Vivian Slade is the friend we all have but probably wish we didn’t. She’s impulsive, chaotic and infuriating, while also being a lot of fun when the mood takes her. But Viv is now past 30 and the veneer is beginning to wear thin. Suddenly, she’s not the life and soul of the party any longer.
Time to take stock and turn over a new leaf – after all, commandeering the spare room at the home of her long-suffering best friend Bethan, pinching her milk, clothes and even her make up, is not a good look for a woman who should be at the top of her game. Which is why Viv decides to attend a family gathering in a bid to mend fences and smooth down ruffled feathers. Big mistake.
From the get-go, it’s clear that Viv is the black sheep of her extended family. The book opens with a glimpse into a WhatsApp group set up to organise a memorial in Manchester for the lives of Harry and Alison. From the myriad exchanges within, it’s clear that the event is a tad unexpected but something that the group members decided to get behind on the clear understanding that Viv isn’t invited.
She goes, of course – after all, there’d be no story if she didn’t, because it is at the do where she meets her death… again and again. The venue is the local science museum, where Viv’s uncle Harry met his soon to be new wife Alison when they were both volunteers there. They were married for less than a year before being killed in a car crash almost 12 months ago.
The place is packed with displays and exhibitions, and the memorial is on the top floor, which boasts a balcony overlooking the floors below. It’s from here that Viv is pushed to her death. Only to be caught in a strange glitch of time that sends her into a Groundhog Day scenario, where the moments leading up to the demise get played over and over again.
The only person who realises anything odd is going on is waiter Jamie, serving drinks and canapes and – much more important – advice to the recently departed Viv, who doesn’t want to listen. But with the death count at 84 and rising, it’s clear that they must work together to find out who is doing the pushing, and why. And then maybe the cycle can be broken, Viv will live and Jamie can finally go home and get some much-needed sleep.
This time looping narrative line runs sinuously through the book, hitting the brakes when Hulse takes us back to occasions when Viv blotted her copybook. These chapters explain why her family has written Viv off as flaky, unpredictable and not to be trusted. On this showing, it’s hard to disagree with them. But, somehow, the author manages to turn her into someone you’ll be rooting for, warts and all.
Vivian Dies Again is an unusual book; the crime may be on repeat, but it still manages to play second fiddle to the complications of Viv’s life, all of them self-inflicted and all portrayed with a feather light touch. It’s a funny story that will probably provoke the odd spark of recognition as it progresses – who hasn’t got a gossipy cousin who’s never happier than when they’re dishing the dirt and stirring up trouble? And whose family doesn’t have things they’d rather leave in the past?
There is a wealth of rich characterisation to enjoy, featuring a cast of grotesques with Vivian standing in the eye of the storm in the dress she intended to take back to the shop for a refund on Monday. This is a book that I really took to, although after such an enjoyable ride, the task of tying up all the loose ends does seem a tad rushed. That said, if you like your crime fiction to be original, engaging and a touch quirky, give this one a try!
Another book where time is an alien construct is Stu Turton’s The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.
Viper
Print/Kindle/iBook
£7.49
CFL Rating: 4 Stars
