Shannon M, a librarian and book lover thought this might be an intriguing summer
read, so did lots of reviewers. See if it appeals to you...It's on my TBR list along
with a hundred others!
THE FARM by Tom Rob Smith
In the spring of 2009, British author Tom Rob Smith received a disturbing
phone call from his father. "And he was crying," Smith tells NPR's David Greene.
"He never cries. And he said to me, 'You've got to come to Sweden. Your mom
has suffered a psychotic episode and she's in an asylum.'"
phone call from his father. "And he was crying," Smith tells NPR's David Greene.
"He never cries. And he said to me, 'You've got to come to Sweden. Your mom
has suffered a psychotic episode and she's in an asylum.'"
Then, Smith's mother called. She had just been released from the psychiatric
hospital in Sweden, and, she said, everything his father had told him was a lie.
"She wasn't mad. My dad was involved in a criminal conspiracy and she was
flying to London to tell me the truth."
hospital in Sweden, and, she said, everything his father had told him was a lie.
"She wasn't mad. My dad was involved in a criminal conspiracy and she was
flying to London to tell me the truth."
Smith was positive that when his mother landed at Heathrow, he'd be able to tell if
something was truly wrong the moment he laid eyes on her — but in fact, she was
perfectly lucid and convincing. "I barely said a word, I was listening to her
for about four hours. She was the most incredible storyteller — it really reminded
me of being a child again and having a parent tell me a story. A very disturbing
story, and I love my both my parents, and I had never been put in a position where
I had to choose between them.
something was truly wrong the moment he laid eyes on her — but in fact, she was
perfectly lucid and convincing. "I barely said a word, I was listening to her
for about four hours. She was the most incredible storyteller — it really reminded
me of being a child again and having a parent tell me a story. A very disturbing
story, and I love my both my parents, and I had never been put in a position where
I had to choose between them.
Tom Rob Smith is used to putting his readers in such a terrifying position. He's a
thriller writer, known for a trilogy that began with the book Child 44, about a
serial killer in Stalin's Soviet Union. He mines historical events for his fiction
— but for his new book, he turns to the deeply personal story of what
happened to his parents.
thriller writer, known for a trilogy that began with the book Child 44, about a
serial killer in Stalin's Soviet Union. He mines historical events for his fiction
— but for his new book, he turns to the deeply personal story of what
happened to his parents.
The novel is called The Farm. It's about a couple who — like Tom Rob Smith's
actual parents — had retired to the Swedish countryside. The mother in the book
is named Tilde. And the pages are filled with her telling her son Daniel about
the crimes she's witnessed — and how everyone's dismissing her as a madwoman.
actual parents — had retired to the Swedish countryside. The mother in the book
is named Tilde. And the pages are filled with her telling her son Daniel about
the crimes she's witnessed — and how everyone's dismissing her as a madwoman.
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Definitely a page-turner, this perfect-for-the-beach read is immediately gripping fast-paced, engaging, full of intrigue, all with with a bit of travel and in the framework of a family drama.
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