A Decent Ransom
‘A Decent
Ransom’ is not only a wholly well spun tale of a bungled
kidnap caper which is not what it initially appears to be, but it is also an
exercise in creative writing that places Hrubá in a high echelon of
contemporary writers. One of the many aspects of Hrubá’s writing that marks
her as an artist of note is her ability to create a varied cast of characters
– from young teenagers to old men sugar daddies and used loose women,
immigrants with issues particular to their backgrounds to average middle
class couples in brittle relationships, older relatives with perversions, to
women with neuroses/psychoses who converse with their alter egos. And in
bringing such animation to vivid life, Hrubá elects to allow the reader to
hear from each of these many characters, divided for convenience into
individual brief chapters, in the first person singular. Rarely have
characters bristled with life as vibrant as the strange folks involved in ‘A
Decent Ransom’. Hrubá has a way with conversation, not only allowing the
young Phoebus to speak in the innocent voice of a forgotten youth, but also
in presenting the wisely phonetic mispronunciations by the German immigrants
and the Chinese girls. Hrubá keeps things clipped to short chapters and
offers just enough information with each character's voice to allow the
reader to stay on track. After many twists and turns in the plot, brought to
brilliant life by the fact that we are privy to the thoughts and vantages of
each of the characters, the story winds to a surprising and satisfying
climax. Grady Harp, February 2009
The way the author presents various foreign accents which makes a platform for the comic element in the novel. The author also challenges the usual written sentence structure which also contributes to the funny side of the story. “We had a conversation. In the truck, going down the mountain. I didn’t like it. I didn’t. Like it.” (the opening of Chapter 84) There are very distinctive and elaborate monologues that quite often switch to dialogues between the character and another part of the character; such as consciousness or “Me” which I understand is an inner voice vocalizing fear and stressing the adherence to what is proper as a response to the character’s desires. Further, there is somewhat surreal atmosphere at some points in this story. E.g. A dying character seeing “Them” coming, which may indicate some surreal being/s but it is up to the reader to imagine who “Them” might be. A mesmerizing piece of fiction; Ivana Hruba lets her readers use their own intelligence to figure out things for themselves and also gives them space for imagination which gets topped off with the open ending. Thank you, Ivana:) Goodreads reader review, April 2014 'A Decent Ransom' is a deliciously twisted story told by multiple narrators; these shifting perspectives keep the pace quick and the reader guessing. Bold, quirky and outrageously entertaining. Booklist, Sept 15, 2008 issue
A Decent Ransom begins
with a kidnapping which, from the point of view of the kidnappers, appears to
get rapidly out of hand. Then, just when the reader thinks he/she has
predicted the ending, the story takes a unique twist... No, I don't wish to
spoil that wonderful ending, so I'll just say that after a certain point,
you'll be on the edge of your seat while reading this sometimes humorous,
always interesting tale. The characters are well developed, the plot engaging
enough to keep me turning pages. Recommended for adult readers who are
looking for something different to add to the regular routine reading. 1dragones, LibraryThing Reviewer, May 2011
A Decent Ransom is
engrossing -- I highly recommend letting it grow on you and sampling its
varied fruits. Reviewed by Kaolin for GUD Magazine,
January 2010
A DECENT RANSOM is a story of a kidnapping
gone right (according to the tag on the book). More than that it's a
story about a bit of a misfit that somehow ends up okay, despite all the odds
being stacked against him.
The
storyline is pretty simple to start off with - two young (as is revealed)
half-brothers, each a misfit in his own right, coming from a totally
dysfunctional background, live in the dire circumstances that their mother
deserted them in. The elder comes up with a classic get-rich quick
scheme, the younger brother Phoebus is the one who deals with the majority of
the consequences. Their intended victim, Kathy, is the beautiful, yet
mentally fragile, young wife of a seemingly wealthy man. Her husband,
Rupert, is a womaniser and when he opts to refuse to pay the ransom asked,
the brothers are presented with the dilemma of what to do with their
captive. What A DECENT RANSOM has done with this scenario however takes
the reader on a substantially more complicated journey.
