Written by M. Ocampo McIvor⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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My thanks to indie author, M. Ocampo McIvor, for a free copy of Ugly Things We Hide in exchange for an honest review.
The blurb:
"We all bend the truth from time to time."
It's 2007 in idyllic Costa Rica, and 24-year-old Daniel is carefree while surfing, falling in love, and getting high on the beach with friends. But reality crushes him like a tidal wave when he returns home to Hawaii. Ten years go by, and buried family secrets, questionable decisions, and memories of a girl he never stopped loving would change him forever.
Deeper and Deeper... Darker and Darker...
Restless with his life in Hawaii, Daniel moves to the mainland and delves into the shadowy world of the filthy rich, catering to their whims for money. But his cool, smart, and practical exterior starts to crumble under the weight of his clients’ ugly secrets, though he is most wounded by his own secret shame.
Shocking. Heartbreaking. Unforgettable.
Daniel is a surprising new voice, and his story breaks convention. Ugly Things We Hide shatters our divisive bubbles and illuminates our pain, hopes, and desires. With its surprising twists and dark turns, Daniel's story is one you won't soon forget.
Fiction
Asian American
My thoughts:
The cover is haunting and heightened my expectation. Ugly Things We Hide is McIvor's debut novel and is written in the first person, from Daniel's perspective. The Prologue tells us that Daniel has been in prison for two years, awaiting trial, and that the only witness to the events that put him there, is in a coma. I was immediately hooked, wanting to know whether Daniel was guilty or not, and, if he had tried to kill someone, what were his motives?The story is then delivered in 4 parts.
Parts I and II take us back to a much earlier time in Daniel's life - a time which I felt had no bearing on events in the Prologue. At this point, I struggled to maintain interest in the story, as this section was so completely different to what I had been expecting. I did not see the relevance of Part 1, and it was late on in Part 2 before I got a hint of the 'ugly things' in the title, and which brought me back to the dark psychological story I was excited to read. I should say that this hint was so subtle, I almost missed it.
Parts III and IV deal with Daniel starting a new life in New York, the revelation of more ugly truths, and bringing the story to a close by glimpsing Daniel's life after the trial had finished. This section provided me with the relevant and compelling background of how Daniel came to be in prison and the outcome of the trial. For me, this was 'the story', the best and most enthralling part of the book and I look forward to reading more in this vein from this author.
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