The Disassembly of Doreen Durand

I’ve given a lot of thought to writing this review as The Disassembly of Doreen Durand is unlike anything I have read before. It’s a meld of genres – literary thriller, mystery and magic realism – and its story of a woman’s unravelling life and her deteriorating mental health after witnessing a tragic accident, is intriguing and unique.The author has created a central character, Doreen, who although complex and perplexing at times is also endearing and elicits empathy. The star in the cast of supporting characters is undoubtedly Violet Cascade: a glamorous, enigmatic enabler whose deep friendship with Doreen is life altering to say the least!This is a dark, occasionally sad tale but not without its lighter moments. As the story reaches its denouement the narrative takes on a surreal quality and I enjoyed being challenged by its playfulness and the enticement to suspend disbelief.Well written and cleverly conceived this isn’t an easy read but it is a satisfying and thought provoking one. it certainly maintains the intrigue and keeps the reader guessing.Thank you to Sandstone Press for the hardback copy of this fascinating novel.

I read this over a weekend and loved it. It's a fast paced novel, that explores how a woman's unraveling accelerates after witnessing a tragedy. In her distressed state, Doreen is crushed by our normal world and its conventions, (this first section is the strongest part of the book) but help to rebuild herself comes from an unlikely source; just how unlikely is not revealed until the very end. The story is skilfully told, his prose style is very deft; there is plenty of humour as events - even the more grisley ones - race along. It reminded me of some of Margaret Atwood's non-science-fiction novels, such as "Robber Bride" or "Lady Oracle". A great read

After having witnessed a horrific accident, Doreen Durand dispose of all her belongings in a dumpster before taking off running barefoot down the middle of the highway in rush hour traffic. Since her flatmate up and left her, Doreen's life has slowly unravelled out of control. First, it was the furniture that Whitney sold off to stranger's showing up at Doreen's door. She then goes on to detach herself from all external responsibilities and stops showing up at work. As her nervous breakdown progresses, Doreen is seemingly shutting herself off from the world until the hole she has dug for herself is so deep and cavernous that she doesn't know how she'll ever get herself out of it. Until the mysterious Violet Cascade shows up - a stranger that somehow seems to know way more than is humanly possible.It's no exaggeration to say that this is was like nothing I've ever read before. From having been about a millennial woman suffering a mental breakdown, it turned into a bit of a crime thriller for a bit, before the magic realism was brought on as the narrative progressed. I was constantly kept guessing at what was really going on beneath the perfect exterior of Violet. Even as her relationship with Doreen blossoms into a beautiful friendship she still continues to be shrouded in mystery, which propels the reader onwards in a quest to uncover the truth. The real truth.I'm finding it difficult to find the right words without spoiling the story, but The Disassembly of Doreen Durand was a refreshing genre bending gust of wind where I had no idea what was going to happen next for the entirety of the novel. I really appreciated how it dealt with mental illness, friendship, and trauma and I can't wait to see what #ryancollett does next.Thank you so much @sandstonepress for this #gifted ARC!

This is a tough review to write, as I don’t want to give anything away. If you are into a book that crosses genre’s a little, that leaves you wondering at the end then read this book.The prose is beautifully written, the characters are well crafted especially Doreen Durand. I really felt for her at the beginning as she lost everything, then witnessed something that I really think sent her spiralling over the edge. Until she meets Violet Cascade who randomly comments on her hair in a cafe on a day that Doreen probably looked dreadful. Then she meets her again as she is trying to run and just sits in the road Violet takes her in.But who is Violet Cascade? What is Violet Cascade?Then Officer Solloway who becomes obsessed with tracking Doreen down even if it may cost him, he is determined to find her but why, when the guilty party was caught. He was initially worried that something had happened to Doreen is that why he wanted to find her? But it seems to Doreen like she feels she is wanted by the police for failing to admit to witnessing what had happened.This is a debut novel by Ryan Collett and I for one will be looking to see what he writes next.Thank you to #SandstonePress for my ARC of this book.

Doreen’s life is spiralling out of control. Her flatmate has left, the furniture is being sold off and then she witnesses a fatal accident.Due to her own mental health issues, she doesn’t ring for help and the police went to know why. But then she disappears with Violet Cascade, who just appears in the middle of this.This is a difficult book to review without any spoilers. I enjoyed reading the story although I have to be honest and say that I didn’t totally understand the ending. The book moves through a number of genres and is a well written debut novel.

It's weird, engrossing and I don't know what to write as my impression changed more times.The style of writing is excellent, the characters fleshed, the plot is tightly knitted but you are always left wondering if you understood correctly or it's just a reflection of your emotional part.I recommend it but beware that this is a sort of trip.Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Great book, written beautifully! Highly recommend!!