Fiction

A Lonely Man

A Lonely Man

  • Downloads：1271
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-10 07:51:30
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Chris Power
  • ISBN：0571341217
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Robert is a struggling writer living in Berlin with his wife and two young daughters。 In a bookshop one night， he meets Patrick， an enigmatic stranger with a sensational story to tell: a ghostwriter for a Russian oligarch recently found hanged， who is now being followed。 But is he really in danger？ Patrick's life strikes Robert as a fabrication， but a magnetic one that begins to obsess him。 He decides to use Patrick， and his story。

An elegant and atmospheric twist on the cat-and-mouse narrative， A Lonely Man is a novel of shadows， of the search for identity and the elastic nature of truth。 As his association with Patrick hurtles towards tragedy， Robert must decide: are actual events the only things that give a story life， and are some stories too dangerous to tell？

Download

Reviews

Ken ，

There are some interesting overlaps with “The Plot” by Korelitz， another literary thriller that came out this year。 Both have a writer as the central character， both build on the thriller genre but in a literary way， both deal with the idea of “who owns a story？“This one has the edge in setting。 The depiction of Berlin is quite good， and gives a vaguely menacing clean to the book。 When the characters leave Berlin the novel sags a bit。But the story is neither as tight nor compelling as the other There are some interesting overlaps with “The Plot” by Korelitz， another literary thriller that came out this year。 Both have a writer as the central character， both build on the thriller genre but in a literary way， both deal with the idea of “who owns a story？“This one has the edge in setting。 The depiction of Berlin is quite good， and gives a vaguely menacing clean to the book。 When the characters leave Berlin the novel sags a bit。But the story is neither as tight nor compelling as the other book; in fact the ending is a bit of a letdown。 It’s an easy read ; not a bad book – but not entirely a successful one。2。75 rounded up。 。。。more

Larry Fontenot ，

After two writers meet at a reading in Berlin， a strange relationship develops。 One writer is struggling with a stalled novel and the other is a ghostwriter whose subject has died。 The subject of the proposed ghostwritten book was a self-exiled Russian oligarch who had come under Putin’s disdainful gaze。 All three of these men could be the title character in Power’s book， particularly the ghostwriter and the oligarch。 One man has no friends at all and the other man was surrounded by people he ca After two writers meet at a reading in Berlin， a strange relationship develops。 One writer is struggling with a stalled novel and the other is a ghostwriter whose subject has died。 The subject of the proposed ghostwritten book was a self-exiled Russian oligarch who had come under Putin’s disdainful gaze。 All three of these men could be the title character in Power’s book， particularly the ghostwriter and the oligarch。 One man has no friends at all and the other man was surrounded by people he cannot trust。 Even the struggling writer feels isolated， although he has a wife and two kids。 The narrative lacks any real tension because we are not sure of the truth of the story telling。 What is appealing about this novel is the detail of the lives of these three men。 Although this is not a riveting plot， I found some sections really worthy， as when the stalled writer goes back to Britain for a viewing of a friend who committed suicide， and finds himself in a panic attack in the middle of a crowd。 That section held a lot of tension。 Most of the book is taken up with stories each writer tells the other。 The stalled writer begins to write a new novel based on the ghostwriter’s tales of the Russian oligarch， but the ghostwriter seems full of paranoia。 He thinks the Russian was murdered and that people are after him because he might know the details of the Russian’s knowledge of Putin’s crimes。 It is in this story-telling method that the novel limps along。 Although we will ultimately discover whether the paranoia is real， the whole moral of the story is similar to what your mother always told you” “Don’t talk to strangers。” 。。。more

Paul ，

A subtle， character-driven， thriller？ It's also a meditation on writing/art。 Not for everyone， I guess， but， this book was certainly for me。 I loved it and keep turning parts of it over in my head。 A subtle， character-driven， thriller？ It's also a meditation on writing/art。 Not for everyone， I guess， but， this book was certainly for me。 I loved it and keep turning parts of it over in my head。 。。。more

Jerry Yudelson ，

I couldn't finish this book。 About 2/3 of the way through， I gave up。 Didn't seem to be going anywhere and the main character was a drunken， failing writer， chasing a story about another drunken failing writer。 I couldn't finish this book。 About 2/3 of the way through， I gave up。 Didn't seem to be going anywhere and the main character was a drunken， failing writer， chasing a story about another drunken failing writer。 。。。more

