A Lonely Man
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- Create Date：2021-05-21 10:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Chris Power
- ISBN：0374298440
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Summary
Two British men， both writers， meet by chance in Berlin。 Robert is trying and failing to finish his next book while balancing his responsibilities as a husband and father。 Patrick， a recent arrival in the city， is secretive about his past， but eventually reveals he has been ghostwriting the autobiography of a Russian oligarch。 The oligarch is now dead， and Patrick claims to be a hunted man himself。
Although Robert doubts the truth of Patrick's story， it fascinates him， and he thinks it might hold the key to his own foundering novel。 Working to gain the other man's trust， Robert draws out the details of Patrick's past while ensnaring himself ever more tightly in what might be a fantasist's creation， or a devastating international plot。
Through an elegant， existential game of cat-and-mouse， Chris Power's A Lonely Man depicts an attempt to create art at the cost of empathy。 Robert must decide what is his for the taking--and whether some stories are too dangerous to tell。
Although Robert doubts the truth of Patrick's story， it fascinates him， and he thinks it might hold the key to his own foundering novel。 Working to gain the other man's trust， Robert draws out the details of Patrick's past while ensnaring himself ever more tightly in what might be a fantasist's creation， or a devastating international plot。
Through an elegant， existential game of cat-and-mouse， Chris Power's A Lonely Man depicts an attempt to create art at the cost of empathy。 Robert must decide what is his for the taking--and whether some stories are too dangerous to tell。
Reviews
Donald Max Henzi
，
An intriguing story of how two Englishmen get caught in the net of a Russian oligarch in Berlin。Robert， a reasonably successful writer， and father of two daughters， happens to meet Patrick a ghost-writer of a Russian oligarch。 The latter tells him an incredible story about the life and mysterious death of a Russian oligarch。 The whole story is overlaid by excessive alcohol consumption by the two subjects。 What is truth， and what is imagination in semi-madness？Robert takes advantage of the situat An intriguing story of how two Englishmen get caught in the net of a Russian oligarch in Berlin。Robert， a reasonably successful writer， and father of two daughters， happens to meet Patrick a ghost-writer of a Russian oligarch。 The latter tells him an incredible story about the life and mysterious death of a Russian oligarch。 The whole story is overlaid by excessive alcohol consumption by the two subjects。 What is truth， and what is imagination in semi-madness？Robert takes advantage of the situation and sees the chance of a lifetime to use Patrick's story to re-establish himself as a successful writer。 The friendship between the two breaks up。 The Russian counterpart is not at all interested in publishing the story and takes massive action。Chris Power manages to bring great tension into the story。 The setting in Berlin is reminiscent of the dark times of the Cold War。 The suspense lasts until the showdown on a cold and dark winter night in Sweden。 What is truth， and what is fiction？ Let's find out; it's worth it。 。。。more
Zachary Houle
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Books about writers doing the act of writing are a dime-a-dozen it seems。 I can recall reading Stephen King’s Bag of Bones， which was like reading a long dissertation on how to have a career as a prolific writer。 Even David Mitchell’s Utopia Avenue， a more recent read， is a book about writing songs and how art comes to fruition through the inspiration and writing process。 （So even though it is not necessarily a book about literature or writing as a literary act， it kind of is a book about writin Books about writers doing the act of writing are a dime-a-dozen it seems。 I can recall reading Stephen King’s Bag of Bones， which was like reading a long dissertation on how to have a career as a prolific writer。 Even David Mitchell’s Utopia Avenue， a more recent read， is a book about writing songs and how art comes to fruition through the inspiration and writing process。 （So even though it is not necessarily a book about literature or writing as a literary act， it kind of is a book about writing in some ways — if you can think of songcraft as a writing exercise。） You can probably come up with more examples， but here’s a new one: Chris Power’s debut novel A Lonely Man。 It is a book about writer’s block， a book about stealing other people’s stories， and a book about travelling across Europe to gain some Old-World literary inspiration。 It is also a thriller， though that aspect of the book is a bit more muted。Set in Berlin （for the most part）， the book opens with a writer named Robert Prowe （whose surname is an anagram of Power’s） reaching for the same book in a bookstore at the same time as a man named Patrick。 Later on， that same evening， Robert and his wife save Patrick from a vicious beating on the street after he leaves the store。 When Patrick then offers to buy Robert a drink on another day as a favour， Robert can’t say no。 It turns out that Patrick is also a writer， too — he’s a ghostwriter， and his latest client was a deceased Russian oligarch whose death may or may not have been a suicide。 It turns out that Patrick is being followed by people who may or may not want him dead， too — and， pretty soon， as Robert and Patrick become “friends” so that Robert can steal Patrick’s recent life story for a novel he wants to write， Robert begins to notice strange things happening to befall him as well。Read the rest of the review here: https://zachary-houle。medium。com/a-re。。。 。。。more
