Elliot Chase, the narrator of this story, is without a doubt a Narcissist.
He succeeds in pulling on your heartstrings by describing an early childhood of emotional and physical neglect or abuse that bordered on the criminal.
Elliott left home at seventeen and lived on the streets of London. He hints that he did whatever he had to to survive – right down to sex trade work. Elliott’s escape mechanisms from this sordid life were alcohol, drugs – and the movies. It is there that he first saw and fell in love with Lana Farrar: flawlessly beautiful and larger than life on the massive movie theater screen.
When Elliott is taken up by a famous writer as her live in lover, Elliott eventually gets the opportunity to meet his idol. A strange friendship evolves. Alas, Elliott is totally obsessed by Lana, whereas Lana can only feel friendship for Elliott.
And therein lies the crux of the conflict. Elliott deludes himself time and again into believing that Lana does in fact love him. Even when she marries someone else, he still cannot shake the belief that they were meant to be together. You do feel a tad sorry for him, but he is so obviously the author of his own misfortune. The lies he tells everyone else and himself are keeping him locked in an unhealthy fantasy world.
I can’t go into much more detail for fear of spoilers. I did suspect a major plot point half way through this story. (With all these actors and dramatists lurking about in this novel – who could resist the temptation to turn the tables on their tormentors in this way?!!) I’m sure many of you will suspect the truth as well, but the dramatic reveal was still gripping for me – regardless of the fact that I had already guessed what was afoot.
I did enjoy this well-written, character driven thriller by Alex Michaelides. The Maidens is my favourite of his novels thus far – and Mariana Andros makes an appearance in this story – as Elliott’s therapist. (I always enjoy it when Michaelides links his other books in this subtle way!)
I’m rating this one 4.3 out of 5 stars because the imagery and storytelling were stellar, but the pitfalls of having an unreliable, emotionally disturbed narrator is that you weren’t always sure what was wishful thinking on Elliot’s part or actual fact. With this type of storyteller, there is a fair amount of backtracking and misdirection, so the reader can get a bit muddled, and I wasn’t always sure if Elliott – or I, for that matter, were to blame for these muddles!
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!” kept running through my head!
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Crossing the Pond Reviews 
4 replies on “The Fury, by Alex Michaelides.”
I found the setup of the book (constantly talking to the reader) to be boring and tedious.
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Again. Always talking to reader is boring and tedious. Ugh.
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I was taken in by Elliot Chase– felt sorry for him throughout the whole book. He appeared to be a victim. The ending was a let down . Was disappointed with the plot. Elliot really made us believe what a victim he was and maybe his early sad life caused this.
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I used to have a hard time with unlikable characters. It is one reason, amongst several others, that I won’t read Lolita by Nabakov. People praise his lyrical writing, but I just could not bring myself to get into the headspace of such a creep of a main character. I remember that reading Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar sent me into a spiral of depression: that book is SO GLUM and the female character had one bad thing after the other happen to her. Too much! Here, we only get Elliott’s point of view. Perhaps his parents were indeed spoiled, self-centered jerks who shouldn’t have had charge of a gerbil, much less a child. Many people have managed to rise above their early childhood experiences, but obviously not Elliott. Everything had to serve his purpose, and he always had a good excuse for his bad behaviour. So misunderstood: boohoo. I did feel a bit sorry for him… but not much. I enjoyed this because I like it when authors experiment with style and setup. It doesn’t always work for some people, but I like going along for the ride. Good luck with your next read, and thanks for the comment, Jennifer!
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