Rating: 3.5 Stars
In a nutshell:
19-year-old Nick has gone missing. We eventually learn he has died from a fall – or jump? – from a building along the Thames in London. His death reveals he has been lying about who he is, pretending to be the son of a Russian oligarch.
Best for:
Fans of investigative reporting.
Quote that made me think:
N/A
Why I chose it:
Say Nothing and Empire of Pain are two of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read. As soon as I saw this I knew I had to read it.
Review:
The book starts with a description of two buildings in London: a government building on the south side of the Thames, and the Riverwalk condos on the north side. We learn quickly that Nick has died from a fall from the Riverwalk building, though his family doesn’t learn of this for a few days, when his body is discovered just next to the embankment. Cameras on the government building showed that Nick jumped from the building and was not pushed – though it doesn’t show if something led him to think that was his only option. (As an aside – while listening to the audio book I was in London and ran past both buildings a couple of times. That’s always a bit weird.)
Before his parents learn about Nick’s death and only know he is missing, they discover he has been lying to people for a few years, saying that his dad Matthew is dead and his mom Rochelle lives overseas. He says he knows the owner of Chelsea Football Club, and ingratiates himself with some folks who may or may not be involved in criminal activities.
From there, so many doors open, leading to so many different stories. In the center of it all is the Metropolitan Police, who don’t seem to take the investigation as seriously as the parents want. So they engage an investigator to look into the backgrounds of two individuals who claimed to have been fully fooled by Nick’s stories.
There are other interweaving stories, including the interesting background of Nick’s grandfather, but in the end, like so much in life, we don’t really learn what happened. It’s someone’s life, so I’m not going to say its ‘unsatisfying,’ but it is a bit frustrating. Like real life, I suppose. I feel for Nick, because he clearly had some issues to make up such severe lies, and then at the end of his life in one way or another felt he had no choice but to jump from that balcony. And I feel for his parents, because they’re left with so many questions.
Would I recommend it to its target audience:
I guess. I didn’t find it as engaging as his previous work, but it was still clearly very well researched and written.