Cherise Wolas ，

Robert Prowe is a Brit living in Berlin with his Swedish wife and two young daughters （apparently true of the author too）， and is a fiction writer with one story collection published （true of the author） and no inspiration for the first novel he's supposed to be writing， and one night in a bookstore， he and a drunk man reach for the same book， ostensibly， an original of Treasure Island。 The drunk man is Patrick Unsworth， a fellow Brit， who says he's also a writer。 Later that night， Robert and hi Robert Prowe is a Brit living in Berlin with his Swedish wife and two young daughters （apparently true of the author too）， and is a fiction writer with one story collection published （true of the author） and no inspiration for the first novel he's supposed to be writing， and one night in a bookstore， he and a drunk man reach for the same book， ostensibly， an original of Treasure Island。 The drunk man is Patrick Unsworth， a fellow Brit， who says he's also a writer。 Later that night， Robert and his wife save Patrick from a worse beating than he's already received from men in the pub where he was drinking。 When Robert reluctantly accepts Patrick's invitation for thank you drinks and dinner， Patrick tells him a little of his story， that he's a ghostwriter， hired by a Russian oligarch turned critic of Putin who was recently found hanged。 Is Patrick paranoid， delusional？ Are big Russians really following him？ What is a fiction writer lacking inspiration to do？ Perhaps feign friendship with Patrick to hear more of his story， to use for his own purposes？ Do stories draw power from reality or imagination？ Who owns stories？ Who gets to control any narrative？ A cool， noir-ish story， written with clarity and restraint。 。。。more

Laura Spira ，

I found this rather disappointing， after having read a review which praised it highly。 The early part was engaging: a writer， Robert， living in Berlin has an odd encounter with another writer， Patrick， who turns out to be so intriguing that Robert decides to write about him。 Are Patrick's stories of Russian oligarchs （I soon tired of trying to keep track of all the names） true？ Does it matter？ By the end I really didn't care。The descriptions of Berlin and Sweden evoked a strong sense of place bu I found this rather disappointing， after having read a review which praised it highly。 The early part was engaging: a writer， Robert， living in Berlin has an odd encounter with another writer， Patrick， who turns out to be so intriguing that Robert decides to write about him。 Are Patrick's stories of Russian oligarchs （I soon tired of trying to keep track of all the names） true？ Does it matter？ By the end I really didn't care。The descriptions of Berlin and Sweden evoked a strong sense of place but the characters did not develop sufficiently to make a gripping story and there was no plot to speak of。 As a spy novel it didn't work for me and I found Robert so irritating that I was hoping for him to meet a sticky end so the end of the book was something of a let down。 。。。more

Ruben Vermeeren ，

A typical 3，5 stars - interesting but not very special novel about a struggling writer stealing someone else's story about the murder of a Russian oligarch。 I was repeatedly reminded of Robert Harris （who has better plots） and Hari Kunzru （who is a better writer）。 For a thriller it was not exciting enough and a bit slow， for a work of literary fiction it was alright， not great。 Still， I wasn't bored and curious for the ending。。。 A typical 3，5 stars - interesting but not very special novel about a struggling writer stealing someone else's story about the murder of a Russian oligarch。 I was repeatedly reminded of Robert Harris （who has better plots） and Hari Kunzru （who is a better writer）。 For a thriller it was not exciting enough and a bit slow， for a work of literary fiction it was alright， not great。 Still， I wasn't bored and curious for the ending。。。 。。。more

Moirad ，

2 fairly unlikeable men， both writers， meet by chance in Berlin。 The menacing events that result from this culminate in a truly terrifying scene in remote Sweden。 A successful combination of thriller and literary novel， which shows both writers and Russian society in a bad light。

Jack ，

This international， political thriller keeps you guessing as to where it is going。 It is also a story that looks at an author and where he finds his ideas for writing。 There is a powerful Russian oligarch in the middle of this author's next novel or is he？？ This international， political thriller keeps you guessing as to where it is going。 It is also a story that looks at an author and where he finds his ideas for writing。 There is a powerful Russian oligarch in the middle of this author's next novel or is he？？ 。。。more

Lisa Stern ，

Washington Post recommended

Scott Portnoy ，

The book never really got moving。 I found it a bit difficult to care about the two main characters。 The ending felt a bit forced。It was an interesting exploration of what constitutes appropriation of another person’s story。

Connor Crawford ，

this was fun / enjoyable to read， but that's about it。 first part feels like a down-the-middle-thriller， part where he goes to the funeral I actually really enjoyed， and then it kinda peters out towards the end。。。which is underwhelming， and too soon。 the political intrigue in here is really solid and clearly well-researched。 some great scenes and makes me want to get a summer house in Finland， but nothing mind-blowing here this was fun / enjoyable to read， but that's about it。 first part feels like a down-the-middle-thriller， part where he goes to the funeral I actually really enjoyed， and then it kinda peters out towards the end。。。which is underwhelming， and too soon。 the political intrigue in here is really solid and clearly well-researched。 some great scenes and makes me want to get a summer house in Finland， but nothing mind-blowing here 。。。more