Mark
，
Not sure why this author is compared to Patricia Highsmith。 Yes， you have two male friends who have a complicated relationship， but A LONELY MAN is oddly placid。 The friendship promises more than it delivers， and the ending "twist，" if you can call it that， is very expected。 Still， the prose is sharp， and the situation interestedly drawn。 Just a bit too cold for my taste。 Not sure why this author is compared to Patricia Highsmith。 Yes， you have two male friends who have a complicated relationship， but A LONELY MAN is oddly placid。 The friendship promises more than it delivers， and the ending "twist，" if you can call it that， is very expected。 Still， the prose is sharp， and the situation interestedly drawn。 Just a bit too cold for my taste。 。。。more
Brian Moore
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A nice easy well constructed read。 Nothing spectacular but if you like reading I guess the structure， language and storyline will satisfy。
Mark Saliba
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Great tense storytelling。I'd say you will enjoy this if you like the kind of tense build-up that John Le Carre does so well。 Great tense storytelling。I'd say you will enjoy this if you like the kind of tense build-up that John Le Carre does so well。 。。。more
Abhilash
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Cliche。 It started like "Limonov"， but Chris Power is no Carrere。 Cliche。 It started like "Limonov"， but Chris Power is no Carrere。 。。。more
Sanat
，
This book was hard to classify for me。 It started out strange and incredibly strong， with a great hook， but sort of petered out towards the end， with a final chapter that felt incredibly rushed。Four stars for the originality and writing style， as well as the nods to Berlin， which I felt were enough for me， a Berliner， to recognize， but not enough to become a sort of inside joke。
Michelle Hogmire
，
Happy Pub Date （May 4， 2021） to Chris Power's "A Lonely Man，" and thanks to FSG for an advance Netgalley and finished print copy of this title。 I'm writing this review voluntarily。Robert is a British writer currently in a slump: he's released one short story collection， but his novel is now way overdue。 At a reading in Berlin， he runs into Patrick--a mess of a guy who gets into a drunken public brawl。 Of course， Patrick is also an author。 Patrick is a ghostwriter; he's recently been working on a Happy Pub Date （May 4， 2021） to Chris Power's "A Lonely Man，" and thanks to FSG for an advance Netgalley and finished print copy of this title。 I'm writing this review voluntarily。Robert is a British writer currently in a slump: he's released one short story collection， but his novel is now way overdue。 At a reading in Berlin， he runs into Patrick--a mess of a guy who gets into a drunken public brawl。 Of course， Patrick is also an author。 Patrick is a ghostwriter; he's recently been working on a Russian oligarch's autobiography， but the man ended up committing suicide。 Or， did he？ According to Patrick， the man was murdered， and Patrick thinks he's next on the chopping block。 Robert believes this story is too ridiculous to be true， but it's the perfect plot to steal for his book。 As Robert befriends Patrick and writes and records more and more of his outlandish tale， strange occurrences start to mount up。 Is Patrick actually telling the truth？ And， if so， are Robert and his wife and kids now in danger？"A Lonely Man" has a genius premise that shows how metafiction can be thrilling and exciting， as opposed to stuffy and boring， and the book expertly wrangles with essential questions about the ethics of artistic license when it comes to telling someone else's story。 The novel's also a great quick read that's easy to get sucked into in one sitting。 The book does have some pacing problems， though， relating back to the practical mechanics of the plot （ie how do you make a story about two guys sitting and talking consistently interesting and dynamic？）。 Robert's insistent belief that Patrick is a liar also loses its impact with time， so the reader will probably be less surprised at the novel's ultimate ending than Robert is。 Overall， this is a really fun， smart book。 And to all the struggling writers out there praying for a perfect story subject to fall into their laps: you might want to be careful what you wish for。 。。。more
TC
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Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 。。。more
Doreen
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4/23/2021 3。5 stars rounded up mainly because of an excellent observation about city life vs rural life。 Full review tk at CriminalElement。com。 4/23/2021 3。5 stars rounded up mainly because of an excellent observation about city life vs rural life。 Full review tk at CriminalElement。com。 。。。more
Santanu Bhattacharya
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I like fiction that directly takes on the larger politics of current times。 These stories are rare。 And The Lonely Man does it well。 It takes the background of mysterious killings of Russian oligarchs and ex-security agents in the UK and makes a statement on the rampant corruption at high levels in both Russia and Uk that makes this possible。 The actual story though is of a British writer in Berlin who runs into another British ghost writer。 The story threads the relationship of these two men， f I like fiction that directly takes on the larger politics of current times。 These stories are rare。 And The Lonely Man does it well。 It takes the background of mysterious killings of Russian oligarchs and ex-security agents in the UK and makes a statement on the rampant corruption at high levels in both Russia and Uk that makes this possible。 The actual story though is of a British writer in Berlin who runs into another British ghost writer。 The story threads the relationship of these two men， formal， friendly， co-dependent。 One whose story is being told。 One who is writing it。 The writing is taut and engaging and the story flows well until three quarters of the book。 Then suddenly everything falls flat。 As often happens when bigger issues are intertwined with personal stories， the author doesn’t know where to take it。 I was really disappointed by the ending。 Read it for slice of Berlin life， crisp writing， and a story that has lots of promise。 。。。more
