struggling to make ends meet working for his brother and supplementing his income with a small-scale drug dealing operation. Angela is an attractive 23 year old, raised by her father, a career criminal and small time drug dealer who supplies Scott with cannabis. This is a chilling tale spanning a few months in the lives of Scott and Angela, where realizations about the present combine with shocking revelations from the past leading to an apocalyptic climax where they no longer know whom they can trust."
I don't know what it is with smaller publishers, but somehow they do a great job of finding authors that can tell a quick and exciting story. Many of the big named publishing companies and big named authors latest books have not been as promising as I was led to believe. Luckily smaller publishing companies are finding some great stories and taking a chance on some new writing talent. R.D. Ronald just happens to be one of those talents and his novel The Elephant Tree just happens to be a really great book.
The Elephant Tree is not full of magic or demons, at least not the demons that quickly come to mind. Instead we have a dark present day psychological tale of a young man, Scott, doing his best to get ahead in the modern world. His childhood was shattered when his parents died and he has been picking up the pieces since. In order to supplement his income, he sells drugs in nightclubs in the hope that he will soon have enough money to get out of town and start over. He is intelligent and seems very real. He is joined by some interesting characters all which could easily jump out of the pages and come to life. If anything I would say that this is Ronald's greatest ability. He knows how to write characters. Everyone in the book is someone you know or could easily picture living in the real world. They all have a fair amount of backstory that is weaved brilliantly through out The Elephant Tree.
There is not much world building other than to say it was present day and that it could be any major metropolis. But I felt this was intentional, as it felt like it could by Anytown, USA or the streets of London. There was just enough information for you to glean when the book took place but not enough for you to pin down exactly where things were taking place.
The heart of The Elephant Tree is a murder mystery with an ending that many may not see coming. There is a lot of great psychological build up that all comes to a head at the end. I thought it was handled quite well. I had managed to figure out the big picture but there were still a few things that I did not discover on my own. A few people have mentioned Dean Koontz as a similar style to R.D. Ronald and I would disagree. I think Ronald is something new. He is his own voice in psychological thrillers and if this is his debut novel, I can not wait to see what comes next. While most of our reviews deal with magic and swords. Every once in a while you need to broaden your horizons and this is a great book to do just that.
Plot 7
Characters 9.5
style 8
Overall 7.5/10
About the author: R. D. Ronald confesses to having spent time in various jobs throughtout a career in business and then spent time in prison after turning to crime to pay the medical bills for his sick wife. 'Renee became ill shortly after we were married, the treatment she needed was expensive. An opportunity came up for me to run a cannabis farm - the extra cash would make the difference to Renee's care, so I accepted. Renee was optimistic about her treatment, but sadly she didn't make it. Not long afterwards, I was arrested and sent to prison.'
Work on his debut novel, The Elephant Tree was largely undertaken while he was inside. 'Being locked up 23 hours a day focuses the mind. I'd always loved reading and hoped to write a book one day, and you hear some crazy stories while in jail. In the end writing was an outlet, a way for me to keep my mind occupied. My book touches on some of the issues that have affected me, but is not autobiographical. It does challenge readers however. Life is never clear cut, and the line between good and bad, right and wrong is often blurred. Especially in times of crisis, and this is what I wanted The Elephant Tree to say, ultimately.'
From his personal website
your summary of the plot got my attention, as I'm always up for a psychological mystery / thriller.
ReplyDeletethen I read your blurb about the author. damn. i've had some very close friends who have done time.
on a happier note, I too have had really good luck with small pubs lately!
Redhead- I think you will enjoy this one. Author is a good guy as we talked quite a bit as I read the novel and prepared my review. I say give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are having some good luck with the smaller pubs too.