Books: 'My Cork-set novel touches on the issue of toxic masculinity'

A psychological thriller novel set in Cork, which explores the issue of toxic masculinity, has been released by a former UCC English student.

This is the debut book by author David Looby, a former journalist with 22 years’ experience covering local and national stories.

The former Cork resident’s debut novel is called A Billion Sharp Pieces, and is billed as a hypnotic and exciting take on the psychological thriller genre.

On a sun-drenched beach in northern Spain, Todd McCarthy sees an old college friend with whom he shares a troubled past. The life he has forged for himself – with his partner Jade – is suddenly upended as their paths cross once more.

The book asks how far someone can be pushed before they crack, and what does it take for Todd to realise there are only two choices: living or dying?

Exploring themes of toxic masculinity, romance, obsession, narcissism, relationships, class divisions, and more, and set in the ‘wilderness years’ of the late teens and early twenties into the late twenties across several locations, A Billion Sharp Pieces is a work of psychosexual fiction which depicts the lives of vividly drawn characters as they negotiate school, college and work life, while wrestling with inner demons.

The novel is set in sun-drenched Spain and what David describes as “the wonderful city of Cork”.

He explains: “Whether it’s Macbeth or Hannibal Lecter, there’s nothing most of us enjoy more than peering inside the criminal mind.

“That quickening of the pulse and heart-rate that a crime novel brings is addictive, and something I always wanted to replicate in a book.

“As a teenager growing up in Kerry, I was fascinated by the workings of the criminal mind in fiction, and as I widened my literary tastes and started writing myself, this fascination only deepened.”

David studied English and History in UCC and Psychology as a minor. “The interest in psychology continued into my reading life,” he said, “with authors like Joseph Conrad, Edgar Allen Poe, Jeffrey Euginedes and Truman Capote all being sources of great company for me.

“As a regional journalist for more than two decades – and as someone who reported on numerous court cases and crimes – I feel I was fortunate to have had the ideal career to write about crime and psychology.”

David says that he has always been captivated by psychological, suspense thrillers with a criminal edge. “So I guess it was no surprise that I ended up writing a book in this genre.

“The challenge was writing one which surprised me and offered something different, and I hope I have achieved this ambition with A Billion Sharp Pieces.

“Having started writing in earnest in my late teens, writing was always a way for me to understand the world and make sense of my life.

“I began the novel with a simple idea – two friends who grew up alongside each other: shy, tormented Todd McCarthy and confident, ladies’ man Jack Salback.”

The plot takes us on their journey through life, and the moral (and immoral!) choices they make.

With themes of obsession, toxic masculinity and romance, the action swings back and forth between the early 2000s up to 2019, across several locations.

David began writing his debut novel in 2018 and completed the first draft a year later.

“During the pandemic, I returned to the novel and a chance meeting with a writer who was published by Ybernia led me to submit my manuscript to them.”

At the time, he was a full-time journalist with two young children, and admits: “It was difficult to pull the story together, as it was written in snatches before work and during the night over several years, but after several edits I was happy with it – and, thankfully, so were the publishers!

“The book encapsulates the thematic darlings of my reading life and, let’s face it, obsessions with works of criminal and psychological fiction and horror, the difference this time being I was the person who came up with the crimes.

“Looking into the dark crevices of the human psyche is a strange hobby to have, but I am clearly not alone. Crime fiction has exploded in recent years, from Scandi Noir, to True Crime, to all the Harlan Coben shows on Netflix - crime and thriller books account for more than a quarter of all fiction book sales in the Western world and are growing exponentially elsewhere globally.

“From the calculations and psychopathology of a Tom Ripley to the pitch-black depravity of Hannibal Lector, the darkness within human nature has and continues to exert a powerful fascination for me.

“We have all seen stories of career criminals and people who, through a rash impulse or a calculated crime, have found themselves on the run or in jail.

“This passion for crime writing for me goes back to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, to In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, and to the Greek tragedies.”

David adds: “The novel I have written attempts to depict what it means to be a young Irish man, someone facing numerous challenges: from expectations of what it means to be a man and coping with bereavement, to a meditation on how choices impact our fate.

“Bringing readers on a journey, and touching on class distinctions in modern Ireland, it features a detective and the romantic lives of both characters.

“I owe this book to the courage and honesty of numerous writers and lyricists whose work inspired me over the years. Also, to the online and in-person creative writing lecturers who gave me great advice, from the local librarian, to my Creative Writing lecturer in Lemoyne College in Syracuse, Upstate New York, way back in 2001!

“There is a huge sense of satisfaction in holding your own book in your hand, so I can attest that all the hard work is so worth it!

“We all have busy lives and it’s hard to maintain a cohesive narrative and ensure the plot and characters all flow and makes sense but stick with it, if you have embarked on a writing project of your own.”

David has written a second novel, which he hope to release within a year or two, and is now working on a third.

A Billion Sharp Pieces, by David Looby, is released via publishers Ybernia and is available on Amazon UK, other online outlets and is available to order from all bookshops.