Ari Levine
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Robert is （cue hoary cliché） a stalled novelist with writer's block， a thirty-something Brit living in expat comfort with his Swedish wife and two cute daughters， in Berlin's bourgeois Prenzlauer Berg。 He meets Patrick， a British ghostwriter who claims to be on the run from a shadowy Russian state intelligence network after an abortive project writing the memoirs of a second-tier Russian oligarch。 Totally entertaining and page-turning， even though I can't decide whether this is a thriller with l Robert is （cue hoary cliché） a stalled novelist with writer's block， a thirty-something Brit living in expat comfort with his Swedish wife and two cute daughters， in Berlin's bourgeois Prenzlauer Berg。 He meets Patrick， a British ghostwriter who claims to be on the run from a shadowy Russian state intelligence network after an abortive project writing the memoirs of a second-tier Russian oligarch。 Totally entertaining and page-turning， even though I can't decide whether this is a thriller with literary pretensions or a literary novel appropriating elements of the thriller genre。 Some sl0w-building tension and menace， and occasional shocking bits of violence， all of which would have been totally unremarkable in any Scandi Noir show from the early 2010s。 But the more literary elements were more effective here: evocative and atmospheric descriptions of Berlin's bleak wintry cityscape， depressing rainy old London， an austere Swedish lakeside cabin， and the trappings of billionaire Russian wealth offshore in mansions and stately homes。 And especially the seamless transitions between the framing narrative， told by the first-person narrator， and the novel-within-the-novel， which he adapts from the （ostensibly） true story he's surreptitiously taping into what reads like a （deliberately） overwritten potboiler。Thanks to FSG and Netgalley for a free ARC of this， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jennifer M。
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I tried to read this， but gave up about 1/4 of the way through。 It was definitely a DNF for me。 I would still read more by the author。 However， I just didn't connect with this story。2/5 Stars I tried to read this， but gave up about 1/4 of the way through。 It was definitely a DNF for me。 I would still read more by the author。 However， I just didn't connect with this story。2/5 Stars 。。。more
Jim
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Evocative of a Patricia Highsmith novel， A Lonely Man by Chris Powers is a tightly plotted thriller set in Europe。 The novel follows Robert， a Londoner living in Berlin with his Swedish wife and children， and Patrick， a fellow expat Brit， who comes to share with Robert his dangerous past， potentially putting them both in harms way。 Like a Ripley novel， Power’s protagonist spends his time in European locales and is ensnared in a plot of political intrigue and murder。 Despite these expansive setti Evocative of a Patricia Highsmith novel， A Lonely Man by Chris Powers is a tightly plotted thriller set in Europe。 The novel follows Robert， a Londoner living in Berlin with his Swedish wife and children， and Patrick， a fellow expat Brit， who comes to share with Robert his dangerous past， potentially putting them both in harms way。 Like a Ripley novel， Power’s protagonist spends his time in European locales and is ensnared in a plot of political intrigue and murder。 Despite these expansive settings， A Lonely Man is smaller than any of Highsmith’s works。 This ultimately works in the book’s favor as a slow burn comes to a quick， somewhat tidier， end in it’s last 50 pages or so。 Readers looking for a fun summer thriller with a global perspective will appreciate A Lonely Man， and will be pleased to find that it has more to say than a by the numbers entry to the genre。 。。。more
Marc Nash
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Video review https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=S8aUx。。。 Video review https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=S8aUx。。。 。。。more
Vicky "phenkos"
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I picked this one up after I read an interview with the author， Chris Power。 I don't normally read thrillers but I made an exception because I thought I might enjoy some light entertainment。 The book turned out to be a real page-turner， and I've enjoyed Power's mastery of plot- and character-development。Two expats meet by chance in Berlin - both writers。 Later that night， one of them （Patrick） gets caught up in a fight， and the other one （Robert） saves him from further trouble。 The two men hook I picked this one up after I read an interview with the author， Chris Power。 I don't normally read thrillers but I made an exception because I thought I might enjoy some light entertainment。 The book turned out to be a real page-turner， and I've enjoyed Power's mastery of plot- and character-development。Two expats meet by chance in Berlin - both writers。 