Told in
multiple character points of view, the author somehow has designed a story
that elegantly presents each character’s viewpoints without the need to label
or overtly lead the reader. There are subtle pointers to the voices of
the various characters that the reader will pick up as they go along, as the
viewpoint is silently switched, and you launch into a new chapter without
necessarily knowing who you're listening to up-front. That ability to
be inside the heads, to see what they see, to hear what they are thinking -
rather than see "the character" first, creates a very intimate
portrayal of a bunch of people in extraordinary circumstances. There's
a lightness of touch, a sense of humour, a subtle drawing out of the
absurdity of the mess that these people have gotten themselves into.
There's also some fitting light and shade, particularly in the relationship
between the two brothers, and the group of prostitutes, particularly a young
Chinese woman, who seem to be their best friends. These are people who
care about each other, and care about what they have done.
Obviously
the reader is going to assume that the scenario for this kidnapping is prey
turned predator, that Rupert's refusal to pay the ransom will mean that Kathy
sides with the brothers to "get him". Nothing is ever that simple.
A DECENT RANSOM requires some concentration and an ability to roll with the
author. You're not going to get the story handed to you on a plate, but you
are going to get something that is original, clever, and and just flat out
entertaining. AustCrimeFiction,
Book Reviews, May 2009
A Decent Ransom is a
fascinating first adult novel from Ivana Hruba that takes us deep into the
psyches of the main protagonists. It is the story of a simple kidnap plan
that goes horribly wrong because our inner lives can be so different to
outward appearances and physical realities.
Set in a
large country town or the outskirts of a city in Australia it is the story of
Phoebus, a 15-year-old boy who lives with his brother Kenny, a young adult,
in an isolated farmhouse. They are marginalised kids from a background of
abuse and poverty. Abandoned by their parents and abused by an uncle, they
fend for themselves working at a truck stop. Phoebus has left school and is
basically Kenny's domestic slave, subservient to his needs. Kenny is a
borderline psychotic who behaves wildly, egged on by substance abuse.
However, there is a lot of love between them. They only have each other.
They have
befriended two young Chinese prostitutes, Janelle and Lien. Kenny is in love
with Janelle. Wanting to start a better life for them all he comes up with a
plan to kidnap a local woman, Kathryn, and extract a ransom from her rich
husband, Rupert.
Things
start going wrong when Rupert won't pay the ransom.
The story
is told through the eyes of Phoebus, Janelle, Kathryn and Rupert. We are
taken into their thoughts and the truths about their lives, which are not
what they appear to be from the outside. Phoebus and Janelle convey the
character of Kenny to the reader. His character, actions and philosophy on
life drive the story and affect everyone in it, but he never speaks for
himself as the others do.
Finely
layered and compelling, this is a well-written thriller about the rich inner
landscapes that can exist in bleak surroundings. Hruba does particularly well
developing the relationship between Phoebus and the kidnapped woman. He looks
after her and protects her through to the end, even though he is aware that
she has an agenda he doesn't agree with to get revenge on her husband.
How often
is there an enormous difference between what we think and what we say and do?
This is conveyed particularly well in the book by Janelle, whose beautiful
expression of her yearnings and inner feelings to herself is contrasted in
the story with how she is perceived. She has a poor command of English and a
degrading job as a dancer and prostitute in men's club with a mind that
resonates with hope and love and poetry.
