The F*ck-It List – John Niven

You’re terminally ill.
Who do you kill?

Set in a near-future America, an America that has borne two terms of a Trump Presidency and is now in the first term of Donald’s daughter as president, Frank Brill, a retired small-town newspaper editor, lives in a world where the populist policies Trump is currently so keen to pursue have been a reality for some years and are getting even more extreme – an erosion of abortion rights, less and less gun control, xenophobic immigration policies.

Frank, a good man, has just been given a terminal diagnosis. Rather than compile a bucket list of all the things he’s ever wanted to do in his life, he instead has at the ready his ‘fuck-it list’. Because Frank has had to endure more than his fair share of personal misfortune. And he has the names of those who are to blame for all of the tragedies that have befallen him.

But eventually, as he becomes more accustomed to dishing out cold revenge and the stakes get higher and higher, and with a rogue county sheriff on his tail, there only remains one name left at the bottom of his fuck-it list.

 

My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things blog tours for the chance to join this blog tour.  I received a review copy of The F*ck-it List through Netgalley.

 

Did you read the blurb for The F*ck-it List?  Two terms of a Trump presidency and then he also managed to manoeuvre his daughter into the Whitehouse after his 8th year ended.

I found John Niven’s depiction of America under 10 years of “Family Trump” to be a deeply troubling place. But Niven made it all seem so plausible and “documents” the Trump Presidency. He explains how the Gun Lobby grew stronger, legislative changes gave voice and power to racist bigots and frankly the future American society is in a pretty unpleasant place.

That’s the background to The F*ck-it List which begins with Frank Brill meeting with his doctor to be told he only has a matter of months to live – cancer.

Frank accepts his time is limited but rather than brood on his situation he decides to take proactive approach to some of his unfinished business; there are scores to settle and balances to be corrected. Frank has had a good job as a newspaper editor and seems to hold a decent (liberal) attitude which means he is not comfortable in Trump’s America. Unfortunately for Frank his personal life has been a bumpy road with mistakes (his) and tragedy (which I found really upsetting to read). Frank wants to hold certain people to account as he believes they are responsible for some of those tragedies.  A road-trip to murder awaits.

Despite my unease over the projected reality which John Niven has created I found myself really enjoying The F*ck-it List.  Frank has clearly been dealt a few bad blows over his 60 years, does that merit the path of retribution he embarks upon? Possibly not but Niven has written Frank’s story so well that you feel his proposed victims may actually deserve their fate.  The morality or appropriateness of his actions is something a book group could really get their teeth into and it would keep a philosophy class engaged for a few sessions too.

Once blood has been spilled there will inevitably be police interest and though he may not know it there is a cop on Frank’s trail.  He makes the connections that others miss – but for *spoilers* reasons I am not dwelling too much on the reasons why this is.  This sets us up for a fun cat and mouse adventure…Frank is unaware there is a “cat” on his tail but the cop is drawing closer to his prey and soon the two will come face to face. Frank has his own deadline to beat – his health is declining and he cannot rest until he has faced down all five names on his F*ck-it List.

Emotive, unsettling and very nicely pitched storytelling from John Niven – I really enjoyed this.

 

The F*ck It List is published by William Heinemann and is available in hardback, audiobook and digital format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Niven/e/B001JSC30W/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1