Later that night， one of them （Patrick） gets caught up in a fight， and the other one （Robert） saves him from further trouble。 The two men hook up。 It turns out that Patrick has an interesting story to tell， though not one Robert entirely believes。 The story is about Russian oligarchs， murders dressed up as suicides， big money and Putin's corrupt Russia。 As Patrick makes Robert his confidante， Robert discovers a source of inspiration for his book without any awareness of the risks that inevitably accompany such an endeavour。I've noticed that the book has received mixed reviews here。 I had mixed feelings myself at certain points。 First of all， I don't think Putin's Russia can ever provide the same sense of excitement and curiosity as Stalin's or Brezhnev's Soviet Union， and therefore， a thriller about contemporary Russia will not carry the fascination that John le Carré's novels did。 I believe the reason for that is that the Cold War was a collision between two worlds， two systematic theories， both of which drew passionate followers and devotees。 What kind of passion can contemporary Russia incite？ None！ One can feel sorry for the dissidents who lose their lives or their freedom because of their opposition to Putin， and also some anger at the unwillingness of the West to properly investigate thinly dressed-up murders and call Putin to account， but that's all there is to it。 The chapter 'Russia' seems closed for now， at least in terms of any world-historical significance， no matter how important this country may have been for most of the 20th century。It would be a mistake， though， to judge the book solely by its connection to Russian history and politics。 Power is a masterful writer and this， in my view， comes through most clearly in the parts of the book that are not closely related to the plot。 The account of a friend's of Robert's suicide and Robert's response to it was deft， delicate， compassionate and entirely believable。 The very first chapter which sets the two main characters up was well-drawn and conveyed the Berlin atmosphere beautifully。 The tension as Patrick becomes ever more fearful of his persecutors but Robert fails to trust the testimony of his own senses keeps the reader on edge throughout。So， overall， yes， this is a book I would recommend to any thriller-lover， although I do feel that the golden age of the political thriller has probably passed。。。Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy。 。。。more
Kasa Cotugno
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Quite a ride。 The deliberate pacing at the beginning is deceptively lulling， after which the rollercoaster begins until the shattering climax。 Robert's initial skepticism lends itself to the reader， and there is so much in the real world that the possibility of danger from a scary source is entirely plausible。 Looking forward to more from this debut author。 Quite a ride。 The deliberate pacing at the beginning is deceptively lulling， after which the rollercoaster begins until the shattering climax。 Robert's initial skepticism lends itself to the reader， and there is so much in the real world that the possibility of danger from a scary source is entirely plausible。 Looking forward to more from this debut author。 。。。more
Bandit
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Every so often a book comes along whose narrative style just fits so well within your brain grooves that things that normally draw you in don’t seem to matter much anymore。 This was very much the case with this book for me。 This book， that had spy themes I usually don’t go for and a fairly dislikable protagonist， managed to really engage me on a pretty profound level。 Maybe it’s something to do with isolation， since this is the perfect time for such a thing。 Or loneliness， which is universal an Every so often a book comes along whose narrative style just fits so well within your brain grooves that things that normally draw you in don’t seem to matter much anymore。 This was very much the case with this book for me。 This book， that had spy themes I usually don’t go for and a fairly dislikable protagonist， managed to really engage me on a pretty profound level。 Maybe it’s something to do with isolation， since this is the perfect time for such a thing。 Or loneliness， which is universal and separate from politics。 This book features not one， but several lonely men， though lonely on different levels。 Each one meeting the other seemingly at random and each one’s life is forever changes because of it。 It starts off with two men casually reaching for the same book at a bookstore， which is pretty much a near perfect way to meet someone。 One of them is drunk， one of them is there for a book reading， their interaction is brief， meaningless and would have been instantly forgotten， had it not continued almost immediately afterwards with one of them being attacked and the other coming to his rescue。 Thus a connection is established。 Both men are British， both are strangers in Berlin， though to different degrees。 One of them is an author desperately trying and failing to write a follow up to his published and fairly well received short story collection。 The other has a story to tell， a wild story about being contacted as a ghost writer for an exiled oligarch。 Soon the lines between fiction and reality begin to be erased， a pervasive paranoia seeped through from one man to the other， mingled with distrust and a mutual need for company， albeit for different reasons。 It turns into an exploitative relationship， but also strangely symbiotic。 There’s no question that the protagonist is the one doing the exploiting， appropriating someone’s story for his own gain， and yet， immoral as that may be， it makes for a strangely compelling journey into darkness。 