I read this book while in a mild non-reading mood… I’ll be revisiting this book again when I’m in a reading mood because I know I’ll either love it at that point or hate it, I’m leaning towards the former currently but truly, at the moment I don’t know.. I’ll update if/when I reread.
These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
- Category – Adult Dark Romance / Mystery Thriller
- Length – 460 Pages
- Read Time – 15 Days
- GR Rating – None Yet
This book is written in 4 parts, each an escalation from the previous’s events.
First things first, the prologue, Charlie’s pov was such the perfect opening for this story. It was in the back of my mind the entire book, looking for clues of how it fit into the story until finally reaching that point in it.
Part 1: Paul Fleischer & Julian Fromme, teenage boys entering their 1st year of college meet in a shared philosophy class, immediately taking notice & interest of each other. They’re both away from home during the school year, both 17 years old at the time. The story is told from Paul’s point of view & pretty early in we get a sense that his mind is a dark place. Paul’s family doesn’t know the intensity of his & Julian’s relationship, although in the interactions between them there’s always an undertone of the family knowing the friendship is more than just a casual friendship, however directness just isn’t how they operate. We don’t get insight into Julian’s family until later in the book. Part 1 of the book is 12 chapters & in those chapters things escalate pretty quickly, ending fairly gruesomely.
Part 2: Paul & Julian are back home, on break from school, writing letters to each other throughout the break. It’s during this part of the book that we’re introduced to Julian’s mega rich family, although it isn’t really until half-way thru the 8 chapters that we get to meet them. Julian gets Paul to come help him escape from his family, omitting that that is what he’s there to do & by surprise none the less. The Fromme’s don’t approve of their sons lifestyle choices, especially since those choices clash with their own meticulous plans for their children. Mrs. Fromme tells Paul that he isn’t the 1st boy & won’t be the last, telling him that her son uses these relationships to rebel against them & entertain himself for a season only. Tells him it’ll never last. Regardless they make their escape, driving away together in an old family car Julian’s brother Henry gifts him.
Part 3: Here is where we get to see how dark Paul’s mind is, not just his, Julians too. They entertain themselves & each other by plotting murders in great detail, starting with Julian’s family in a house fire, different hypotheticals with strangers they encounter & eventually progressing to the plan they ultimately follow through. In the 14 chapters of this part we see the rapid progression of this ‘game’ they play, the lengths & detail they go to, even practicing “the endgame” as they refer to their murder plot. Part 3 ends with Julian picking Paul up on the day of “endgame” & another excerpt from Charlie’s (the victim) pov.
Part 4: They really went through with their murder plot. Throughout the book we get an intimate look at Paul & Julian’s relationship, at least the way Paul sees it. We see how twisted their dependency on each other is, how they see this murder plot “endgame” as a way to prove themselves to each other, a way to entwine themselves irreversibly to each other. Paul envisions himself & his life as someone & something completely different post endgame, believes he’ll be transformed & is ultimately disappointed when he still feels the same & sees reflected in the mirror, the same boy.
The plot doesn’t go as smoothly as they’d planned, the body of their chosen victim washing up much sooner than they’d anticipated & hoped for. A police investigation begins & rather quickly leads to Paul & Julian. I will admit the lead detective in the investigation basically guessing the details of their crime without any proof had me rolling my eyes, sure we can all see a few pieces to a puzzle & guess what the picture may be of but the conclusions he was jumping to, he must have been psychic. Paul’s mother knows what her son & his ‘friend’ did, she may not know specifically but knows enough of the facts to piece the truth of it together & chooses to shelter him, to separate him from Julian & excuse him from his next semester of college so he can stay home, under the families watchful eyes. Paul & Julian stay in contact during this time, exchanging wishes & promises for the future via secret notes & rushed late night phone calls.
Unable to cope with the outcome of their crime, Paul decides the solution is for them to die together & lures Julian out to the woods in an effort to make it happen. Julian however senses the danger he is in & flees, struggling with Paul when he catches up to him, pleading for his life. In the end Paul doesn’t kill Julian nor himself, instead returning home long after Julian’s made his escape, to find his family reading his secret journal. The book ends at Julian’s apartment, after Paul’s family decide to take him somewhere. Paul, his sister Audrey & their Grandfather first go to Julian’s apartment only to find it empty. The only evidence of his having been there, an envelope addressed to Paul with a Polaroid of them the day they set their plan in stone & a chess game article.
We don’t know where Paul’s family planned to take him nor where Julian went, those pieces of the story I guess left for us to imagine. As much of the story is actually because we only know Paul’s pov & considering his mind is a dark place can we fully believe he saw Julian as he was & not as who he projected him to be? I can’t…
I haven’t rated this book yet, can’t decide how I feel & I want to reread it while I’m in a reading mood again also, so for now no rating just a recommendation to read it if it sounds interesting.
Thank you for joining me for another review, I’d love to read your thoughts on my review & of course on the book too.
- Have you read this book?
- What was your favorite part? (The exchanges between Julian & his brother Henry)
- What was your least favorite part? (The many questions left by the ending)
- How many stars do you rate this book?
Hasta la próxima – V
Chatting with V 
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