Book Review by Molly Johnson

We all agreed that the latest book discussion choice didn’t quite hit the spot and live up to the glowing reviews plastered on the cover. Perhaps the original title “Tony & Susan” should have already indicated a not so exciting read, but despite the difficulty some of us had to power through its 370 plus pages, we did all think it showed some promise at the start.

Austin Wright, the author of this novel – recently made into a movie with a slightly more enticing ‘Nocturnal Animals’ title – has a rather unique writing style. But many of us felt like it lacked any flow, and struggled to get going at times.

Tony & Susan tells the story of Susan Morrow, who receives the transcript of ex-husband Edward’s newly completed novel, Nocturnal Animals. She is tasked with giving her critique on his writing efforts, which she’d struggled to praise during their marriage. While the intention of Wright, we thought, was to create some kind of link between the life of “Tony Hastings” – Nocturnal Animal’s protagonist – with that of Edward and Susan, many of us were left disappointed by the lack of such a revelation. (more…)