There’s a fascinatingly serpentine quality to it all or maybe， more appropriately， a nesting doll motif。 Chris Power himself is a British author for whom this book is a sophomore effort after a well received short story collection。 It’s a story within a story within a story。 It’s clever and oddly magnetic of a construct。 And the writing…well， it’s great。 The internationally set story displays a terrific ability to convey the place every time， be it the rainy London， bleak graffitied Berlin or tranquil isolation of Sweden。 Every location provides a perfect stage for the characters’ development， contributing to or echoing their state of mind， every one is their own way a place of loneliness， not aloneness but a certain disconnect with the world around。 It works excellently。 There’s plenty of suspense too， but this isn’t exactly a thriller in a traditional way， more of a darkly psychological game for two with danger potentially lurking around the corner。 I enjoyed this book very much， it read quickly so I didn’t have to put it down too much， two sittings really and well worth the time。 Recommended。 Thanks Netgalley。This and more at https://advancetheplot。weebly。com/ 。。。more
Mitch Loflin
，
I've never had a problem with books-about-writers， books-about-writing， books-about-writers-traveling-through-Europe-reflecting-on-their-craft。 There are a lot of them that I can think of that I really loved。 But for me the start of this was really slow。 I don't want to say it was boring but it also wasn't not boring。 By the time it picks up though， it is so tense and so anxiety-inducing。 So what started out not my favorite ended up being a *wildly* stressful book that I enjoyed a lot and that I I've never had a problem with books-about-writers， books-about-writing， books-about-writers-traveling-through-Europe-reflecting-on-their-craft。 There are a lot of them that I can think of that I really loved。 But for me the start of this was really slow。 I don't want to say it was boring but it also wasn't not boring。 By the time it picks up though， it is so tense and so anxiety-inducing。 So what started out not my favorite ended up being a *wildly* stressful book that I enjoyed a lot and that I think is going to linger in my brain。 。。。more
James Beggarly
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Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the ebook。 Robert has written a book of short stories that got him recognition and a contract to write a novel。 Now Robert has moved from London to Berlin with his wife and two young daughters and his novel is eighteen months past due。 By chance Robert meets another writer from London named Patrick。 Patrick ghostwrites books for public figures。 He was working on a book for a Russian oligarch， but he died before the book was completed。 Patrick now thinks that the p Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the ebook。 Robert has written a book of short stories that got him recognition and a contract to write a novel。 Now Robert has moved from London to Berlin with his wife and two young daughters and his novel is eighteen months past due。 By chance Robert meets another writer from London named Patrick。 Patrick ghostwrites books for public figures。 He was working on a book for a Russian oligarch， but he died before the book was completed。 Patrick now thinks that the people who killed the oligarch are going to kill him next。 Robert is not sure how much of this is real and how much of this is paranoid fantasies， but he thinks maybe he can keep Patrick talking long enough to take this story and turn it into a novel。 This is such a fun， twisting novel。 。。。more
Tom Mooney
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This was a really good read。 Atmospheric， tense and full of intrigue。 It is， on one hand， something of a spy thriller （I hesitate to use the phrase as it's hardly Le Carre but it's the best I can come up with） but also muses in different ways on parenthood， success， the role of writers and the ownership of stories。 Very enjoyable and highly readable。 This was a really good read。 Atmospheric， tense and full of intrigue。 It is， on one hand， something of a spy thriller （I hesitate to use the phrase as it's hardly Le Carre but it's the best I can come up with） but also muses in different ways on parenthood， success， the role of writers and the ownership of stories。 Very enjoyable and highly readable。 。。。more
Sam Quixote
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A writer struggling with his second book happens across a ghostwriter of celebrity autobiographies - with quite the story to tell。 Hired to write the autobio of an exiled Russian oligarch - one of Putin’s many enemies - the oligarch has been found dead of an apparent suicide。 But the ghostwriter is convinced that Putin is behind the death and that his assassins are hunting down all associates of the oligarch - and he’s next。 Chris Power’s debut novel A Lonely Man starts promisingly and has an in A writer struggling with his second book happens across a ghostwriter of celebrity autobiographies - with quite the story to tell。 Hired to write the autobio of an exiled Russian oligarch - one of Putin’s many enemies - the oligarch has been found dead of an apparent suicide。 But the ghostwriter is convinced that Putin is behind the death and that his assassins are hunting down all associates of the oligarch - and he’s next。 Chris Power’s debut novel A Lonely Man starts promisingly and has an intriguing premise but he doesn’t do enough to develop it into something more engaging。 As a result my interest began to dip after the first act and kept going down until I was relieved to finish the book。 Power sets up the premise well and I enjoyed the initial meetings between Robert and Patrick。 