In A
Decent Ransom the fates of all the characters, driven by madness, greed,
love, revenge and hope for something better, come together within a clever
plot that moves with humour and pathos to a satisfying conclusion in this
well crafted and totally absorbing story. Bernadette Gooden, Matilda
Reviews, May 2009
"Riveting,
surprisingly complex story of human weakness and yearning with a satisfyingly
uplifting ending..." James
McKinnon, Editor-in-Chief, Kunati Publishing
"Original in its conception and delivered with terrifying authenticity, A Decent Ransom is absolutely riveting..." Lynne Bradley, Executive Director, Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre
“A Decent Ransom is a page-turning drama laced with humor, intrigue, betrayal
and manipulation, with more dark twists than an octopus playing Twister with
an agitated lady squid. It’s like nothing I’ve read before. Switching between
the well-developed characters, the story spools out gradually, teasing and
taunting the reader, giving just enough information to hide the hook, and
then the author reels you in for the sucker punch finale. Like the movies
Babel and Crash, one of the great things about this book is the way the author
skillfully connects her characters when you’re least expecting it, making for
a story that you won’t want to put down...” Amanda Richards, Amazon reviewer
In her first
adult novel, author
Ivana Hruba tells the story of a kidnapping gone awry. I suppose saying so
beckons a definition of a successful kidnapping, which would depend on one's
perspective -- as either the kidnapper or the kidnapped. We have in "A
Decent Ransom" the perspectives of both. It is perhaps, then, up to the
reader to determine if the unusual twists in this particular kidnapping end
well or not.
A Decent Ransom is well written, fresh, fun, creative. Hruba
knows what she's doing on a keyboard. Her characters have shape and color and
voice. They are capable of pulling heart strings as well as tickling funny
bones. It works. They work. And, that rare jewel too few writers wear? Hruba
has it pinned front and center. She can tell a story and she can also tell it
well (two markedly different skills). Sample this:
The hundred-thousand-dollar question has the
face of a sad clown balancing across a tightly stretched rope. One false step
and ...
"The boy is no fool. He waits patiently.
Slumped in the corner like a bag of wet clothes, he evokes the smell of
familiar things. Chopped garlic. Cold pie. Lonely old men. Pool shop owners
dissatisfied with marriage. Burnt oil and burgers. Hair grease. Jasmine tea.
And somewhere in between, there's Bid. Steaming like a bucket of warm pee in
the hot, dusty weather, he pumps petrol. Up and down, the old fashioned way
he cleans the windscreens. Smiling at the tourists but watching me. Always
watching. His eyes like a fish's. His cheeks like an old woman's ass. His
hands like a turtle's claws. And always I said no.”
See what I mean? Bravo! Hruba plays on all the reader's senses and that's
what makes a story memorable. Add a quirky storyline of kidnapped young wife,
straying husband, simple-minded kidnapper, the used (or is she the user?)
mistress, the abusive partner in crime, the oriental stripper, stir it up
with intrigue and revenge, and you are in for a fun ride. As long as you can
keep them all straight -- enjoy! Zinta
Aistars, editor-in-chief, The Smoking Poet
Often
forgotten are the many sides of the usual two-way interaction between
kidnapper and kidnapped. Not so in Ivana Hrubá’s debut novel, A Decent Ransom. In 258 pages, Hrubá explores in poignant first person the
worlds of 15-year-old Phoebus; anxiety-distorted housewife Kathy; Janelle, a
young Chinese immigrant turned prostitute; and Rupert, Kathy’s womanizing
husband.
Each
chapter is told from the point of view of one of the primary characters. This
practice carries the double-edged sword of preventing character fatigue which
often plagues narratives using first person point of view, but runs the risk
of confusion among the novel’s players as the author introduces them. Hrubá’s
skill with characterization, however, assists the recognition of voice as fashioned
here with Phoebus’ stutter: “I asked him his name. R-Rick-ky, he whispered,
pronouncing the word reverently as if it were a new and precious thing.”
Hrubá
takes on a fresh look at the prey-turned-predator concept and the dynamics
between individuals struggling for a better life as plans unravel and worst
fears come to bear, weaving the lives of all her characters, from Rupert’s
reckoning, to Phoebus’ denouement as the unlikely hero, into a lithe web that
illustrates how just one event can alter the destiny of others. A Decent
Ransom’s sojourn into the world of an unscripted kidnapping sets a standard
for thinking outside the often myopic view of commercial publishing.
Reviewed
by Scott Bowen for Prick of the Spindle Literary Journal, February 2009
A Decent
Ransom is a seriously clever book.
