Much like the bulk of characters in this unusual novel, I am uncommonly conflicted in regards to the good vs bad of this brutal thriller. The Spiral is undoubtedly ambitious, highly inventive and thought-provoking, but do those qualities alone equate to impressive in a literary context?

Ryan’s choice to explore contextual judgements from within a highly academic setting is a loaded, and I think clever one. At first, I felt similarly about his decision to explore the fate vs free will debate through the lens of those ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ books that were popular when I was young. The irony of the distinct lack of autonomy with their pre-determined outcomes was not lost on me even as a child (and was I think the key reason I did not like these books) and Ryan demonstrates this well on multiple story levels.

However, by The Spiral‘s conclusion, I was left questioning whether Ryan’s utilisation of the choose-your-own-adventure framework in an experiential manner was ultimately its weakness. Continue reading >> https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2021/03/the-spiral-by-iain-ryan-review-brut... ( )