Robert’s a frustrated novelist， Patrick’s a man on the run - all well and good。 But beyond learning about Patrick’s involvement with Russian politics， nothing further happens。 What was the point of seeing Patrick get the job of ghostwriter when he already told us that’s what he was hired to do？ It added nothing。 Robert goes to a friend’s funeral， he goes to his Swedish holiday home to write， he contemplates an affair for no reason， there’s some suggestion of harassment from Russian goons - it’s precious little substance to make up nearly all of a novel。 I think Power was trying to create some ambiguity about whether or not Patrick was telling the truth or was making it up but I was never convinced he was a fantasist， which only made the ending all the more anticlimactic and flat。 Also， Power attempted some feeble pontificating about the ethics of a writer writing about other people’s lives for their own gain which was neither clever or thoughtful。 The passages about the writing process itself were sorta interesting， the book is easy to read and is mostly well-written， and I liked the early scenes of the novel。 But for a literary thriller it’s not very tense at all and painfully insubstantial。 Also， Power has nothing new to say about the Putin regime that most people won’t already know/suspect （let alone those like me who’ve read entire books on the subject like Ben Mezrich’s Once Upon a Time in Russia） so it’s an extra-forgettable narrative！ It starts well but Chris Power unfortunately failed to realise any of the premise’s potential。 A Lonely Man is an increasingly tedious and underwhelming literary thriller that leaves no impression behind whatsoever。 。。。more
Mary Lins
，
“A Lonely Man”， by Chris Power， is a bit difficult to describe。 The basic plot is that in Berlin， a struggling writer， expat， husband， and father named Robert， meets a fellow expat writer， Patrick， who may or may not be hiding from Russian assassins who may or may not have killed an oligarch who had hired Patrick to ghost write his autobiography in which he was going to “expose” Putin and his corruption。 These guys might or might not be also after Robert。 The novel both is and isn’t as confusing “A Lonely Man”， by Chris Power， is a bit difficult to describe。 The basic plot is that in Berlin， a struggling writer， expat， husband， and father named Robert， meets a fellow expat writer， Patrick， who may or may not be hiding from Russian assassins who may or may not have killed an oligarch who had hired Patrick to ghost write his autobiography in which he was going to “expose” Putin and his corruption。 These guys might or might not be also after Robert。 The novel both is and isn’t as confusing as that sounds。So you can see that it’s a study in contrasts; truth， fiction， friendship and betrayal。 Like fictional Robert， Chris Power is an acclaimed short-story writer whose next book is to be a novel （meta much？） In many ways “A Lonely Man” is a collection of stories about Robert and Patrick， including the strange one that Patrick tells about this oligarch。 There are also stories unrelated to the plot that give us insight into Robert; such as a section wherein he goes to an old friend’s funeral in London。 It’s a fast-paced story and held my interest throughout！ 。。。more
Areeb Ahmad （Bankrupt_Bookworm）
，
This one is Chris Power's debut novel & he has published a collection of stories before。 The protagonist of this novel is Robert Prowe， he's also a writer with a published collection of stories struggling to write a novel。 You will be forgiven for believing that this is yet another book about writers and writing， whose main protagonist is a thinly veiled stand-in for the author himself because， on many levels， it is exactly that。 Power however plays with this old and overdone idea by deftly blur This one is Chris Power's debut novel & he has published a collection of stories before。 The protagonist of this novel is Robert Prowe， he's also a writer with a published collection of stories struggling to write a novel。 You will be forgiven for believing that this is yet another book about writers and writing， whose main protagonist is a thinly veiled stand-in for the author himself because， on many levels， it is exactly that。 Power however plays with this old and overdone idea by deftly blurring the boundaries between fact and fiction， creator and creation， story and subject。 Prowe is working on the same book as Power， but the former has a lesser degree of separation。 So the Russian oligarch Vanyashin's story gets mediated by Patrick and Patrick's narrative gets mediated by Robert which in turn is mediated by Chris。 The reader is at a loss about what to accept as truth， what to interrogate。From Vanyashin to Patrick to Robert， its title is applicable to all three of them but who is it actually meant for？ The novel shifts from literary fiction to a standard thriller as Robert's work-in-progress bleeds onto the page， substituting and hijacking Patrick's narration of the events surrounding Vanyashin。 In the end， it was easily readable & interesting but the book sadly did not leave much of an impact。 It also visibly lacked tension & felt muddled。 All the scenes of mundane domesticity were dull。 I don't think it subverted common tropes enough ultimately。（I received a physical proof copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。） 。。。more
Corey Terrett
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My copy was gifted。 I have been really looking forward to reading this and I really enjoyed it。 It's really intelligent， smart， suave and some great characters。 A great and intriguing thriller that you don't want to put down。 My copy was gifted。 I have been really looking forward to reading this and I really enjoyed it。 It's really intelligent， smart， suave and some great characters。 A great and intriguing thriller that you don't want to put down。 。。。more