I literally could not put this down. The plot in this psychological drama is
seemingly simple - a beautiful mentally fragile woman is kidnapped for a
ransom that never arrives, leaving the kidnappers out of pocket and with a serious
moral dilemma about what to do with the girl. The twists that follow are
truly surprising and unpredictable. Just when you think you've got it worked
out, the action takes an unexpected turn; I can't reveal what happens without
spoiling it - suffice to say nothing in this novel is as it seems. The
characters are well developed and multi-dimensional; with the exception of
the young boy Phoebus who is the quintessential hero in every sense, there
isn't a clear cut villain or hero, which is what makes the story so real. The
multiple perspectives work a treat. This is a thoroughly entertaining and
engrossing read. B.
Douglas
Although this
story is written by an author in Australia, I kept
envisioning various landscapes in the U.S. that I am familiar with. Pristine
Mountain could be a mountain in rural Colorado or Arkansas or many of the
other states in America. It has universal appeal in that the characters could
be seen walking down ANY road…maybe even YOUR road!
Where to
begin telling the tale that our author tells so well? With the boy? With the
kidnap victim? With the victim’s husband? With the kidnapper? The author
spins a tale of suspense and intrigue, drawing us farther and farther into
the story, until we realize that she has really taken us on a ride on a huge
Mobius Strip. If you are not familiar with a Mobius Strip, a model can easily
be created by taking a paper strip and giving it a half-twist, and then
joining the ends of the strip together to form a single strip. Now, take a
pencil and put it down on any spot on the strip…and draw a line the length of
the strip. Your line will go round and round, on the outside AND inside of
the strip, until it meets itself once again. This is what the author does as
she weaves the stories of the characters’ lives! All of the characters flit
in and out of each other’s lives, all interconnected along that Mobius Strip.
She begins with one character and tells the story from that point of view.
Then she steps into the skin of another character and tells you their tale.
She goes on and on and little by little, you eventually find that you are in
possession of the WHOLE story and you are totally stunned by the truth of it
all. You didn’t count on this, you tell yourself. Each character is on that
strip, and their lives all bump into each other in the most unusual ways.
What a delicious tale this author weaves for us. What a wonderful slippery
slope we must climb to get to the whole truth and nothing but the truth. How
delightful it is to find the true hero of the story.
I hope you
take the time to hunt down “A Decent Ransom” and make it a part of your life!
You will come away with a whole new perspective on kidnappings! So, come ride
the Mobius Strip of the author’s imagination! It is a trip well worth
taking!"... Mary
Aycock – Front Street Reviews, October 2008
A Decent
Ransom is an intriguing, genre-bending crime novel.
Ivana Hruba is no Dashiell Hammett grinding out the story in dark, sinister
phrases, no Raymond Chandler wannabe playing hard-boiled detective. Instead,
she has a uniquely soft voice for the genre, one that seduces you into the
world of a gang of kidnappers whose flaws and foibles make the story sing.
The author's use of multiple voices and a time line best viewed in a
fun-house mirror gives the book a dream-like tone that is perfectly
appropriate to the nightmare that is a kidnapping that didn't work out quite
the way anyone imagined it. Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A
Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo
Very very
clever and creative. Ivana keeps you guessing and finally delivers a
satisfying ending. As an author, she'll do just fine and I look forward to
more books. I hope she turns more traditional in one of the future books. I
would love to see her prose talent in basic form. Phillip Jennings, author of Nam-A-Rama, and New
Mexico
"If
you're looking for the unusual, this is it! While this book is certainly a
crime novel, it is like no other crime novel I've read. Instead of butting
the reader forward with the rapid-fire prose characteristic of the genre,
this story washes over you, fully jelling in a leisurely, almost dreamlike
way. Told from the viewpoint of four characters (interestingly enough, NOT
the ones you'd necessarily consider central), going back and forth in time,
it allows you to see the action in a uniquely multi-faceted way. There is
greater complexity in this 258-page book than, I think, any of us are used to
seeing in this kind of fiction. Unusual pacing and depth of story -- that's
what makes this book stand out. I hope to see more from this interesting
author..." Doni
Tamblyn, author of Laugh and Learn
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