Belinda Bauer's Rubbernecker

 

I consider myself a fast reader, but it is unusual for me to read an entire book in one Sunday, as I did with 'Rubbernecker' by Belinda Bauer, which won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival's Novel of the Year award in 2014. The story begins with an account of how Sam Galen ended up in a coma after a car accident, as well as his experiences in a high-dependency neurological ward under the care of Tracy Evans, a selfish nurse attempting to charm one of the other patients' wealthy husbands. Meanwhile, Patrick Fort, a Cardiff University anatomy student, discovers that the body he is dissecting did not die from the causes listed on the death certificate. These various plot lines become intently connected with one another.

Patrick has Asperger's syndrome, and his portrayal will unavoidably draw comparisons to Christopher Boone from Mark Haddon's 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.' Patrick, like Christopher, approaches mysteries logically and thoroughly, and most people around him are easily frustrated by his actions. Patrick's father was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was a child, and he has become obsessed with "understanding" death and what happens to the body during the dying process. Patrick is studying anatomy rather than medicine because he lacks the required bedside manner to become a doctor, and his university tutors make it clear that he was only accepted on the course to fulfill their disability quota.

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Having recently read Henry Marsh's 'Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery,' Bauer's account of the neurological ward where Sam is in a coma is clearly well researched. The story becomes increasingly chilling and darkly comic, culminating in a memorable ending. I don't want to give too much away about the plot, but please know that after reading 'Rubbernecker,' you will never look at the contents of a fridge in a student residence the same way again.

'Rubbernecker' is not a perfect book - I thought the third strand of the story after Tracy and Mr Deal was less compelling - but it is an intriguing and intelligently written novel. Highly recommended for fans of crime fiction looking for a fresh take on the genre.










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