Jill Westerman
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Robert lives in Berlin with his Swedish wife and two daughters。 He has had one collection of short stories published is struggling to write a follow up novel。 One day he meets a drunken Englishman， Patrick， in a bookshop and later on saves him from being beaten up。 Patrick buys him a meal and begins to tell him an intriguing story - in which Patrick was commissioned to write the biography of a Russian oligarch， who is now dead。 Patrick is convinced he was murdered and that Patrick himself is now Robert lives in Berlin with his Swedish wife and two daughters。 He has had one collection of short stories published is struggling to write a follow up novel。 One day he meets a drunken Englishman， Patrick， in a bookshop and later on saves him from being beaten up。 Patrick buys him a meal and begins to tell him an intriguing story - in which Patrick was commissioned to write the biography of a Russian oligarch， who is now dead。 Patrick is convinced he was murdered and that Patrick himself is now being followed and is in danger。 Intrigued Robert begins to create a novel out of Patrick's story。 So we have a novel about a novelist writing a novel drawn from real life。 It is good in parts。 Until I saw that Chris Power has published a collection of short stories （life imitates art once again） I thought that this must be a debut piece - sometimes gripping， particularly the beginning， but often not well written， with far too much irrelevant domestic detail and dull dialogue。 And the analogies about the creative process of writing are too well-used to work well for me at least。Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy。 。。。more
Blair
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At first， A Lonely Man appears to be the archetypal Difficult Second Book。 Its narrator is one Robert Prowe， who published a collection of short stories a few years ago to ‘some good reviews， a small prize and negligible sales’， and is now behind on delivering a novel he hasn’t even started writing。 （Power published his debut collection， Mothers， in 2018。） Robert goes on to ruminate on whether authors should draw inspiration for their fiction from their own lives。Slowly， something more intriguin At first， A Lonely Man appears to be the archetypal Difficult Second Book。 Its narrator is one Robert Prowe， who published a collection of short stories a few years ago to ‘some good reviews， a small prize and negligible sales’， and is now behind on delivering a novel he hasn’t even started writing。 （Power published his debut collection， Mothers， in 2018。） Robert goes on to ruminate on whether authors should draw inspiration for their fiction from their own lives。Slowly， something more intriguing unfolds。 Robert crosses paths with Patrick – a stranger but， like him， an Englishman in Berlin。 When the two become friends， Patrick tells an incredible story about what has led him there: a story about being the ghostwriter of a Russian oligarch’s autobiography， and mingling with the rich and beautiful; a story about the oligarch dying in mysterious circumstances， and Patrick， the possessor of his secrets， being pursued across Europe by shady characters。 Robert doesn’t believe him。。。 but he wants to use the story。Some of what we read is Patrick talking to Robert; some is Robert’s novel-in-progress， his fictionalised， spiced-up version of Patrick’s account。 （And of course， everything we read is a fiction concocted by Chris Power。 Unless it isn’t？ The similarities between the author and the character of Robert make it easy to speculate。） These layers are captured in the title: the phrase ‘a lonely man’ never appears in the novel， and could be applied to either Robert， Patrick or the oligarch。 On top of this tension between stories， the plot becomes unexpectedly thrilling towards the end。 Robert’s rendering of Patrick’s tale gives way to a truly tense denouement， as though his sensationalised characters have crept off the page and invaded his real life。Honestly， though， I think the thing I liked most about A Lonely Man was just the writing on a sentence level。 Power has a great eye for the mundane details of domesticity， including the the sort of parenting stuff I normally can’t stand reading about but really appreciated here。 And it wasn’t until after finishing the book that I realised how clear the settings were in my mind。 Its excellence is not showy; it feels effortless。 I savoured every perfectly crafted line。I received an advance review copy of A Lonely Man from the publisher through NetGalley。TinyLetter | Linktree 。。。more
Siobhan
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A Lonely Man is a novel about a writer in Berlin who becomes drawn into the life of a stranger he meets in a bookshop， who may or may not be being chased by Russians。 Robert lives in Berlin with his wife and two daughters， where he spends his time trying and failing to write a follow up to his debut book of short stories。 At an event in a bookshop， he meets Patrick， who seems drunk and unpredictable， but after he helps Patrick out， they meet for drinks and Robert discovers that Patrick is a ghos A Lonely Man is a novel about a writer in Berlin who becomes drawn into the life of a stranger he meets in a bookshop， who may or may not be being chased by Russians。 Robert lives in Berlin with his wife and two daughters， where he spends his time trying and failing to write a follow up to his debut book of short stories。 