Today I am reviewing The Dismantling by Brian DeLeeuw for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
About the Book (from the publisher): Troubled med school dropout Simon Worth is faced with the grim reality of failure and massive student loans. Haunted by the accidental death of his sister, he accepts a lucrative job at Health Solutions as a black market organ broker, arranging the sales of kidneys and livers from donors who need the money to recipients whose time on the transport list is running out.
Eight months into the job, Simon is tasked with finding a match for Lenny Pellegrini, a severely depressed ex-NFL player with a serious drinking problem and a failing liver. When Simon is contacted by Maria Campos, he believes he’s found the perfect donor. The surgery goes according to plan, but soon afterward Lenny makes a cruel and destructive decision, while startling secrets from Maria’s past further complicate the situation. Under tremendous pressure to keep the media and authorities from exposing Health Solutions, both Simon and Maria find themselves the targets of Peter DaSilva, Simon’s boss, who is desperate to protect himself and his organization at all costs. Backed into a corner, Simon is forced to decide that, against his better moral judgment, the only way to survive is to put his trust into Maria.
My review: This novel is a very compelling read. Murky moral lines are drawn – and not drawn – as the protagonist, Simon, comes face-to-face with the ramifications of his decision to work at Health Solutions. Exploring the black market organ trade as well as the very-much-in-the-news stories of ex-football players who are suffering from the effects of too many concussions, too many injuries, and the resulting brain trauma, this story is a reflection of part of our world today.
What I loved about the book – and what I found troubling as well – are those murky moral lines I mentioned. How do we validate our decisions? Where do we draw the line? When do we say ‘No?’ At what point do we take responsibility for our actions and try to atone for them? DeLeeuw has written a very good thriller. He isn’t afraid to take on these moral dilemmas and even though the characters are flawed, he has fleshed them out so fully that we understand them. We identify with them. And that’s the hook, isn’t it? We identify with them. so there is a certain logic and inevitability to their choices. On a certain level, they make sense. That’s what DeLeeuw has done so well.
The back stories of Simon and Maria allow us to discover what haunts them and what has shaped them into who they are today. And, as is the case in so many good novels, the need for redemption, though not always consciously realized by the characters, fuels much of the action.
This is a very good thriller that explores moral issues more deeply than most books in this genre. I really liked it. DeLeeuw is a talented writer who has created a riveting and unsettling read.
A very good book, indeed.
About the author: Brian DeLeeuw is an author and screenwriter living in Los Angeles. His first novel, In This Way I Was Saved, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2009 and long-listed for the Dylan Thomas prize, with editions published in the U.K., Germany, and France. “Some Kind of Hate,” an independent horror movie he co-wrote, is currently in post-production. He is a graduate of Princeton University and received his MFA in Fiction from the New School.
Good news! One of you will win a copy of The Dismantling. Just leave a comment on this post and I will choose a winner on Friday evening. Good luck!
For those of you who have always wondered what I sound like: Visit yesterday’s post about Enabling the Change. I took part in a video hangout with 4 other bloggers and, for better or worse, there I am. It’s a short video and it’s pretty entertaining. This is your chance to hear my voice. You may not have another one! Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Happy Tuesday.
Sounds like another really good book Claudia. I’m off to the hospital this morning. My Mom was admitted yesterday with low blood pressure and some other issues we have to deal with. She is in good spirits but at age 84 any hospital stay is worrisome.
hugs,
Linda
Thinking of you and your mom, Linda. Sending healing thoughts her way.
I have always felt that organ donating is in that grey area of medicine. How do you actually pick who gets the organ? Sometimes it seems that those with the most money wins, sometimes not. The man in this book who is on the liver transplant list; is he getting the liver because he is next on the list or because he is a wealthy footballer? If the organ is failing due to misuse of the body,i.e. drugs, drinking,etc., should they be on the waiting list? I’m glad the decision does not rest on me.
Thanks for having the book giveaway.
Have a terrific day!
Deb
Another good review and another new author for me. I will download a sample of the book from iBooks and see if I like it.
Hi!
I am very interested in reading this new release, and I came to your site to follow the TLC tour…and I’m just thrilled to have discovered this giveaway opportunity at the end of your thoughts on the book. I myself always prefer my murky moral lines left undrawn….eager to find out how that unfolds throughout the novel. ;-)
Thank you!
Cheers,
Kara S
I would be much obliged if you would kindly let me know by way of reply here if this comment form doesn’t make my email address visible to you, so that I may leave it in another comment if need be. Otherwise, I will assume the form did its job. Thanks again.
Sounds like a good one. I’m always glad to find a new author.
The plot reminds me of the movie “Coma.” Have you ever seen it? It gave me nightmares. That movie was released in 1978, more or less at the dawn of organ transplantation.
Just watched the video from yesterday’s post. It is very entertaining. What a wonderful group of women, including the doctor, of course.
You sound like a very confident and composed university professor to me.
I find organ donors a very interesting group. I love a thriller, too.
Thanks for this intriguing novel giveaway and your great review.
Sounds like a great thriller. I would love to read it.
Deanna
So enjoyed your post and book review. This is my first visit and was pleasantly surprised to find such interesting content.
You covered the book in such a way that I am eager to discover for myself what motivates the characters.
Looking forward to exploring more of your past blog posts.
I have never read a book that addresses this subject so I will be interested in reading this one. Please enter me in the drawing.
This is a new author for me, but his book sounds really good. I really like the medical theme and of course the fact that it is a thriller. I would love to read it. Thanks for having the giveaway.
The moral ambiguity in a story like this really appeals to me – I like it when a story isn’t simply black and white.
Thanks for being a part of the tour!