Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver

I'm thrilled to be taking part today in the blog tour for the unique piece of work that is Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver. Huge thanks, as always, to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part and to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for my review copy.

The Blurb:

A shocking, mesmerisingly original, pitch-black thriller, which, following the critically acclaimed Good Samaritans, confirms Will Carver as one of the most imaginative, innovative and exciting authors in crime fiction.

Nine people arrive one night on Chelsea Bridge. They’ve never met. But, at the same time, they leap to their deaths. Each of them received a letter in the post that morning, a pre-written suicide note, and a page containing only four words: Nothing important happened today.

That is how they knew they had been chosen to become a part of The People of Choice: a mysterious suicide cult whose members have no knowledge of one another.

Thirty-two people on a train witness the event. Two of them will be next. By the morning, People of Choice are appearing around the globe. It becomes a movement. A social-media page that has lain dormant for four years suddenly has thousands of followers.

The police are under pressure to find a link between the cult members, to locate a leader who does not seem to exist...

Nothing Important Happened Today was published by Orenda Books as an eBook on 14th September 2019 and in paperback on 14th November 2019. You can purchase it from the publisher, Waterstones, Amazon UK, Amazon US and other good booksellers.

My Review:

Oh gosh, where to start! I didn't read any full reviews of Nothing Important Happened Today before I read it, but I had seen lots of comments along the lines of 'OMG!' 'WTF have I just read?' and 'I can't review that!', so I knew I was in for quite a ride.

And guess what? They were all right. Nothing Important Happened Today is pretty impossible to describe. If this was a vlog post (worry not, dear reader, face for radio here) it would just be me exclaiming "Whaaaaaaattt?!", pacing the floor and throwing my hands up in despair.

This is my first Will Carver read, although I have Good Samaritans waiting patiently for me, but I'm already thinking he might be some kind of evil genius. This was unlike any other book I've ever read (and I've read a few) and I'm fairly sure you probably won't have read anything similar either.

It begins with nine people, all strangers, jumping off a bridge at the same time, having received a letter that morning staying simply 'Nothing important happened today'. They are The People of Choice. The passengers in one carriage of a passing train get the best view of this mass suicide - two of them will soon be getting a letter.

The narrator is impersonal and anonymous. The writing style is aggressive. It's blunt and directed at the reader. Short sharp chapters that just grab you. Very few of the characters are named, rather they are simply referred to by a number and a title - Poet, Lover, Nobody. We see snapshots of their lives but don't get the chance to learn too much about them before they are gone. But they are you. And they are me. I think I'm a Nobody. In between these wee glimpses we learn about cults and mass murderers, a fascinating (and well researched) history lesson.

The subject matter will mean this isn't for everyone. It's not an easy book to read but it is totally worth it when it all comes together. It makes you uncomfortable, and it's hard to say it was enjoyable as such. But it is absolutely unforgettable. It gets your head in a spin. It challenges you. It challenges your apathy. How you relate to the world around you and how much you miss. It has harsh, but relevant, things to say about social media. It's also really, really clever. And unique.

I think Will Carver's mind must be a dark disturbing place to be. But going by this, I will happily read anything he comes up with. Nothing Important Happened Today is easily one of my books of the year.

The Author:

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children. Good Samaritans was book of the year in Guardian, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Express, and hit number one on the ebook charts.