A Jolting Thriller

 Review by Ronica Wahi

 

Primed for Vengeance

By Gill D. Anderson

Published: August 3, 2021, InHouse Publishing.

Pages: 226.

ISBN: 9781922578563

Life is uncertain. Life is unfair. Life is tragic.

It is just much more so for certain people than for the rest. Among the ones who see life’s most brutal face are those who have a traumatized childhood. Among these are some who become damaged for as long as they live, damaged to the extent that they become a threat to others.

One of the characters in Gill D. Anderson’s latest novel Primed for Vengeance thinks to herself, “…We can make choices in life; certain people just choose to stay in victim mode forever.” (p. 112) Yes, this is the tale of a man – who renamed himself Butch to represent “the tough guy he needed to become, moving forward”- who’s been scarred too much and resorts to violent murders “to gain the recognition he deserved.”

For Butch, trauma and what he considered repeated rejection become too much to deal with, and he ends up turning into a dangerous criminal who feels no remorse for committing brutal murders. Hurting people and intimidating people become the only means for him to achieve some semblance of power and control.

To Anderson’s immense credit, she maintains a neutral, matter-of-fact style, neither harshly condemning this man nor condoning his actions at any point. What she does is provide to the reader the different perspectives and thinking processes of the characters involved. The justifications for his actions that Butch offers himself are provided though; the way his psychology is explored showcases the writer’s acute understanding of the ways in which the human mind can work. This aspect of exploration of the psychological make-up of characters had shone through in Anderson’s previous work Melita too, the detailed review for which can be read here.

In Primed for Vengeance, there are a number of well-created characters, besides Butch. The youth workers Sarah and Jock stand out, and so does the detective Dylan Mathews. Anderson’s own experience as a social worker helps her shape the youth workers wonderfully. Jock, based on a dear friend that Anderson lost last year, is an immensely likeable character for not just the lightness he brings with his jokes and interesting Scottish dialect but also the heroism he eventually displays.

The novel drills home the point that the youth workers have a really hard job indeed. The challenges are many – it is difficult to help kids in residential care deal with trauma and become able at leading meaningful lives, to resolve fights, to deal with injuries to self and others that the kids inflict, to prevent other kinds of damages – such as to property. Despite their best efforts, the youth workers can never do enough – for residential care is really a poor substitute for a healthy and happy family life. Moreover, there is a point beyond which the sincerest of youth workers may not be able to step for they also have some responsibilities towards their families – in fact, this aspect becomes the primary trigger for a grave tragedy that occurs in this novel. One doesn’t always get rewarded for one’s good deeds, for life, we know, is unfair.

Anderson points to how this aspect of society is hard to set right. For instance, there are certain laws that, at times, hinder timely intervention to prevent undoable damage for the evidence is lacking; Australia might be the setting but this is true for other places. She also shows how messed-up parents mess up their kids’ childhoods. After escalating to a very tensed climax, the novel does end on a positive note. But hardly does this ending ease the disturbing sensations that the tale evokes. When traumatized individuals are a part of society, such tragedies remain. And the tragedies are for the damaged youngsters as well as for those they might end up harming.

The tragedies in this novel are chilling. There is violence. And even more disturbing is the fact that these tragedies occur at points and in settings that heighten the sense of trauma. The heart will really constrict at some of the descriptions. Therefore, this might not be a suitable read for someone who is too sensitive.

As the narrative moves back and forth in time, and scenes shift with chapters, the interest and curiosity are kept up. Little details make it more realistic and sometimes, more tragic – Sarah’s orange cardigan, for example, assumes a whole role in the ugly turn her life takes. The Riddler’s riddles or poems that are meant to threaten an intended victim are, no doubt, disturbing but also show Anderson’s skill at rhyme.

Overall, it’s a jolting, thought-provoking crime thriller that keeps the reader tensed.

Strongly recommended!

 

Amazon India link for Primed for Vengeance (Kindle):

https://amzn.to/2WMTWCE

 

Do watch Gill D. Anderson talk of how she shapes her novels, what is her approach to writing, and why Primed for Vengeance is the closest to her heart among all her novels:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2bhnD9NKdM

 

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