Mrs。 Danvers ，

Hm。

Adriana ，

This book is dubbed as a "literary thriller" whatever that means。 In my opinion it's not literary， nor a thriller。 I read half of it， 150 pages out of 300 and barely anything happens。 The writing is flat and boring。 Initially two men meet accident， one is the protagonist， a writer suffering from writers block and a shady character followed by the Russian mob。 Then nothing: the protagonist goes to his vacation home， takes a walk in the forest， chats with his neighbor， is annoyed by his own kids t This book is dubbed as a "literary thriller" whatever that means。 In my opinion it's not literary， nor a thriller。 I read half of it， 150 pages out of 300 and barely anything happens。 The writing is flat and boring。 Initially two men meet accident， one is the protagonist， a writer suffering from writers block and a shady character followed by the Russian mob。 Then nothing: the protagonist goes to his vacation home， takes a walk in the forest， chats with his neighbor， is annoyed by his own kids then he decides （around page 100） he must write that guys story because he's past his deadline with the book。 This novel is a brilliant example of bad writing: chapters that do not advance the story， tell and not show， boring， boring， boring。 I have up reaching page 150 and nothing happens。 。。。more

Nan Patience ，

Getting into serious hard boiled trouble can start with something as simple as reaching for the same book at the same time as a stranger at the bookstore。 Danger soon lurks around every sentence for Robert， his wife and their two young daughters！ I felt relieved with each reprieve， but sooner or later。。。 Chris Power has the Midas touch， turning writers block into international thriller gold。 Well done！

Ginny ，

I don't usually like to read about writers， but I do like thrillers and the plot involving Russian oligarchs kept me turning pages。 And he does a good job with the point he's making about writers。 The protagonist is unlikeable but he manages to keep me reading about him。 And if he hadn't been unlikeable the book would have ended up being a little precious。。。so I was impressed with how he pulled off a delicate balancing act。 I don't usually like to read about writers， but I do like thrillers and the plot involving Russian oligarchs kept me turning pages。 And he does a good job with the point he's making about writers。 The protagonist is unlikeable but he manages to keep me reading about him。 And if he hadn't been unlikeable the book would have ended up being a little precious。。。so I was impressed with how he pulled off a delicate balancing act。 。。。more

Terry94705 ，

3。75 stars。 I think this book would be classified as a thriller， and it did indeed give me an icy thrill。 I enjoyed it， but would’ve enjoyed it even more if I hadn’t mis-followed a clue。 The two main actors reach for a book at the same time in a bookstore。 I went to look up the book but searched Amsterdam instead of Antwerp。 Hmm。 Ian McEwen’s book didn’t seem to open any doors。 Two-thirds of the book later there was a Bolaño reference。 Bingo。 I haven’t read Bolaño’s Antwerp yet， but I could sudd 3。75 stars。 I think this book would be classified as a thriller， and it did indeed give me an icy thrill。 I enjoyed it， but would’ve enjoyed it even more if I hadn’t mis-followed a clue。 The two main actors reach for a book at the same time in a bookstore。 I went to look up the book but searched Amsterdam instead of Antwerp。 Hmm。 Ian McEwen’s book didn’t seem to open any doors。 Two-thirds of the book later there was a Bolaño reference。 Bingo。 I haven’t read Bolaño’s Antwerp yet， but I could suddenly see the homage to Bolaño in these pages。 But the main actor， named Robert， was a caring father and I can’t remember one of those in Bolaño territory。 Some lovely humane and existential moments in this “thriller”。 I look forward to reading Mothers， a short story collection by the same author。 。。。more

S。I。 ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Elegantly written prose。 A compelling beginning。 Mostly potential that doesn't really go anywhere， which I suppose you could say is part of the point （is it though？）。 Kind of interesting reflection on the way in some cases people use other people， what other people （barely） mean to each other， especially through Robert's relationship with Patrick and Liam。 Kind of seemed to me to be about substance versus substance-less-ness（？） of other people， though I did only just finish reading， perhaps my f Elegantly written prose。 A compelling beginning。 Mostly potential that doesn't really go anywhere， which I suppose you could say is part of the point （is it though？）。 Kind of interesting reflection on the way in some cases people use other people， what other people （barely） mean to each other， especially through Robert's relationship with Patrick and Liam。 Kind of seemed to me to be about substance versus substance-less-ness（？） of other people， though I did only just finish reading， perhaps my feeling on what it's about will change。 Gotta say， Robert seems like a shit to me。 Two trivial vents to get off my chest: found the constant "hej" pretentious and annoying， as someone who has lived in another country long term （and actually speaks the language， unlike Robert）。 Also， why such big type？ What is going on？ That contributed to the ultimately insubstantial feeling I got from the novel。 At least it's short， I guess。 。。。more

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 ，

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 ，

A nice easy well constructed read。 Nothing spectacular but if you like reading I guess the structure， language and storyline will satisfy。

Mark Saliba ，

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 ，

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 ，

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 ，

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 ，

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

Jim ，

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

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