The Fury by Alex Michaelides

Publication Date: January 16, 2024

Publisher: Celadon Books

Pages: 298

Genre: Thriller

Rating:5/5

The Fury is an exquisitely told thriller that I loved watching unfold before me. Because this thriller references Greek tragedies, and is told in the format of a Greek tragedy, it does require some work from the reader. Which means it takes a bit for the story to emerge, but once you understand what is happening you are firmly in the story’s grip and are in for one twisty ride.

The Fury follows our narrator, Elliot Chase, as he tells us the story of a murder that took place on a private Greek island. The island is owned by a withdrawn ex movie star, Lana Farrar, who invites a couple of close friends to join her family to spend Easter there, where several events lead to a murder. And the murder is where the story truly starts and the aftermath is the bulk of the story.

Greek tragedies are told in five parts which Michaelides does here. However, one of the hallmarks of a tragedy is that their is a chorus. And it took me a bit to figure out why there was constant interjections from our narrator, Elliot, but I think these interjections are playing the part of the chorus. Which did take a bit for me to get into it but once I got into the flow of the story I stopped finding it annoying. But the constant interruptions did feel a bit heavy handed at the beginning.

There were 7 characters that were on the island and this book centers around all of them. We had the lusted after movie star, her teenage son, a shady husband, a constantly under the influence actress, two people who work for and are devoted to the movie star, and Elliot. And I chose to not use their names because they are basically just the trope I described them as. Which works well within the confines of this novel due to the framing narrative the story is told with.

I have mentioned more than a few times that I love authors that play around with language and format which Michaelides does perfectly here. As soon as I began reading this story I was captivated by the storytelling and loved the experience of watching this story unravel. I did guess more than a few of the twists but it didn’t hamper my enjoyment at all.

I throughly enjoy Michaelides writing and how he is constantly trying to do something different with his books. He also has the added easter eggs of all his books being set in the same universe which makes it a fun thing for faithful readers of his books. Sadly, based on past precedent, we have at least another two years until we get to read what he comes up with next.