CW: This review discusses suicide, mental health and trauma, eating disorders, and assisted dying.
As an author, I’m among the first people who will start extolling the power of a story and the power of words. But what is easy to overlook when talking about how words have the power to shape hearts and minds for the better, is the fact that words can also be used to incite hatred and violence, or to make someone feel small and worthless.
At the heart of Benjamin Stevenson’s new novel Either Side of Midnight is this simple truth: in the right hands, and especially with the development of mobile phones facilitating direct person-to-person communication, words can be the most deadly of weapons.
The central act around which the novel’s mystery revolves is the on-air suicide of Sam Midford, a successful current affairs TV presenter, and Jack Quick, a producer who focuses on crime and conspiracy, investigates the death, at the behest of Sam’s twin brother.
As a producer, Jack knows perhaps better than many how words can frame, depict, and manipulate individuals, which gives him an interesting angle of insight into the investigation. And while he initially thinks there may be no real greater mystery behind Sam’s death, questions quickly arise over exactly what happened and why.
Jack’s insight into how people can be manipulated by words naturally drives the plot to focus on what feels like Stevenson’s central point of interest in the story. The way people have used the internet and mobile technology to incite others to harm themselves, and the fact that this, really, is a form of murder. Stevenson references real cases, and makes an interesting argument: in many instances, the legal framework does not always have provision for the technology which facilitated these interactions and tragic outcome, so it’s impossible to properly prosecute someone. It’s interesting – albeit chilling – food for thought, and a discussion about legislation and the prevalence and occurrence of online bullying that needs to happen.
It’s at this stage that I should note the one thing I wish the book had was a content warning, and a big one at that. The other central themes to the book are mental illness, assisted dying, and eating disorders. I actually think Stevenson largely explores them with nuance and depth. But it’s simply a truth that any story which examines such ideas is going to be a tough read in some places. Certainly, there were one or two chapters where I had to put the book down because the subject matter and questions being explored were too intense for me.
Nevertheless, there is an undeniable importance in unflinchingly discussing such issues, including having a male protagonist who suffers from an eating disorder – which Jack does. Stevenson’s central character isn’t necessarily consistently likeable or sympathetic, despite his condition, but he is a nuanced figure whose own issues lend themselves to reminding the reader that yes, men can have eating disorders, suffer from mental illnesses, and can have open and honest discussions about their feelings, too. Jack’s brother is in a vegetative state and has been since he was fourteen years old. It is a significant aspect to Jack’s identity, and the effect of this trauma on how Jack sees the world, himself, and the book’s central mystery, is portrayed with nuance and thoughtfulness.
I didn’t actually realise this was the direct sequel to Stevenson’s first book, Greenlight. At points, I thought some of the events which took place prior to the novel were referenced with a level of implied detail, but I felt the story stood on its own both in terms of the mystery and the development and trajectory of Jack’s character arc. Only when I finished the book and started research on Stevenson did I realise Jack had a whole other book devoted to him. When I get the chance, I’m definitely going to track down a copy of Greenlight and read it. The uniqueness of Jack Quick as a character both in terms of personality and profession, and the distinctly Australian setting mean I’m curious to experience the events prior to Either Side of Midnight.
While the pacing could be a tiny bit snappier, as the first third of the book did drag a little for me, once I hit the midpoint, I found myself intrigued by the story and premise. I finished the final quarter of the book swiftly, trying to guess ahead of Jack what exactly had prompted Sam Midford to kill himself on live television.
The conclusion is the book’s strongest part, weaving together the various threads that have been woven throughout the story in a truly well-handled manner, and making a thought-provoking point as it does so. For that reason alone, it’s worth persevering through the couple of sections which drag.
Either Side of Midnight is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Either Side of Midnight? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
An electrifying thriller with a mind-bending premise: One million viewers witness a popular TV presenter commit suicide live on air – yet his twin brother is convinced it was murder.
How can it be murder when the victim pulled the trigger?
At 9.01 pm, TV presenter Sam Midford delivers the monologue for his popular current affairs show Mr Midnight. He seems nervous and the crew are convinced he’s about to propose to his girlfriend live on air.
Instead, he pulls out a gun and shoots himself in the head.
Sam’s grief-stricken brother Harry is convinced his brother was murdered. But how can that be, when one million viewers witnessed Sam pull the trigger?
Only Jack Quick, a disgraced television producer in the last days of a prison sentence, is desperate enough to take Harry’s money to investigate.
But as Jack starts digging, he finds a mystery more complex than he first assumed. And if he’s not careful, he’ll find out first-hand that there’s more than one way to kill someone . . .
