I’ve literally just finished The Zero And The One and it’s got my head in a bit of a whirl. This is a novel that has definitely got under my skin. It is dark; it is disturbing; it is compelling.
The Zero And The One is a novel about a suicide pact that goes wrong. Don’t worry, that is not a spoiler!
Owen is a lonely student in his first term at Oxford University. From a working class background he struggles to fit in with his University peers and is also out of touch with his parents and former friends at home. So when American exchange student Zach charges into his life and shows him that ‘Every white man looks ridiculous when he dances‘ yet the ‘trick is not to mind that you look ridiculous. Not to give a fuck. To dance for yourself and not for other people,‘ Owen is in awe. The irony is that through his friendship with Zach, Owen starts to live.
Zach continuously challenges the boundaries of convention and morality. Young and impressionable, Owen just follows. Zach then proposes the ultimate moral transgression; a suicide pact. Yet when Zach’s plans go awry, Owen is left to pick up the pieces and confront some dark truths.
The Zero And The One is the debut novel of Ryan Ruby. With philosophy being the tool that moves the plot along, this novel has been dubbed as a philosophical thriller. Yes, I admit as I am not the biggest fan of philosophy, early on in the novel I struggled to maintain my concentration when the narrative got deeply philosophical.
However don’t let this put you off as as the story progresses, the plot gets darker and more intriguing. It had me guessing throughout and I soon found myself thinking about this book more and more; as I was driving home from work; as I was lying in bed at night on the verge of sleep; as I was in the shower in the morning. I’ve been desperate to find out how it ends.
And now I know. If I’m honest I’m still making sense of the ending. I do know however I will still be thinking of this book tomorrow as I go about my everyday routine, and most likely the day after and the day after that. I also know that I’m really keen for other people to read this book and see what they think. So please read it and feedback to me.
Thank you Legend Press for sending me an advanced copy of The Zero And The one in return for an honest review. Thank you also for inviting Novel Delights to take part in the blog tour.
As highlighted above, I am part of the blog tour to help publicise this unique book. Please also have a read of the reviews from my fellow bloggers.
Publication date of The Zero And The One: 15 March 2018.
It is available from Amazon now, so go and buy a copy and let me know what you think.
My rating:
