This book came as a recommendation, and I have to say that I didn't know much about it prior to starting it.
Released a couple of months ago by Melbournian-based journalist and author, Liam Pieper, The Toy Maker is his first book.
In the opening pages, we are introduced to Adam Kulakov, a married man with one young son, who owns a successful toy company and is quite well off.
I found the beginning of the story to be out of my comfort zone as we discover that Adam has a mistress - she is only a teenager (a Year 10 student!) and the sex scenes were a little confronting.
My distaste for Adam snowballed from there. He is egotistical, and one of those characters you love to hate.
Actually, almost all of the characters in this story aren't very likeable, however, the story is still quite compelling and worth reading.
So, the toy company is family owned, and has been passed down to Adam from his grandfather, Arkady.
Adam's wife, Tess, helps run the company, and does her best to keep everything in order, both on a professional and personal level.
But Adam's indiscretion comes back to haunt him, and he has to do everything he can in order to try and hold on to everything he has worked so hard for.
But Adam isn't alone in his struggle to hide the truth.
His grandfather, Arkady, was imprisoned in Auschwitz during the war, and had to make the most difficult decision of his life. Now, as he learns that his life is coming to an end, he fights to hold back the secret that has tormented him for so many years.
I must admit that the secret that Arkady held onto was something that I wasn't expecting at all, and I was quite surprised.
It is a great twist to the story!
Although this book does have some rather torturous scenes, and may not be for everyone, it is written well.
I'd love to hear about when you've totally disliked a character in a book.
And if you haven't done so, you can enter my giveaway to win a 3 month book subscription here: http://inthegoodbooksblog.blogspot.com.au/2016/07/bookabuy.html Entries close tonight!!
Sounds like an intriguing book! I love it when the character isn't a hero and someone we can dislike! But come to think of it, no one comes to mind immediately! I didn't like Bridget Jones' character in the last book very much. She was getting absurd and way too immature.
ReplyDelete