At an event in a bookshop， he meets Patrick， who seems drunk and unpredictable， but after he helps Patrick out， they meet for drinks and Robert discovers that Patrick is a ghostwriter for a recently-dead Russian oligarch。 Robert doesn't believe Patrick is really in danger， but maybe his story could give Robert so much needed content for a novel。The atmosphere of this novel really drew me in， with a vividly described Berlin and a real sense of this British man who still sees the novelty of living there （he does know much German， much less than his Swedish wife）。 At first， it was hard not to be like 'oh great， another novel about a writer struggling to write another book'， and I think this feeling would've been worse if I knew that Chris Power is also known for writing a book of short stories， but after a while I got more engaged with the narrative， especially the way it stays mundane whilst also having underlying threat。 The narrative is broken up by sections that Robert has supposedly written as he turns Patrick's story into fiction， which both unfold the story （unreliably of course） and bring up questions about what is the truth and what writers can write about。 It was quite apparent this was what the novel was going to engage with seeing as quite early on it becomes clear that Robert's short stories were mostly just anecdotes from other people he fictionalised。 This did make the 'novel about a struggling writer' stereotype a little more palatable， as it brought up some questions about what people write about and even by implication if writers should write so many books that just fictionalise people they know （and， indeed， themselves）。Though I did enjoy reading A Lonely Man for the Berlin setting and the low level tension， it didn't do enough to subvert or play with the kind of novel it is， especially with a writer protagonist。 There was a momentary flirting with having an affair which I didn't see why the novel needed， especially as most of the other narrative elements felt controlled and very much like they'd all been purposefully chosen for symmetry and comparison throughout the novel as a point about how writers turn stories into something better for fiction。 Overall， I appreciated the execution （the sections of Robert's writing about Patrick were a bit dull， but necessary for the concept） and the atmosphere as a low key literary thriller and it had quite a noir feeling that I think people will enjoy。 。。。more
Neil
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I have to confess I didn’t get off to the best start with this book。 This is for reasons entirely down to me and nothing to do with the book。 You see， the main character in the book， Robert Prowe （shift the r to the end of the surname for a clue） is a writer with a collection of short stories behind him， one of which is about his family on a Greek holiday， who is currently writing his first novel。 My immediate reaction is “Oh no， not another novel about writers and writing where the protagonist I have to confess I didn’t get off to the best start with this book。 This is for reasons entirely down to me and nothing to do with the book。 You see， the main character in the book， Robert Prowe （shift the r to the end of the surname for a clue） is a writer with a collection of short stories behind him， one of which is about his family on a Greek holiday， who is currently writing his first novel。 My immediate reaction is “Oh no， not another novel about writers and writing where the protagonist is a thinly veiled （or not so thinly， maybe） version of the author”。 （The similarly named Richard Powers once wrote a novel in which an author called Richard Powers who had written the same first four books as， err， Richard Powers， was the protagonist， for example， but there are lots of other options to choose from）。That said， Chris Power has written a very readable story。 I was amazed at how quickly the pages flew by and I comfortably read the whole 300+ page book in a single day （COVID lockdown helped a bit with this as I do have more reading time than normal at the moment）。In this story， Robert is in a bookshop and reaches for a book at the same time as another man who， it turns out， is also a writer。 （What a lot of writers there are here）。 This man immediately goes on to disrupt a reading by another writer （see！） before leaving and being rescued by Robert and his wife from a brawl。 Robert and the other man， Patrick， strike up an uneasy relationship and Robert becomes fascinated by the story Patrick tells him about Russian oligarchs and corruption。 Robert sees fictionalising Patrick’s story as a way out of his writer’s block。 He decides against asking Patrick’s permission for this which is another one of the writerly themes explored to a degree in the book。As you might expect， Robert gradually gets sucked into Patrick’s story。 And he becomes absorbed in his efforts to capture that story。 Interestingly for the novel’s structure， the book segue’s seamlessly in and out of the story Robert is attempting to write。 This doesn’t happen very often， though。 Unfortunately， I don’t think Robert is， on this evidence， a very good writer and these bits of the book， despite being key to the plot of the story， feel somewhat lacklustre/cliched。It’s an entertaining story to read。 For a novel about people being trailed through cities， threatened by gangsters etc。， it never generated any kind of tension for me。 I enjoyed reading the book and， as I’ve said， the pages flew by really quickly， but， after a bit of a false start it never drew me in。My thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Lonely Man
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Lonely Man&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Lonely Man&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0