We are The People of Choice
The ones now with courage
And we choose not to fear
This is one solution
It is not the end
Nor is it the beginning
There are always more who choose to live
There is but one certainty
– Nothing Important Happened Today
[ About the Book ]
Nine people arrive one night on Chelsea Bridge. They’ve never met. But at the same time, they run, and leap to their deaths. Each of them received a letter in the post that morning, a pre-written suicide note, and a page containing only four words: Nothing important happened today.
That is how they knew they had been chosen to become a part of the People Of Choice: A mysterious suicide cult whose members have no knowledge of one another.
Thirty-two people on that train witness the event. Two of them will be next. By the morning, People Of Choice are appearing around the globe; it becomes a movement. A social media page that has lain dormant for four years suddenly has thousands of followers. The police are under pressure to find a link between the cult members, to locate a leader that does not seem to exist.
How do you stop a cult when nobody knows they are a member?
[ My Thoughts ]
Nothing Important Happened Today is the latest release from Will Carver, a writer that I am beginning to understand has a slightly alternative approach to his stories. Published with Orenda Books on November 14th (now available in digital format) the praise is steadily rolling in for this book, one that is described as ‘a shocking, mesmerisingly original and pitch-black thriller’
Nine suicides. One cult. No leader.
How would I categorize this book? What genre does it fit? In truth I have no idea. Narrated by an anonymous individual, it feels like you are part of a social experiment as you turn the pages. There is a cruel voyeuristic quality as you know what’s going to happen, you get into the minds of those involved and you shout NOOOOOOOO! but nobody listens, nobody pays any attention to you and you watch as they jump to their inevitable deaths. A horror show plays out in your mind as you relive the moment, the impact, the trauma. It all feels very very real.
As the deaths begin to escalate, the narrator takes us for a history lesson, informing us about other renowned cult leaders that made their mark on our society over the years. Their actions, their need for eventual recognition are all explained to us in a rather surreal and creepy fashion. There is something VERY discomforting with this book with Will Carver’s use of anonymity for many of the individuals involved adding a layer of tension and a palpable air of disquiet to the tale.
As bodies fall, we witness the reactions of others, those in a hurry not wanting to be involved, too busy on their phones, with their own more important lives. The narrator’s description of society is scarily accurate, our self-absorption, our social media obsession, all laid out, as though witnessed from on high and being explained to us by a supreme being. Capture that body falling, film the impact as the body hits the ground, upload it fast, maybe get a viral hit, get more followers, increase your online following, make you famous for 24 hours. All frighteningly portrayed, scarily true.
Nothing Important Happened Today is a work of pure ingenuity and a very very dark imagination. It doesn’t fit it any box and I expect that it’s originator, Will Carver, is the same. A cult is something we all fear, sending a shiver up our spine but we should ask ourselves the question that I have seen posed before,,,are we all not already in a cult of some description? Our choice of diet, our hobbies, our religious choices, how we work, how we play?
Nothing Important Happened Today is much more than a thriller, a mystery, it is a frightening portrayal of our society today. It is a reality check in many ways and as reader, I squirmed with some of the descriptions, because it all felt just too real.
Hats off to Will Carver! Nothing Important Happened Today is an eerie, yet contemplative, read with a noir vibe running through it. It is an intimidating read with a mesmerising, almost dreamlike, narration at it’s core. Unique, compelling and quite the addictive read.
[ Bio ]
Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company.
He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children.
Good Samaritans was book of the year in Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express, and hit number one on the ebook charts.
Twitter – @will_carver
