Review: Hater by David Moody

Danny McCoyne is struggling with life. He's in a job he hates, with co-workers he has no time for. His marriage is groaning under the strain of raising three kids in a tiny flat on an inadequate salary. And he has to rely on his father-in-law for help, even though the two can barely stand to be in the same room together.

Elsewhere, things aren't so great either. Random acts of sickening violence perpetrated by previously law-abiding citizens are beginning to spook the populace at large. There seems to be no defining characteristic when it comes to the attackers, soon dubbed 'Haters'. Over the course of a week or so, we watch as society breaks down and the effect it has on Danny's family in particular.

Hater, published by Gollancz, benefits from Moody's attention to detail in the early parts of the book. He deftly sketches the details of McCoyne's private and working life in a realistic way that enhances the plausibility of the events that follow. I still don't know how I feel about the events of the last quarter of the book and weeks later I'm still thinking about it. Surely the sign of a powerful work.

The story alternates between set pieces describing individual attrocities committed by Haters and the developing story of the McCoyne family. This is effective in setting the tone of the piece and Moody knows when to ditch it and solely concentrate on McCoyne's narrative.

The explanation for the violent behaviour,when it comes, is vague but convincing - as long as you don't think too much about it. It's a chilling novel, and all the more so in its convincing portrayal of a government unable or unwilling to control a disaster as it spirals out of control.
Guillermo del Toro is said to be producing a film version with Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage) set to direct. It will be interesting to see what this pair make of such a visceral story. Read it now. Moody is going to be a writer to watch.